I guess not strictly news - but with all of the vitriol I have seen in discussions on the Israel situation, that have boiled down to arguments over wording, I feel that this take from the BBC is worthy of some discussion.

Mods, feel free to remove if this is not newsy enough.

    • @givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      1059 months ago

      There’s a reason every country that bitches about the BBC also gets accused of being far right authoritarians…

      BBC calls them out, but pulls just short of saying it. And there’s nothing far right authoritarians hate more than someone calmly telling the world exactly what they want. If we flat out called them nazis, they’d argue they’re not technically nazis they’re sparkling fascists.

      • Echo Dot
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        149 months ago

        The only people the BBC have ever called Nazis are the actual Nazis, because they called themselves Nazis. So fair enough.

      • @vacuumflower@lemmy.sdf.org
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        49 months ago

        I’m really sorry, but in case of Armenia, Artsakh and Azerbaijan BBC has been extremely pro-Azeri for many years, all the way to using Azeri place names which literally were invented 30 years ago when they were attempting (then unsuccessfully, now successfully) to depopulate those places.

        Now they seem to have made a 180 degree turn (still using Azeri place names, though), but that can be explained by there no longer being Armenians in Artsakh, so lying is no longer that necessary.

        Now, about nazis and Azerbaijan … you comment seems asinine in that context.

    • @Evia@lemmy.world
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      49 months ago

      Bullshit. They’ve used the word ‘terrorist’ for every other attack in the past two decades (9/11, London Bridge, Manchester Arena, 7/7, etc.). Was that not ‘choosing sides’ then?

      They just can’t admit that the UK fucked up and condemn Israel because the lawyers told them not to

  • ALQ
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    9 months ago

    It’s simply not the BBC’s job to tell people who to support and who to condemn - who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.

    I miss when this was the standard for news. Now most (e: major) outlets don’t even try to pretend they have no bias and instead push a subjective point. Even when I agree with the point, I don’t like it when my “news” pushes it instead of just, you know, reporting.

    Give me the info and let me form my own opinions.

      • @StorminNorman@lemmy.world
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        69 months ago

        I think your confusing a current affair/today tonight with actual news programs. I channel surf from 5-7:30pm and have never heard the main news programs of 7, 9, 10, SBS, nor the ABC editorialise like that in my 38yrs on this planet. At a stretch, they play clips of articles they’ve already covered at the end with the shows theme song over the top.

        • @makingStuffForFun@lemmy.ml
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          19 months ago

          Interesting. I see it every time I visit my parents nearly. Doom drama music plays. ‘Journalist’ creates drama. I recommend John Simpson’s book

          • @StorminNorman@lemmy.world
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            19 months ago

            I see it all the time on aca and TT. Never on the main news shows, like I said, never in my 38yrs of being alive - and for the last 15yrs I’ve been watching the news between 5-7:30 unless I’m out. I seriously think you’re conflating current affairs shows with the news. Current affairs shows are held to a different (read: lower) standards and ethics levels than that of the news. Not to say there isn’t any bias or manipulation of the viewer, but they aren’t doing it with music. That’s aca and TTs domain.

    • @Nighed@sffa.communityOP
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      9 months ago

      While us Brits love to complain about the BBC being biased (probably an actual issue for internal UK politics) its good to remember that it’s still a world leading media outlet, and one of very few that can be considered not to be push an agenda. (I imagine I can find a lot of people that can probably disagree with that too…)

      Even Routers has started editorialising, and I thought they were just meant to be raw facts!

      • ALQ
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        379 months ago

        I disagree; it’s a loaded, politicized word. Even if you say that the “entire western world” considers Hamas a terrorist organization, that’s a sweeping generalization which, even if it could be called 100% true, does not represent the whole world.

        Tell me the facts without giving me those loaded words. I’m smart enough to draw my own conclusions.

          • @IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world
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            239 months ago

            You’re not objectively correct, “designated as terrorist by current and former national governments, and inter-governmental organizations” - they’ve expressed an opinion. You’re taking that opinion and presenting it as objective fact.

              • @IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                Do you understand how the world works?

                Yes I do. I just explained it to you. Is there some part of what I said that you’re struggling with?

                • @CookieJarObserver@ani.social
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                  19 months ago

                  So you say your opinion on the world is worth more than the collective opinion of like half a billion people whose democratically elected leaders see them as terrorists?

