Work

Mass Shooters and Religious Bias in the US Printed Media: A One Card Game?

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: What drives the religious media bias in their coverage of mass shooters in the US? Understanding the source of media bias can structure future research on the portrayal of mass shooters and can be a major step in promoting bias-free reporting. This article aims to identify the potential determinants of religious media bias by focusing on the shooter (religion and religious motivation) and victim (race) characteristics. It covers 34 mass shootings that took place since 9/11 and conducts content analyses of all media reporting about them in two major newspapers. We provide evidence that media religious bias occurs frequently in the case of Muslim shooters, while the other potential determinants do not make a difference.

Source: International Journal of Politics Culture and Society

DOI: 10.1007/s10767-025-09528-2

Authors: Laura Feijoo, Sergiu Gherghina

Institution: University of Glasgow

Language: English

Topic: Media Studies and Communication

Subfield: Communication

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,290