WACO, Texas - Despite reporters’ goal of objectivity, some broadcast accounts and articles about rumors that President Barack Obama is Muslim suggest that being an Arab or a Muslim automatically is “a sinister accusation,” according to a study by Baylor University researchers published online in the American Communication Journal.

The article - “Barack Hussein Obama: Campaigning While (Allegedly) Muslim” - was written by Dr. Mia Moody, an assistant professor of journalism and media arts at Baylor University, and Aisha Tariq of Houston, who earned a master’s degree in international journalism from Baylor in May 2010.

The two did textual analyses of three articles from key sources - Insight online magazine, The Washington Post and an article posted on Obama’s website and also published in the Los Angeles Times - and also reviewed six broadcast transcripts from Fox News and CNN.

Moody and Tariq found that members of the media have reinforced public animosity toward Arabs and...