          • Zoolander
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            139 months ago

            In addition to the word “adjective”, you should also look up the definition of “objective”. Because you keep digging and digging and it’s making you look silly.

            You are wrong. Whether it’s because you don’t understand what is being said or you are intentionally ignoring it, what you are saying is inaccurate and factually incorrect.

      • @YoBuckStopsHere@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        A man’s called a terrorist or liberator

        A rich man’s a thief or philanthropist

        Is one a crusader or ruthless invader?

        It’s all in which label is able to persist

        There are precious few at ease

        With moral ambiguities

        So we act as though they don’t exist

      • Hyperreality
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        9 months ago

        You misunderstand.

        Proper old-school journalists, like John Simpson, won’t be quick to call someone a terrorist. They will however report on someone who called them a terrorist.

        It is their job to report the facts. That means that they report what they see and what they hear. Nothing more. That is journalism.

        Coming to the conclusion that someone is a terrorist, isn’t news or journalism. It’s analysis or opinion. Often the journalist is in no position to form an opinion either way, and it’s not really his job anyway.

        The reason this sounds weird to many, is because journalism has gone down the shitter. This used to be standard. Reuters for example, is still quite rigorous in this. But most news organisations now mix factual reporting with analysis. Some ‘news’ organisations remove the news/facts entirely. Basically, reading an article written by a good journalist, you should not be able to tell what side of the argument they are.

        Eg.

        Good: According to Mr. X, the apple was red and tasty. -> the journalist is simply reporting on what Mr. X said. The reader can decide if Mr. X was telling the truth.

        Bad: According to Mr. X, the red apple was tasty. -> the journalist wasn’t there to see if the apple was red, Mr. X could be mistaken. The reader doesn’t realise that the colour of the apple was described as being red by Mr. X and can’t form their own opinion on whether to believe Mr. X.

        The journalist doesn’t avoid mentioning the apple is allegedly red. They just make it clear that they themselves aren’t saying what colour it is, as they weren’t there to witness what colour it was and because their opinion doesn’t matter

        And I know this may sound stupid, but it helps avoid (inadvertent) bias or accusations thereof.

        • Zoolander
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          19 months ago

          It’s spelled “Xitter” now… as in “going down the Xitter”.

    • Kbin_space_program
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      39 months ago

      Absolutely.

      It’s also a testament to the terrifying numbing that the passage of time has on events.

      They describe WW2 where they called the Nazis, “the enemy”, then in the next sentence compare The IRA to the fucking Nazis.

      Not even remotely close.

      • enkers
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        239 months ago

        then in the next sentence compare The IRA to the fucking Nazis.

        What? Did we read the same article? Maybe I’m suffering from a reading comprehension deficit, here, but that wasn’t my interpretation at all. Could you quote where you think they draw that comparison?

  • 📛Maven
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    949 months ago

    The same thing’s happening in Canada with the CBC; bunch of people calling them out for not saying “terrorist” implying it means they’re in favour of the attacks, when CBC simply has a policy of not saying that about anyone, because it’s not their job.

    • @Wilibus@lemmy.world
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      209 months ago

      I generally don’t like the CBC, but I personally find their international political reporting top tier due to this kind of approach.

      • Shadow
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        209 months ago

        Opinion and interview pieces are obviously different. I didn’t realize Trudeau worked for the cbc.

        • @Nighed@sffa.communityOP
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          9 months ago

          As long as they are balanced, if you only ever have opinion pieces from one opinion, your just being biased by proxy.

          This can lead to being over balanced though and inviting climate deniers etc.

          • Enkrod
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            9 months ago

            I have to disagree.

            Best example comes to us via the BBC above, during WW2 they never called the Nazis wicked or evil, but they did not and did not need to have Nazi-apologists on air to present a “fair and balanced” view Fox-News style.

            As long as you present opinion as opinion and reporting as reporting and refrain from loaded language in your reporting you’re perfectly fine. Could it be better? Yes. But while you might not have arrived at “morally good”, you have clearly left “morally bad”.

  • plz1
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    569 months ago

    It’s so refreshing to see real journalistic integrity once in a while. Thanks for sharing.

