Jack Shaheen

Jack Shaheen was an award winning-media critic and professor of mass communications at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. Shaheen also authored the books The TV Arab, Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People (made into a documentary) and Guilty: Hollywood’s Verdict on Arabs after 9/11).

July 1, 1992

Jack Shaheen

The Arab Stereotype: A Villain Without a Human Face

Portrayed as either billionaires, bombers, or belly dancers, Bedouin bandits or bundles in black—Arabs are hardly ever seen as ordinary people practicing law, driving taxis or healing the sick. Featured since the early 1900s in more than 500 feature films and scores of television programs, Arabs still lack a human face. The typical screen Arab can […]

January 1, 1988

Jack Shaheen

Images of Arabs on the Screen

It is ironic that as Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip are being beaten, arrested and killed, CBS TV chose to portray a Palestinian as a terrorist and not as a victim of terror. The recent CBS special (1/10/88) Terrorist on Trial: The United States vs. Salim Ajami perpetuates the media myth: […]

What’s FAIR

FAIR is the national progressive media watchdog group, challenging corporate media bias, spin and misinformation. We work to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints. We expose neglected news stories and defend working journalists when they are muzzled. As a progressive group, we believe that structural reform is ultimately needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, establish independent public broadcasting and promote strong non-profit sources of information.

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