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BBC Calls Terrorism Terrorism
CNS News ^ | July 8, 2005 | Patrick Goodenough

Posted on 07/08/2005 1:32:55 PM PDT by WmShirerAdmirer

(CNSNews.com) - The British Broadcasting Corporation Thursday dropped its customary stance on using the words "terrorist" and "terror" in its coverage of the deadly bombings in London.

News stories included references to "terror attacks on London" and "a series of terrorist attacks on London's public transport system."

Media watchdogs have for years taken issue with the BBC, along with other news organizations such as Reuters, for a reluctance to call deadly attacks against civilians terrorism.

In its coverage of Palestinian suicide bombings, for instance, the broadcaster uses words like "bomber" and "militant" to describe those who detonate bombs that kill and maim Israeli civilians.

Last year a group called BBCWatch.com criticized the BBC's reluctance to use the words "terrorist" in reference to Palestinian suicide bombings.

"We consider that the way in which the BBC refrains from labeling as 'terrorist' certain groups attacking Israelis is discriminatory, inaccurate and impartial," the group said in a report.

Another group, Honest Reporting, noted an instance in late 2001 when the BBC did not describe suicide bombings which killed 26 civilians in Jerusalem and Haifa as "terrorism," but then used the word "terror" in a headline describing retaliatory Israeli raids in Gaza.

BBC editorial guidelines warn staff against "the careless use of words which carry emotional or value judgments."

"The word 'terrorist' itself can be a barrier rather than an aid to understanding," the guidelines say. "We should try to avoid the term, without attribution. We should let other people characterize while we report the facts as we know them."

"We should use words which specifically describe the perpetrator such as 'bomber,' 'attacker,' 'gunman,' 'kidnapper,' 'insurgent,' and 'militant.' 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."

The Malki Foundation is a charity set up by the family of a 15-year-old girl killed by Palestinian terrorists in an Aug. 2001 suicide bombing in a Jerusalem pizza parlor

Writing on the group's website Thursday, Malka Chana Roth's father Arnold said "what happened in London today was not the act of 'militants' or of 'activists' ... Let's be clear about the fact that this morning's victims in London were the direct targets of terrorists."

Roth said the BBC had for years "performed semantic acrobatics to explain why the murderers of our children are 'militant' 'activists' who must be 'understood.' "

"Terror, it is clear, is the word your audience expects you to use when the victims are your colleagues, neighbors and friends," he said.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: bbc; bombings; london; londonattacked; terrorism
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To: WmShirerAdmirer

I remember in 2001, for some of the American liberal media that once has criticized the terrorism and has been with the government say that they were unable to be neutral. Meanwhile, foreign media criticized these media of America that the neutrality should be maintained. Today, Great Britain with BBC as the symbol of neutrality is challenged, with their own people killed. No one can be neutral when their own people becomes under attack. How many more years are we going to see the term "insugents" used in the media?


21 posted on 07/08/2005 2:45:49 PM PDT by Wiz
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To: WmShirerAdmirer

What are the ostriches at Reuter's doing? They'll be the last ones to admit terrorism...unless one of their employees was on that double-decker bus yesterday.


22 posted on 07/08/2005 2:49:26 PM PDT by kittymyrib
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To: republican2005; All

What a load of nonsense. When the IRA (who incidentally gets most of it's money from New York and Boston) killed innocents in London the BBC still spoke of the "IRA Bombers".

Only simpletons would not know people who kill innocents walking down streets, travelling on buses and ssitting in pubs are terrorists.


23 posted on 07/08/2005 3:25:02 PM PDT by cooper72
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To: Eagles Talon IV; All

Oh and in addition to my above post - here is a recent BBC article on the London BOMBERS. Have you never thought for one tiny second that it may be a different usage and emphasis in English.

Put it this way don't come to Britain and talk about your Fanny.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4661523.stm

Will the bombers be caught?
Police cordon
Forensic experts will examine the seven blast scenes in London
After a terror attack on the scale of the London bombings, where do the police begin in tracking down the perpetrators?

Amid the anger and dismay of the aftermath, people will be asking whether anyone will be brought to justice for masterminding and carrying out the four explosions.

It may seem an impossible task, given that any evidence from the blasts may reasonably be thought to be in cinders.

But Sir Ian Blair, the Met Police Commissioner, says traces of explosives have been found at more than one of the crime scenes.

Anti-terrorist branch head Andy Hayman said they already knew each of the bombs contained less then 10lbs of high explosives.

Forensics 'a priority'

He said the devices were probably placed on the floor in the Tube trains and on the floor or a seat of the bus.

Sir Ian said there was "absolutely nothing" to suggest the bus bombing had been a suicide attack, but added that nothing could be ruled out at this stage.


Crime scenes need to be preserved to get the best evidence they can, but if the Tube system needs to be open, that could be difficult
Gloria Laycock
Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick says forensics from the scenes, as well as CCTV, which has yielded considerable success in the past, will be priorities in the investigation.

Professor Hans Michels, an explosives expert at Imperial College London, said the scientists would be gathering clues about the source of the explosion from the way objects have been deformed.

"There will be an intense burning mark where the blast happened," Prof Michels said.

"The next thing to do would be to carefully pick up all the bits and pieces, take many, many photographs and store items in envelopes and plastic bags, sending samples off for analysis."

From the levels of deformity, scientists would try to work out how much energy was released in the explosion and what type of explosive was used.

Identifying the explosive needs only a tiny sample - one millionth of a gram of nitroglycerine, for example.

Lockerbie plane wreckage
Wreckage from Lockerbie included parts of the bomb

Lawyers prosecuting Oklahoma bomber Timothy McVeigh linked the fact that ammonium nitrate had been used in the explosion with a receipt for one ton of the same substance that had McVeigh's fingerprint on it.