    • @JoBo@feddit.uk
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      9 months ago

      It’s a very one-sided genocide. It’s just plain ridiculous to equate the two sides when it was Zionists who stormed the Arab mandate in 1947, Zionists (and later, Israel) who created hundreds of thousands of refugees with millions still stuck in miserable camps on the borders, Israel who has kept Palestinians under brutal occupation and blockade since 1967, and Israel who bombs densely populated cities with fighter jets while the brand new Hamas air force is using hang-gliders powered by fans.

      It’s such a difficult thing to explain to people whose primary exposure to the conflict is through the Western media but these accounts, by two Palestinian and Israeli non-violent activists, are well worth a read. Unfortunately I can’t find the original transcripts so it’s a google books extract and is missing some of George’s testimony.

      • @Edgelord_Of_Tomorrow@lemmy.world
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        219 months ago

        My man colonialism created India and Pakistan but if Pakistan started slaughtering Indian civilians that would still be Pakistan’s responsibility.

      • @dangblingus@lemmy.world
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        39 months ago

        It’s not a suffering Olympics. Yes, the history is tumultuous, and yes, the State of Israel has more than likely caused way more suffering to Palestinians than Hamas has to Israelis. But that’s besides the point. The point is, civilians on both sides are now paying the price. No one wants to get shot at or bombed, and support for either side’s civilian population is NOT tacit support of the militants of the opposite side.

    • @Evia@lemmy.world
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      139 months ago

      No, it’s announcing their cowardice. They use ‘terrorist’ for any other non-Israel/Palestine attack (9/11, London Bridge, 7/7, etc) so the entire argument is invalid.

      The lawyers told them not to because everyone’s scared of being called anti-semitic, that’s all

      • Cethin
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        39 months ago

        I approve of it. Terrorist is a loaded term designed to draw an emotional response from the reader. Every nation could be called a terrorist organization. Any rebellion could be called terrorists. It’s not a useful term. It’s especially not useful in this case because the number killed by Israel is so much higher than Hamas.

        Terrorist is generally just a term used to describe those without power using the tools of their oppressor against them. Fear and violence are only “allowed” to be used if you’re the one with power, for whatever reason. It’s stupid.

        Domestic attacks and attacks against allies will be called terrorist attacks obviously, because they see value in supporting the status quo.

      • Spzi
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        19 months ago

        The lawyers told them not to because everyone’s scared of being called anti-semitic, that’s all

        Honest question, how would labelling the Hamas as terrorists get them to be called anti-semitic?

        Anti-semitic, as far as I know, means “against Jews” both in academics and colloquially. Hamas aren’t Jews.

        Maybe you meant something like islamophobe instead?

  • @TheBlue22
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    289 months ago

    I don’t think you need to call hamas what they are, a far right fundamentalist extremist terrorist organisation. Their actions speak for themselves.

    • @LemmyRefugee@lemmy.world
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      209 months ago

      What they mean as that they could also say Israel is a terrorist state. That’s what some people think. And some people, specially those who have friends or family who have been killed in Palestina, might say that Hamas are defending their people and are not terrorists.
      But you and me, citizens without voice, can call them terrorists (that’s what they are) but doing so we are somehow chosing a band in a conflict.

        • Celediel
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          9 months ago

          As an aside, the parallels between how Israel has treated Palestinians, and how the US has treated Native Americans is uncomfortable.

          Which is even more ironic when you realise that that’s exactly where a certain mustachioed German dictator got his ideas from.

        • @fubo@lemmy.world
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          69 months ago

          I’m not sure I’d call Israel a terrorist state, but absolutely an apartheid state. […] Israel can not claim to be a democracy, because they refuse to give Palestinians a voice in government at all.

          There are two million Arab citizens of Israel, the vast majority of whom are Muslim. They vote. There are Arab Muslims in the Knesset.

          This is a somewhat different situation from that of blacks in apartheid South Africa, who were denied civil rights on the basis of their race and ancestry.

          I’m not saying Israeli society treats Arab Israeli citizens fairly or that there isn’t social discrimination. I haven’t been there; and from all reports there certainly is. But I think you’re exaggerating … or else understating how bad “actual” (South African) apartheid was.

      • @TheBlue22
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        9 months ago

        While I get what you mean, I don’t think it should automatically mean (even a lot of people think it does) that you can either say Hamas is a terrorist group or Israel is a terrorist state.

