Britannia Radio

December 23, 2010 Media Analysis Iraq's Christian exodus and seasonal Bethlehem coverage Every year in the run up to Christmas, the Western media devotes some of its seasonal coverage to events in the town of Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Given the town's West Bank location and the reality of its much-reduced Christian population, news items invariably use the annual Christmas Mass celebrations as a springboard to address other topics. As Just Journalism has reported in previous years, British journalists often focus on Bethlehem's Israeli-occupied status as the primary reason for the steady flow of Christian emigration from the town, while downplaying the role of Islamic extremism in squeezing what is now the minority community. One factor that could alter the established pattern of previous years' Middle East Christmas reporting is the current crisis being suffered by Iraq's Christians, who have been making the headlines in the UK since the October massacre of 52 Christians in a Baghdad church. Read more >> The Wire Christmas coverage: 23 December Thurs. 23 Dec. 2010 @ 11.00 - Sorrowful report broadcast on Channel 4 News documents plight of Iraqi Christians and points to wider trends of Middle East persecution of the minority. Last night Channel 4 News broadcast 'Christmas in Iraq: living in fear,' a special report by international editor Lindsey Hilsum on the plight of Christians in Iraq, as written about by the journalist in yesterday's Daily Telegraph. The eight-minute report opened with a sombre visit to Our Lady of Salvation church, attacked in October in the biggest single assault on an Iraqi church since the 2003 invasion. Hilsum observes: 'More than three hundred worshipped here then. Now only a forlorn gathering of survivors remains. Bullet holes and bloodstains, emblems of the fear Christians feel in Iraq this Christmas.' Read more>> The Wire Christmas coverage: 21 Dec Tue. 21 Dec. 2010 @ 12.10 - Throughout the holiday period, Just Journalism will be highlighting the media coverage of Christians in the Middle East. The blog will draw particular attention to articles on the traditional Christmas town of Bethlehem, as well as the plight of Christians in Iraq. TIMES: Holy city's carpenters lament loss of trade as Christian residents are whittled away - Sheera Frenkel Focuses on a carpenter in Bethlehem whose business is struggling, even through the Christmas period. Christmas is still the high point of trade for the carpenter interviewed for the piece, but he says that: 'We still make money this time of year, Christmas, when the tourists come. But it is not how it used to be. This is no longer a place that Christians across the world run to see. We can't survive on the money we make just during the holidays.' The dwindling number of Christians in Bethlehem is attributed to Islamic extremism and the Israeli occupation, with the article highlighting the demographic change: '...in 1948, Bethlehem was 85 per cent Christian and 13 per cent Sunni Muslim. By 2005 those numbers nearly reversed, with fewer than 20 per cent identifying themselves as Christian.' Read more>> Donate Just Journalism is an independent research organisation focused on how Israel and Middle East issues are reported in the UK media. We produce analysis of print, broadcast and online media and regularly publish research on trends in the media's coverage. We are a not-for-profit company that relies solely on the donations of its supporters. You can donate easily online via PayPal by clicking the button below. For alternate methods of donating such as cheque or wire transfer, please email donate@justjournalism.com.