Religion in the News on an Ordinary Day: Diversity and Change in English Canada

Canada has a deeply rooted connection with Christianity in its Protestant and Catholic forms. However, over the latter half of the 20th century there has been a strong shift toward secularization and the promotion of religious diversity. Through our study, we identified 186 news articles that made one or more references to conventional religion, common religion, or secular sacred themes. We then considered news stories with references to religion where religion was the main issue of the story and found 56 articles with majority of their focus on Islam. In the analysis it became clear there was a conflict in representations of Islam: as a terror threat or as a positive belief system. This study found a greater tolerance for religious diversity than was evident in earlier media studies in Canada, which suggests an overall shift in media representation that may be more representative of Canada’s changing religious demographics.