A TERRORIST BY ANY OTHER NAME...

Daniel Pipes is a controversial figure in the States, not the least for his contention "that the leadership of the American Muslim community is dominated by Osama bin Laden sympathizers." Some in the Muslim community, and other Americans, have likened his thinking to that of Ku Klux Klan members.

But he does raise an interesting point in a recent Web posting, pointing out the contortions media go through to avoid the use of the word "terrorist."

The press, however, generally shies away from the word terrorist, preferring euphemisms. Take the assault that led to the deaths of some 400 people, many of them children, in Beslan, Russia, on September 3. Journalists have delved deep into their thesauruses, finding at least twenty euphemisms for terrorist.

Pipes "blames" the unwillingness to use the word "terrorist" on reporters' sympathy for, and intimidation of the press by, Palestinians. There seems to be a lapse in logic there: if the media is already sympathetic, why is intimidation needed? That argument also seems patently absurd. More likely, the unwillingness to slap the term terrorist on, well, terrorists, is found in the old saying, "One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter," and on the media's unwillingness to "take sides."

The Canadian Oxford Dictionary definition of terrorist is pretty straightforward: "the systematic employment of violence and intimidation to coerce a government or community, esp. into acceding to specific political demands."

As journalists we shouldn't shy away from the word when it applies. And, in the case of Beslan, what we saw was definitely terrorism.

11:40:08 PM    

BEARING WITNESS

Photojournalist Tom Stoddart's iWitness project is the highlight of the September issue of The Digital Journalist.

iWitness was a display of Stoddart's photojournalism (from sub-Saharan Africa, Sarajevo, India) mounted in a temporary outdoor "gallery" along a Thames River-side walkway in the heart of London. At Digital Journalist, there's a QuickTime video featuring Stoddart, his work and the reaction of Londoners to what they saw, as well as a brief article of appreciation for his work and a massive, 52-photo gallery of the work that was shown.

Stoddart's work is both harrowing and human, well worth studying. In the best tradition of photojournalism, his photographs tell stories that need to be told.

This issue also features a photographer's eye view of the just completed Athens Olympics (written by Horst Faas) and dozens of "the best" photos from the Games. Most are great but straight-forward examples of sports photography, and an interesting contrast to the work of Joachim Ladefoged that I highlighted earlier.

9:24:35 AM