        In my own view both are terrorist, both commit atrocities and the result of that are innocent lives lost from both sides.

        I despise centrism so saying that hurts a little bit on the inside, but this is one of the rare cases where fighting at all is meaningless and both sides that are fighting (and commiting atrocities) are in the fault.

    • @JoBo@feddit.uk
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      249 months ago

      Manchester was a terror attack.

      Under international law the Palestinians have a right to resist the occupation. That their tactics are not always in accordance with international law is a point you can make only if you recognise that Israel violates these laws far more frequently, and far more brutally, causing far more deaths and an indescribable amount of misery for millions, every day.

      The BBC will never describe Israel as a terrorist state and so they are quite correct not to label Palestinian resistance as terrorism.

        • @AndyLikesCandy@reddthat.com
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          9 months ago

          I think one key difference is that Israel has compulsory service for everyone. Like if in the 1770s the Torrey soldiers on leave held a music festival and they all got gunned down, I’m fairly certain the history books would not change substantially. It’s abhorrent, but if you were in the same situation - occupation by some analogous group to wherever you live who have overwhelming military superiority - would you give up your Identity and assimilate, or try to make them hurt? I’m absolutely NOT saying Palestinians are the good guys, I’m just saying I understand where they’re coming from.

    • @Nighed@sffa.communityOP
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      59 months ago

      It could be an interesting thing to go through various incidents and look, it might boil down to if the parties involved both hold territory?

  • AutoTL;DRB
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    89 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    Government ministers, newspaper columnists, ordinary people - they’re all asking why the BBC doesn’t say the Hamas gunmen who carried out appalling atrocities in southern Israel are terrorists.

    We regularly point out that the British and other governments have condemned Hamas as a terrorist organisation, but that’s their business.

    As it happens, of course, many of the people who’ve attacked us for not using the word terrorist have seen our pictures, heard our audio or read our stories, and made up their minds on the basis of our reporting, so it’s not as though we’re hiding the truth in any way - far from it.

    No-one can possibly defend the murder of civilians, especially children and even babies - nor attacks on innocent, peace-loving people who are attending a music festival.

    There was huge pressure from the government of Margaret Thatcher on the BBC, and on individual reporters like me about this - especially after the Brighton bombing, where she just escaped death and so many other innocent people were killed and injured.

    That’s why people in Britain and right round the world, in huge numbers, watch, read and listen to what we say, every single day.


    The original article contains 595 words, the summary contains 197 words. Saved 67%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

  • mr47
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    69 months ago

    So, basically: people performed atrocities. Are they evil? Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t, the BBC has no idea whether it is evil to perform atrocities. Right.

    • @atetulo@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      So basically, you can’t read above a 2nd grade level.

      BBC is saying they report the facts and let people make their own judgements. I know this might be hard for your biased mind to understand, but the word ‘terrorist’ has been thrown around so much it’s practically meaningless. Heck, even when it should be applied (American terrorists shooting substations), it isn’t. It’s a political term at this point, nothing more.

      You’re trying to advocate for news outlets to tell us how to think instead of showing us information, which is shitty journalism for idiots.

        • @atetulo@lemm.ee
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          29 months ago

          I can tell you completely ignored my 2nd paragraph.

          Either that, or you’re not capable of comprehending it.

          Either way, have a nice day.

          Gonna block you now.

    • @supercheesecake@aussie.zone
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      169 months ago

      They are saying they do not use language that makes judgement, because that is not what they do. They are a neutral reporter of what is happening in the world (ie the news).

      Everyone laments that “news” has been overrun by opinion journalism that tries to influence left or right. This is what “just news” looks like.

    • HeartyBeast
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      129 months ago

      No, they will report on the attrocities committed. Is it important for you for the BBC to tell you whether the attrocities are evil or not?

    • @specimen@lemmy.world
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      39 months ago

      I still can’t understand why naming Hamas a terrorist group goes against their “present only the facts” view. It’s the same group that raped and killed civilians just six days ago. They posted videos of their horrid raid on the internet and plan to stream hostage executions. These are facts, it is not subjective. Isn’t this the plain definition of terrorism? Why is BBC reluctant to brand a group that performs acts of terror as terrorists? This goes for how they treated IRA stories as well. I really can’t see how this adheres to good journalism principles, unlike many people here seem to be praising. It just seems to me a weird hill to die on.