How legacy media for years worked to suppress the fact Christians are being martyred

Only weeks ago, Fox News reported that as the genocide by Muslims against Christians in Nigeria was continuing, there was concern the nation’s Christians “are being wiped out.”

The report said the Islamists are intent “on creating a Muslim caliphate” and have been killing Christians wantonly for years already.

“Nigeria’s Christians are being wiped out; we need to call it what it is — genocide,” explained Jeff King of International Christian Concern.

In one slaughter just weeks ago, a Muslim attack on Christians in the Plateau State’s Bokkos County left more than 60 Christians dead.

And 383 homes belonging to Christians were torched.

King said, “Families were burned alive, and kids were left homeless. It’s gut-wrenching. The worst thing is that there’s nothing truly ‘special’ about this attack. This has gone on for 20 years and has only expanded.”

Then it was Christian News that confirmed that Muslim Fulani herdsmen still are killing Christians, with two deaths over the weekend and 10 other victims in recent weeks.

Among the most recent victims of the Muslim extremists was Tony Adejoh, village head of predominantly Christian Odugbeho community, and Jerry John.

“Both were working on their farms in the Otobi-Akpa when they were ambushed and killed by armed herdsmen,” explained Marvis Ejeh, a member of the Agatu Local Government Council.

Nigeria, in fact, remains among the most dangerous places on earth for Christians, according to Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Of the 4,476 Christians killed for their faith worldwide during the reporting period, 3,100 (69 percent) were in Nigeria, according to the WWL.

Why is the outrage level no higher for the indiscriminate slaughter of men, women and children who are Christian?

International Christian Concern suggests part of the reason is that media outlets have suppressed the identities of the perpetrators and victims of the atrocities.

“You would think it’s hard to overlook the religious motivation of a massacre when the victims are all Christian and the massacre takes place on Christmas, Palm Sunday, or Easter,” the organization reported. “But many people who work in media have proven themselves almost uncannily adept at avoiding the religious motivation behind such violence.”

For example, the report said, “When more than 50 Nigerian Christians were murdered in one attack on Palm Sunday, April 13. France’s leading newspaper, Le Monde, soon after ran an article mentioning that the attack took place on a Sunday, but neglected to mention that it was Palm Sunday. This factual detail would show a clear religious motivation. Is that why it was omitted?”

Then there was the attack on Christmas Day 2024.

Dozens of Nigerian Christians were slaughtered, as a follow up to Christmas 2023, when hundreds were killed and maimed.

“CNN ran an article on the subject, but did not mention Christmas or the religion of the victims,” the report said.

Deutsche Welle, a German media conglomerate, noted the deaths of Christmas 2023, but “also failed to mention anything about Christmas or how the victims were Christians.”

“The Guardian, a major U.K.-based media company, also ran an article on Dec. 25 but neglected to mention Christmas or the religion of the victims. Instead, the article mentioned ‘competition for natural resources’ aggravated by ‘climate pressures’ — also known as climate change or global warming.”

And following a 2022 massacre in a church, “the local Catholic bishop remarked, ’40 of my people were not killed because of global warming, but because they were Christians.'”

NPR covered the real issue by calling it a “pastoral conflict.”

The report explained, “It might be worth pointing out that if basically all the violence is perpetrated by one side, then it’s not so much a ‘conflict’ as it is an ongoing violation.”

Frustrated by the media’s deceptions, one Nigerian priest charged, “It’s not a clash, it is a slow genocide.”

And the BBC talked about the deaths, but blamed only “armed groups,” without identifying the Muslim marauders or Christian victims.

The report noted, “Nigeria’s current president, Bola Tinubu, is a Muslim, as is the current vice president, Kashim Shettima. The previous president, Muhammadu Buhari, is the son of a Fulani chieftain. This made him a rather unlikely candidate to crack down on persistent Fulani violence that has reportedly become the most severe threat to Nigerian Christians.
For decades now, wealthy Fulanis have supplied their fellow militant tribesmen with AK-47 assault rifles and other weaponry. Many Nigerian Christians view this continued endeavor as part of an overall effort to expand Islamist rule across Nigeria.”