A Tangled Web

DON'T EVER MENTION THE WORD "TERRORIST"



The Reuters "news" service has taken exception to CanWest, a Canadian news agency, adding the word "terrorist" to an article distributed by Reuters.



Most commonly, the words "insurgent" or "militant" are employed by the Leftmedia in stories about car or "suicide" bombing attacks. However, in this instance, no such word was used at all.



The original Reuters line stated: "...the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which has been involved in a four-year-old revolt against Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank." The National Post changed it to: "...the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a terrorist group that has been involved in a four-year-old campaign of violence against Israel." That is objective news.



David Schlesinger, global managing editor for Reuters, however, cried foul: "Our editorial policy is that we don't use emotive words when labeling someone."



Hmmm. A "terrorist" is someone who uses the modus operandi of "terrorism" -- i.e., the deliberate targeting of civilians to achieve a political or religious goal. That doesn't sound "emotive" to us -- but it does sound as if someone is "Non Compos Mentis."



From the Federalist.