The backlash against the media is mounting over the refusal by several outlets to refer to Hamas terrorists as terrorists.
For example, in Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has issued a since-leaked memo ordering its reporters to not use the word “terrorists” to reference Hamas terrorists.
“Do not refer to militants, soldiers, or anyone else as ‘terrorists.’ The notion of terrorism remains heavily politicized and is part of the story,” the memo reads, according to the National Post.
“Even when quoting/clipping a government or a source referring to fighters as ‘terrorists,’ we should add context to ensure the audience understands this is opinion, not fact. That includes statements from the Canadian government and Canadian politicians,” it continues.
Except it’s a FACT that the Canadian government has Hamas listed as a terrorist organization.
Trudeau: “Hamas terrorists aren’t a resistance. They’re not freedom fighters. They are terrorists and no one in Canada should be supporting them much less celebrating them.”#Israel #hamas #Canada #trudeau #terrorist
pic.twitter.com/P3CoI0n84R— Jimmy Tran (@thatjimmytr) October 10, 2023
Meanwhile in the U.K., the BBC has similarly ordered its reporters to not use the term “terrorists” when speaking about Hamas terrorists.
“The BBC has a section of its style guide devoted to Israel and the Palestinians, which states that ‘terrorism is a difficult and emotive subject with significant political overtones and care is required in the use of language that carries value judgements. We should not use the term ‘terrorist’ without attribution,'” according to Variety magazine.
“Instead, the guide recommends that reporters ‘should use words which specifically describe the perpetrator such as ‘bomber’, ‘attacker’, ‘gunman’, ‘kidnapper’, ‘insurgent’, and ‘militant’. We should not adopt other people’s language as our own; our responsibility is to remain objective and report in ways that enable our audiences to make their own assessments about who is doing what to whom.’ However, the British government itself has declared Hamas a terrorist organization.”
In the BBC’s case, the backlash has been so intense that one sports writer, Noah Abrahams, has vowed to “no longer work for or represent” the outlet.
Look:
A personal announcement from me: I will no longer work for or represent the BBC.
No more games this season. No more input. pic.twitter.com/tH12heJpmM
— Noah Abrahams (@NoahAbrahams_) October 11, 2023
Next up is Al Jazeera, which reportedly only refers to “fighters” in its stories about Hamas terrorists terrorizing Israelis.
Similar policy decisions are being made by U.S.-based news organizations as well.
“Israel’s defense minister has ordered a ‘complete siege’ on the Gaza Strip following an unprecedented incursion into Israel by Hamas fighters,’’ the Associated Press reported, according to the New York Post.
The Post also notes that “[t]he New York Times did not use the words ‘terrorist’ or ‘terrorism’ on its front-page coverage.”
Not once on the front page of the @NYTimes does the word “terrorists“ appear.
Not once.
Why not call Hamas what it is?
Why not call the slaughtering of innocents what it is?This is disgraceful. pic.twitter.com/FrlHNXj68C
— American Jewish Committee (@AJCGlobal) October 7, 2023
However, the paper did originally refer to Hamas as terrorists in one of its stories but later changed terrorists to “gunmen” after presumed backlash from pro-Hamas zealots.
Holy shit you can’t make this up.
The New York Times published a story referring to Hamas as “terrorists” and then changed it to “gunmen.” pic.twitter.com/zp7vQUrHn3
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 11, 2023
And then there’s independent U.S. “journalist” Hamilton Nolan, who wrote on Substack that the words “terrorism,” “terrorist,” and “terror” should be eliminated from news reports because they’re “dripping with seething fanatical nationalistic blood lust.”
Furthermore, zeroing in specifically on the word “terrorist,” he argued that it’s a slur.
“The press should never have started using the term ‘War on Terror’ more than 20 years ago. Nor should it ever have acquiesced to the simple framing of 9/11 and the American response to it as a case of us defending ourselves from ‘terrorists.’ I say this, again, as a matter of journalism rather than as a political position. ‘Terrorist’ is, in essence, a slur. It defines its subject from the outset as a villain,” his piece reads.
“Its connotation is that everything it labels falls outside the bounds of reasonable conduct, that it describes people and organizations and philosophies that are evil. It connotes violence that is illegitimate, in contrast to the legitimate violence delivered by the state. The term casts a shadow that forever keeps its subject, and the people who are supposed to be gaining a greater understanding of that subject, in the dark.”
Remember when the media called people peacefully waving American flags on Jan 6th terrorists? Now some news orgs have guidelines telling reporters they’re not allowed to refer to Hamas as terrorists.
The media is the enemy of the people
— Chaya Raichik (@ChayaRaichik10) October 13, 2023
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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