Wisconsin Shootings Prompt Media Confusion Over Sikh Religion

[cbayer]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/06/wisconsin-shootings-media-sikh_n_1746855.html?utm_hp_ref=media

By Jack Mirkinson
Posted: 08/06/2012 9:01 am Updated: 08/06/2012 9:41 am



The deadly shootings in a Sikh temple in Wisconsin on Sunday appeared to attract a certain amount of confusion in the media, and generated nowhere near the levels of coverage that the mass shooting in Aurora drew just a few weeks ago.

The complications of covering a relatively small religious group (there are between 25 and 30 million Sikhs in the world) were clear on Sunday. Outlets like BuzzFeed and writers like Sunny Hundal compiled several examples of reporters struggling with the facts of the religion: a Fox News analyst asking if there had been any "anti-Semitic acts" in the past against Sikhs; CNN's Don Lemon wondering if Sikhs have "traditional enemies," or if the shooter had "beef with the Sikhs"; a local Wisconsin station saying that the religion is "based in northern Italy."

Perhaps knowing that there was a knowledge gap, the Asian American Journalists' Association released guidelines for reporters to use in their coverage. Among the advice:

-- The word "Sikh" is pronounced "seek." -- A Sikh temple is also called a "gurdwara" (pronounced GOORD-war-ah). -- The Sikh religion is an offshoot of the Hindu religion. It was founded around 1500.

The level of coverage was also a grim reminder of the factors that can go into deciding how expansively to cover a story. Whereas the Aurora shootings led to days of special reports and wall-to-wall dispatches from the scene, the Wisconsin shootings were given much less space. Morning shows on Monday spent their first two segments on the shootings before moving on.

more at link

[Jim__]

1. I didn't think the media needed any prompting. - n/t

[cbayer]

2. None to get it completely wrong, lol.

[Ganja Ninja]

3. From what little I've read on the Sikh religion it is ...

suppose to be a sort of blending of Islam and Hinduism.

[kestrel91316]

6. It has nothing to do with Islam. It is a monotheistic offshoot of Hinduism.

[Ganja Ninja]

9. No the founder was a Hindu but according to Sikh tradition ...

while in Baghdad as part of his journey to Mecca and Medina, Guru Nanak had extensive dialogue with Muslim scholars there.

The Sikh holy book is known as the Guru Granth Sahib, it contains the teachings of the Sikh Gurus and includes passages from both Hindu and Sufi saints.

Guru Nanak Dev was the founder of Sikhism, the teachings of the first five Sikh Gurus were compiled by the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev into the Guru Granth Sahib. These included teachings of saints of the Hindu and Muslim faith also.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_and_Sikhism

[kestrel91316]

10. Oh well then....my bad.

[cbayer]

7. While I don't know much detail, the Sikhs I have known have been

fascinating people.

Very peaceful and personally powerful...

and always armed, but not with guns.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. ah yes..the infamous northern Italy offshoot Hindu religion...

covered so well in the Godfather trilogy.

[kestrel91316]

5. Most media people seem to have broken google fingers, and seem strangely

unable to read Wikipedia entries.

[cbayer]

8. This article could have been stronger had the author done some

research himself and posted some facts about Sikhs.

But, I agree. Very, very sloppy and lazy reporting going on right now.

[dimbear]

11. On NPR today, a Sikh explained how to pronounce the word.

He pronounced it almost like our word 'sick', but with a tiny little aspirate at the end representing the final h. Think 'loch.'

That being so, it's hard to go very far wrong.