Islamophobia in Reactionary News: Radicalizing Christianity in the United States

Abstract

The accuracy and relevance of United States print news media has been called into question at increasing rates in the post-truth era. Conservatives, in particular, have long expressed concerns that mass and digital media censor conservative as well as Christian viewpoints while promoting a progressive and, more recently, pro-Muslim, platform. They have increasingly turned to alternative-right and alternative right-wing sources for news and discussion within what they deem to be unfiltered and unbiased networks. This article employs a mixed method approach of content and discourse analysis of sources from 1 January to 15 May of 2019 pertaining to discourse concerning the relationship between Christianity and Islam within and in response to articles in three such sources: Breitbart, The Federalist, and FrontPage Magazine. The role of these three websites is considered in the radicalization of those who aim to defend a monolithic form of Christianity rather than a particular Christian denomination or belief.