Gloria Laycock, director at the Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science, agreed forensics would be crucial.

"They will try and identify what kind of explosive it was and link the explosive to the other sites to see if it came from the same source.

"Traces are usually left behind, more than people think and it does amaze me what they do manage to reconstruct.

'Wreckage moved'

"Crime scenes need to be preserved to get the best evidence they can, but if the Tube system needs to be open, that could be difficult."

BBC home affairs correspondent Margaret Gilmore said security sources were investigating whether the wreckage could be moved to allow further examination.

The Met's most experienced anti-terrorist officers are already involved in the investigation and Sir Ian said the force had been "overwhelmed by offers of help from Europe and the US".

Professor Laycock believed IRA bombing campaigns in the past meant the Met had the expertise to investigate the attacks itself.

Israeli help?

However, help from overseas forces could be important once the evidence was gathered.

If the bombers were identified to be foreign nationals, then the Met would seek help and co-operation from Interpol and police in the countries concerned, she said.

If the perpetrators were suicide bombers, she said, then Israel might be able to provide some expertise because there were certain patterns of behaviour which suicide bombers followed.

After an explosion, the wreckage itself can also be important.

The search for evidence from the Pan Am jet, which exploded over Lockerbie, was exhaustive but from it investigators found scraps of clothes and tiny bits of the bomb and its casing.

Together this formed a significant part of evidence in the trial of the two suspects, one of whom was eventually convicted.

However, experienced terrorists can combat forensic methods.

They try to cover their tracks after handling explosive material by disposing of any shoes and clothes worn while putting the incendiary device together. They may also try to wash specks off their body and even cut their hair.


24 posted on 07/08/2005 3:32:34 PM PDT by cooper72
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To: stinkerpot65
Well, he was in the Country at the time.

Sounds suspicious to me.

25 posted on 07/08/2005 3:37:12 PM PDT by Churchillspirit (Anaheim Angels - 2002 World Series Champions)
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To: WmShirerAdmirer
They only called them "bombers and "militants" when the islamic POS's were killing others.

Now that this vile killing is in their own back yards have the bbc decided to grow a backbone!

Sadly, I yearn for the day when the bbc finally prints articles amonishing the USA for not doing ENOUGH to kill those $%^#(* muslim @!#&*^* islamic )&&%**% pig @^@*^(**!!!

26 posted on 07/08/2005 3:42:26 PM PDT by Dacus943
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To: USAfearsnobody
Britian is being transformed as we speak.

Trust me, the next time some lunatic loozer kills herself and a couple score Isrealis, she'll be an activist.

Check the box office for "My Name is Rachael Corrie" at Covent Garden next week.

27 posted on 07/08/2005 3:45:03 PM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets (Deadcheck the embeds first.)
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To: litehaus
And we have people in "The Greatest Deliberative Body In the World" who can't say --terrorist!

Increasingly, the Senate should be referred to as "The Greatest Ego Massage Parlor In The World".

28 posted on 07/08/2005 3:49:18 PM PDT by okie01 (The Mainstream Media: IGNORANCE ON PARADE)
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To: WmShirerAdmirer

Amazing what a difference four big ka-booms make in the vocabulary of Hyde Park socialists.


29 posted on 07/08/2005 3:49:18 PM PDT by righttackle44 (The most dangerous weapon in the world is a Marine with his rifle and the American people behind him)
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To: WmShirerAdmirer

Terrorism is indeed what it says. It has no heart, no soul, no reason. The Brits need to wake up and crawl down into the RAT hole and face the problem before they get hurt again.


30 posted on 07/08/2005 3:51:05 PM PDT by WyCoKsRepublican
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To: WmShirerAdmirer

You don't say. My BBC re-cap comes on at 6pm. I'll go tune in and see if what this article says is true.

If so, it won't last long...


31 posted on 07/08/2005 3:52:13 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: WmShirerAdmirer

It is past time for London to elect a new mayor and not one, who loves the mass murdering Jihadists:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1024351/posts

Consider the Source (Mayor of London calls Bush "greatest threat to life on planet")
Sacred Cow Burgers ^ | 11/18/2003 | Sacred Cow Burgers


Posted on 11/18/2003 12:28:18 PM PST by Prime Choice



So Mayor of London Livingstone says President Bush is the "greatest threat to life on the planet", huh?
Is it any wonder who puts these ridiculous ideas in his head?


32 posted on 07/09/2005 6:32:16 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (The MSM has been a WMD, Weapon of Mass Disinformation for the Rats for at least 5 decades.)
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To: Paleo Conservative
But I thought the BBC said, "One man's terrorist is another man's 'freedom fighter.'"

I suspect that the BBC would be frightened of a backlash if they were to call the scumbags who did the bombings in London "rebels" or "militants".

33 posted on 07/09/2005 12:23:17 PM PDT by David Hunter
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"Terror, it is clear, is the word your audience expects you to use when the victims are your colleagues, neighbors and friends," he said.
When they blow up someone else's women and children, they're freedom fighters. When they blow up your women and children, they're terrorists.

The more things change ....

34 posted on 07/09/2005 12:28:26 PM PDT by jayhorn (when i hit the drum, you shake the booty.)
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To: USAfearsnobody
>Even Livingston (Kook-left London mayor) called terrorism >terrorism, and sounded even like Winston Churchill. >Britian is being transformed as we speak.

Ken Livingstone is a Marxist whacko. But he knows what to say to get re-elected as Mayor. I got a mail from a Londoner who said he would vote for OBL before he'd vote for Ken Livingstone.
35 posted on 07/09/2005 5:54:08 PM PDT by PzGr43
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