Mediating Islam

Broadening an overly narrow definition of Islamic journalism, Janet Steele examines day-to-day reporting practices of Muslim professionals, from conservative scripturalists to pluralist cosmopolitans, at five exemplary news organizations in Malaysia and Indonesia. At Sabili. , established as an underground publication, journalists are hired for their ability at dakwah. , or Islamic propagation. At Tempo. , a news magazine banned during the Soeharto regime and considered progressive, many see their work as a manifestation of worship, but the publication itself is not considered Islamic. At Harakah. , reporters support an Islamic political party, while at Republika. they practice a "journalism of the Prophet" and see Islam as a market niche. Other news organizations, too, such as Malaysiakini. , employ Muslim journalists. Steele, a longtime scholar of the region, explores how these publications observe universal principles of journalism through an Islamic idiom.