LONDON: There was widespread and systemic anti-Muslim bias across British media in 2025, with a cluster of right-wing outlets responsible for the most severe and persistent harmful coverage, a new report from the Centre for Media Monitoring (CfMM) shows.
Analysing 40,913 articles published across 30 major news outlets, The State of British Media 2025: Reporting on Muslims and Islam, is the largest of its kind in the UK – unveiled at a media event in the House of Commons on Monday night. The speakers panel included Faisal Hanif, CfMM Media Analyst, Dominic Ponsford, Press Gazette, Kevin Maguire, The Mirror, Zahera Harb, Press Recognition Panel, and Professor Tahir Abbas, Aston University.
It finds that biased portrayals of Muslims and Islam are not isolated incidents but structural patterns embedded in significant sections of British journalism.
“As the largest study of its kind ever conducted in the UK, this report presents deeply concerning evidence of structural bias in how Muslims are portrayed in the UK press,” Rizwana Hamid, director of CfMM told Geo News.
“When nearly half of all articles referencing Muslims or Islam are biased, and almost 70 per cent associate Muslims with negative aspects or behaviours, it points to a systemic problem within our media ecosystem. When entire communities are repeatedly framed through lenses of suspicion or threat, it inevitably shapes public attitudes, political debate and the everyday lives of British Muslims.”
Journalist and author, Peter Oborne said: “Not all the findings in this report are unexpected. Who would have guessed that the Spectator is the most Islamophobic media outlet in Britain! But this authoritative and fair-minded study is a sobering and scrupulous reminder of the prejudice British Muslims have to endure. And it’s getting worse. Much worse.”
The study found that nearly 50 per cent of all articles published about Muslims in the UK (approx. 20,000 pieces) contained varying degrees of bias. With nearly half of all UK media articles about Muslims demonstrating measurable bias in 2025, audiences are routinely denied balanced and accurate information on matters of significant social importance. Extensive research has shown correlations between negative portrayals of Muslims and rising hate crime and support for restrictive policies.
Across all 40,913 articles analysed, 70 per cent contain information that associate Muslims and/or Islam with negative aspects or behaviours. Although negative stories about Muslim and Islam are not inherently biased, this high figure of 70 per cent suggests a widespread bias against the Muslim community. The UK media is churning out negative portrayals of Muslims through the lens of conflict, threat, and controversy.
A distinct cluster of right-wing outlets consistently produced the most biased coverage of Muslims. The most harmful reporting was concentrated among a group of right-wing publications: The Spectator, GB News, The Telegraph, Jewish Chronicle, Daily Express, The Sun, Daily Mail and The Times. These outlets scored worst across all five bias categories, suggesting systematic editorial hostility rather than incidental failures.
The BBC consistently recorded the lowest rates of bias against Muslims.
The BBC showed the strongest overall performance across metrics, demonstrating that scale does not require sacrificing editorial standards and that public service obligations provide meaningful constraints on harmful framing.
