Question 85

Would you like to see more media exposure concerning atheism? If so, through what medium and with what message?

• You bet I would! How about some positive coverage for a change? I'd like to see some more focus on atheist issues, such as discrimination, prejudice, raising children in secular homes, and other aspects of life. Magazine articles and television spots would certainly be appreciated. (Anna #1490)

• Sometimes 60 minutes comes across as an atheist show. They have done some heavily anti-catholic stories such as the Magdelene laundries in Ireland. In a story about a cancer treatment, they covered a religious lady who died. A lot of shows would have cut that woman out of the segment and just covered religious people who lived. Andy Rooney has criticized religion as well. (Michael Alexander #18)

• Yes, through music, particularly my own. ;) With the message that you don't need fairy tales in your life to *live*... reality is quite exciting enough! (raven1 #1096)

• Sure, but not in a proselytizing sense. I don't know about the USA, but in the UK most religious TV is of an incredibly low standard (with one or two notable exceptions) that seems to specialise in the "warm fuzzies". (Therion Ware #422)

• Maybe documentaries/ docu-dramas about famous atheists/ non-theists on Network TV?

  Atheists
  Atheist Celebs (maff)

• I would like to see much, much more media attention concerning atheism. I would like to see closet-celebrity-atheists and historical figures being "outed". I would like to see politicians being *SHOCKED, SHOCKED* to find that so-and-so was an (shudder) atheist. And so forth. Get it out into the open.

  All media. (Red Foster)

• Not necessarily. I really think Newsgroups are the best place for atheism at this point. I don't trust theists to remain non-violent if they sensed that atheism was a "threat." Which is exactly what they would perceive if it were given more media coverage. Just here. (Occam's Lazer)

• I kinda like the road sign idea myself. Large billboards alongside busy highways saying "God is a myth". Stuff like that.

  I like the satire idea also, of putting up side-by-side billboards, one with a pro-god message, and one which mocks it. I got a kick out of someone's comment here a bit back about the sign which says "Don't make me come down there - God" and a reply next to it saying "I dare you - Man". LOL. (Elroy Willis)

• It's not so much the quantity as the quality of the exposure that worries me. Frankly, I would prefer to see more *honest* exposure of both theism and atheism. Reporters and editors seem to shy away from anything suggesting there are sound, rational alternatives to the prevailing mythology.

  But then, we live in a society in (the U.S.A.) in which the majority of adults are said to believe in angels and the existence of some version of the cosmic super critter. I guess it's unrealistic to expect the media to buck that trend.

  I would like to see it happen, but I don't expect it, except through a medium like the Internet - which is still relatively free and isnn't *yet* under the control of either the government or commercial advertisers. (George Ricker #232)

• I would like to see more balanced exposure.... and especially less of the media forcibly dragging religion into the picture where it isn't relevant, such as in the aftermath of tragedies. It seems harmless until you realize that the net effect is very unbalancing - look at the media treatment of Klebold and Harris vs. that Cub Scout brat in Georgia or the kid did the Jonesboro (I believe?) shooting, who both had their pastors prominently quoted as saying that they weren't really bad, just confused. Is a pastor's character witness really that relevant in such a case?

  Or for the opposite instance (not strictly atheist related, but in a similar vein) there was the great deal of reportage on the "Satanic" tattoo of the man who was convicted of dragging the African-American guy to death. Though I agreed with the conviction, certainly, this made me very angry because most of the organized racist groups in the south are at least nominally christian, not satanist, and yet if he'd had a tattoo of a cross or one that said "Jesus Saves" it would hardly have had its photo on CNN.

  In general, this sort of thing reaffirms the view that "mainstream" theists, especially Christians, are somehow more moral and happier people. And, unsurprisingly, those turn out to be two of the big misperceptions that we deal with here every day.

  (It sometimes seems as though the media feels compelled to chant "Christians good, Outsiders bad" at every opportunity so that they can keep believing it in the face of contrary evidence.) (Cassandra #297)