Tuesday, 11 December 2012

Selling the Census to the Right

So the latest census data is out. I can see that presenting a collection of demographic statistics in an attention grabbing way must be a struggle for the media.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/11/christians-minority-2018-census-analysis?intcmp=122

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20677515

However, I'd have thought that such venerable institutions as the Guardian and the BBC could have done better than 'Census data released - Christians: a New Minority?' and 'Census shows rise in foreign-born' respectively.

These headlines are at least factually accurate. The data did show these trends - although the Guardian seems to be using an extremely weird definition of minority. However, by selecting these findings to focus on the news organs pander to those 'Geert Wilders' of Europe who believe that an increase in people of non-Christian religions and non-British birth is an existential threat to national identities.

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