UK media bias against Muslims, says group that analysed 40,000 articles

Centre for Media Monitoring reports right-wing outlets The Spectator and GB News often malign Muslims and their faith.Published On 9 Mar 2026London, United Kingdom – As anti-Muslim hate crimes rise in Britain, so too does biased coverage of Muslims in the media, a new study suggests.The Centre for Media Monitoring, a nonprofit organisation that examines how Muslims and Islam are portrayed in the media, said in a report released on Monday that of about 40,000 articles it assessed from 30 outlets, 70 percent associated Muslims or Islam with negative aspects or behaviours.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4How to keep Britain’s far-right out of power: MP Shockat Adamlist 2 of 4Far-right anti-Islam march sparks counterprotests in Manchesterlist 3 of 4UK far-right activist Tommy Robinson talks up US State Department visitlist 4 of 4‘People here are tired, scared and feel forgotten’: Racism stalks UK townsend of list“As the largest study of its kind ever conducted in the UK, this report presents deeply concerning evidence of structural bias in how Muslims are portrayed in the UK press,” said Rizwana Hamid, the group’s director.The report said almost half of the articles published about Muslims in the UK, or about 20,000, contained a “high degree of bias”.The data point to a “systemic problem within our media ecosystem”, Hamid said. “When entire communities are repeatedly framed through lenses of suspicion or threat, it inevitably shapes public attitudes, political debate and the everyday lives of British Muslims”.News organisations that address the concerns and interests of right-wing voters in Britain were more likely to produce biased coverage about Muslims, the report found.The organisation named The Spectator magazine and GB News television channel as the “worst across all five bias categories” – negative coverage, generalisations, misrepresentations, contextual omissions and problematic headlines – as well as newspapers such as The Telegraph, Jewish Chronicle, Daily Express, The Sun, Daily Mail and The Times.