Examining Status Hierarchies of Muslims, Jews, and Catholics in the New York Times and the Guardian between 1985 and 2014

In order to better understand the status hierarchies of religious groups, we use a systematic method to measure the standing of different groups through coding newspaper headlines that contain the name of the group. This... [ view full abstract ]

In order to better understand the status hierarchies of religious groups, we use a systematic method to measure the standing of different groups through coding newspaper headlines that contain the name of the group. This article examines the portrayals of Muslims, Catholics, and Jews in the most prominent mainstream left-leaning newspapers in the United States and Great Britain between 1985 and 2014. We compare the tone of New York Times and Guardian newspaper headlines across group, across country, and across time. We find that an overall hierarchy of the tone of headline portrayals exists across the three religious groups, with Jews portrayed most positively, followed by Catholics, and then by Muslims. Our data also demonstrate cross-country differences. While there is a consistent hierarchy across all groups in the New York Times, there is a status similarity between Catholics and Muslims in the Guardian. Over time, the depiction of all three religious groups in the New York Times and for Jews in the Guardian has stayed the same. However, the overall similar status of Catholics and Muslims in the Guardian is the product of a convergence over time. Our methods and findings add new insights about the study of status hierarchies.