The Age of Enlightenment: God, sacred cows and the media

Controversies involving religion are never far from the news headlines, whether it be protests over female bishops, faith schools, abortion, the Danish cartoons crisis, or anxiety over the rise of Islam and the global ‘war on terror’.

Professor of religious studies Kim Knott (School of Humanities) is leading a new two-year study starting this September that will look at how the British media portrays religious beliefs, issues and practices, and what she calls the ‘secular sacred’.

Unlike the subject of race in the media, surprisingly little empirical research has been conducted in Britain on the representation of religion, she says. “This is very concerning given its importance for debates about the retreat or re-emergence of religion in public life, and for testing assumptions about media ignorance, neglect and bias.”

Professor Knott says religion has moved higher up the news agenda these days, as many religions are now active global movements. “Britain also has a far more diverse population than it used to, so religious communities that were relatively small and quiet 25 years ago have become more visible, particularly in northern cities like Bradford and Birmingham. As a result, the New Labour government is taking things like community cohesion and inter-faith dialogue much more seriously.”

The researchers will also hold focus groups with people from different backgrounds to examine the media’s influence in shaping their views about religion.

The findings will be compared with an earlier study carried out at the University of Leeds in 1982, directed by sociologist Dr Robert Towler, who left to become head of research at the Independent Television Commission.

Dr Towler has been brought in as an adviser for this project along with Ruth Gledhill, religious correspondent for The Times.

“That study was my very first job as a research assistant after I’d gained my PhD,” says Professor Knott, “so I have an opportunity to revisit issues that motivated me early in my academic career.”

How has the media’s portrayal of religion changed over the last 25 years? In the 1980s, many people thought religion was in decline and that Britain was becoming a secular society.

“There was a lot of discussion around the idea that God was dead, and that television had emerged as the new high priest of society,” she says. “Yet we were surprised to discover the extent to which the language of religion still permeated newspapers and television, with frequent references to things such as prayer, destiny, magic and the paranormal. Even today, The Sun still has a full page on its website devoted to UFOs and the supernatural.”

The 1982 study, which coincided with Pope John Paul II’s tour of Britain, recorded nearly 3,500 references to conventional religion (75%) and unofficial supernatural beliefs and practices (25%) over a two-month period, reflecting the presence of what scholars at the time referred to as ‘subterranean theologies’.

However, Professor Knott expects the 2008-2010 study to bring up a very different set of religious priorities and assumptions. For example, as well as significant stories on global Christianity and Islam, she is anticipating references to New Age spiritual practices such as Feng Shui, Kaballah, and alternative therapies.

“We’re also going to be examining the ‘secular sacred’; that is, things which are not explicitly religious yet many people hold in the highest esteem, such as the sanctity of marriage vows, the right to freedom of expression, and the sacredness of human remains,” she says.

The study’s key findings will be shared widely with journalists, programme makers, academic scholars and community groups through a series of workshops. “We hope to point out some of the pitfalls of reporting on religion, and assist the media to produce better-informed news coverage in this increasingly complex world.”

The study has received £231,000 funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council, and is one of six awards made to the University of Leeds as part of their ‘Religion and Society’ programme.