Nearly half of all British news coverage about Muslims contains measurable bias, according to a new large-scale study that raises concerns about systemic patterns in how Islam and Muslim communities are portrayed in the U.K. media.
The report, released by the Centre for Media Monitoring (CfMM), analyzed 40,913 articles published in 2025 across 30 major U.K. news outlets, according to the Scottish daily, The National.
Researchers found that roughly 20,000 of those articles, nearly 50%, contained at least two indicators of anti-Muslim bias.
Across all articles reviewed, about 70% included information linking Muslims or Islam to negative behaviors or themes.
While negative stories are not necessarily biased, the report said the overall pattern suggests Muslims are frequently depicted through narratives of conflict, threat or controversy.
Researchers identified a cluster of right-leaning outlets responsible for the most severe and persistent bias. Among those cited were The Spectator, GB News, The Telegraph, The Jewish Chronicle, Daily Express, The Sun, Daily Mail and The Times.
The study found that The Spectator had the highest proportion of severely biased coverage, with more than one in four articles categorized as “very biased,” representing the most extreme anti-Muslim framing proportionally among major outlets.
While some smaller outlets showed higher proportional bias, The Telegraph published the largest number of highly biased articles overall, followed by the Daily Mail, reflecting their higher output of coverage about Muslims and Islam.
Sweeping generalizations about Muslims were also concentrated heavily in right-leaning media, according to the report.
The highest rates were recorded by GB News at 39%, followed by The Telegraph at 32%, Daily Express at 24%, The Times at 22%, The Sun at 21% and the Daily Mail at 20%.
In contrast, broadcasters and outlets considered more centrist or left-leaning recorded significantly lower levels of such generalizations. The BBC had the lowest rate at 6%, while The Guardian recorded 11%.
“As the largest study of its kind ever conducted in the U.K., this report presents deeply concerning evidence of structural bias in how Muslims are portrayed in the U.K. press,” said Rizwana Hamid, director of the CfMM.
She warned that persistent negative framing could influence public perception and political discourse.
“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,” Hamid said.
Journalist and author Peter Oborne said the findings confirm longstanding concerns about prejudice in the British press.
Researchers evaluated each article using five indicators of bias: negative associations with Muslims or Islam, sweeping generalizations, misrepresentation or distortion, omission of context or diverse perspectives, and sensational or problematic headlines.
Articles containing two or more indicators were classified as biased, while those with four or five indicators were categorized as “very biased.”
