[asgardshill]

The original headline was "Bandits, including a foreign mercenary, eliminated in in Chechnya’s Kurchaloi region"

What does the mercenary's race have to do with this story? And why did you feel it necessary to add "US Black" in parentheses to the thread title?

[Publius6961]

What does the mercenary's race have to do with this story? And why did you feel it necessary to add "US Black" in parentheses to the thread title?

Because he is.
Will calling him Irish change anything?

[dmz]

I'd bet that you already know the answer to the question, or you wouldn't be asking. But I'd love to hear to poster's response (here's a wager that we'll not get one).

[dagoofyfoot]

What does the mercenary's race have to do with the story?


What are you saying? That a black American fighting with (probably Al Queada tied terrorist) is just par for the course?


You don't find it unusual enough to be news?


Nobody is saying any thing racist here, but a black American fighting with Chechnya bandits or Islamic terrorist is going to raise a few eyebrows about his motivation. Is is money or extreme religous views?

[GSlob]

The body of the story contains this information. As there are no native Africans within 700 miles from Caucasus, it was a dead [pun intended] giveaway for the not-so-dear departed. If he did come from US, it is dangerous in the terms of the possible use of his likes by Al Quaeda here. The importance of this last link, IMHO, justifies the title inclusion.

[headsonpikes]

You're not in the newspaper business, I can tell!

Ya gotta connect to the reader - bring it home.

'U.S. Black' does that better than 'foreign mercenary', at least for Americans.

[Mike Fieschko]

What does the mercenary's race have to do with this story?

It's part of the story.

And why did you feel it necessary to add "US Black" in parentheses to the thread title?

And why did you feel it necessary to add "US Black" in parentheses to the thread title?

Because there are more Americans on FR than Russians or Chechenyans (sp?).

[dmz]

I'm sorry, but again I find myself laughing out loud very inappropriately.

According the US government, Iraqis and Palestinians are considered white people.

Should we expect to see headlines modified thusly:

Car bomb goes off in Baghdad (white Iraqi), or
Suicide bomber kills 3 at an Israeli checkpoint (white palestinian)

I didn't think so.

[dead]

Because it makes the story a little more interesting?

I'm guessing you don't get a lot of shootouts in Chechnya’s Kurchaloi region between black American men and Russian forces. If it was a white American, I would probably just assume he was an American of Chechneyan or Russian descent. But his ethnicity rules that out, which makes me more curious about his reasons for being over there.

Why are you so sensitive?

[rave123]

Hey don't even fight it with this group. They love to rebuke the "r" word by playing on the I'm an Irish immigrant or I'm Polish so they can spread the hate around. You are correct there was no need for the mention of "black" unless it was purposeful.