It has been nearly a week since the State Department released its 2015 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom (IRF). To date, the broadcast networks have not even acknowledged the report or its findings; and major newspapers have offered perfunctory coverage.
In an op ed written on August 11 – the day following the State Department briefing – New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof criticized President Obama for his policies in Syria. However, although Kristof mentioned the ‘impending genocide of Yazidi on Mount Sinjar’ in 2014, the journalist missed an opportunity to call out the current genocide facing both minority Muslim and Christian groups. Additionally, he did not mention the IRF report.
On the same day, Washington Post diplomatic correspondent Carol Morello penned an article entitled “Report Criticizes Nations with Strict Religious Laws.” In her piece, Morello addressed the IRF’s major points, noting that “Secretary of State John F. Kerry said the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq is committing genocide against religious minorities, specifically Yazidis, Shiite Muslims and Christians.”
In his coverage of the State Department briefing, Christian Science Monitor’s David Iaconangelo wrote, “It [the report] took special note of the genocide carried out against religious minorities by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) and Boko Haram, calling them ‘amongst the most egregious abusers of religious freedom in the world.’”
It is shameful that so few major media outlets have been vocal on this issue. ABC, CBS and NBC mostly resisted using the word “genocide” to describe the Islamist atrocities against Christians in the six times since January 2014 that they have addressed the situation.
Sign the petition and demand the networks Tell the Truth about Christian Genocide.
