Episode 2: The Media’s ‘Terrorism’ Hypocrisy
For many news organizations, groups targeting civilians are engaged in 'terror' -- anywhere but Israel
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Links to other places, or listen directly in the site, at the NEW joshlevs.com.
In Episode 2 of They Stand Corrected, I explain that many news organizations refuse to use the word “terrorism” when it involves attacks primarily against Jews and Israel, and try to gaslight those who complain about this obvious bigotry.
Each episode includes an accompanying newsletter. The show is designed to be listened to (and maybe eventually watched!), not read, so there aren’t transcripts here. But for listeners, here are links to some sources I discuss, as well as additional information beyond what I had time to discuss in the show.
The links and info are available to all. Paid subscribers can submit comments and questions at the end. Thanks for listening!
Links for listeners
- The BBC has faced heated criticism for refusing to call Hamas what it is: a terrorist organization. In this episode, you hear the BBC’s head of policy and standards claiming that this rule applies to all their coverage. But I also share proof that that's not true.
Among those criticizing the BBC is British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. And The Telegraph reported that it “has discovered more than 20 instances of the BBC referring to individuals or groups as terrorists in recent years, further undermining its claim that it avoids using the word in order to maintain impartiality.”
Here’s more from Honest Reporting, which does a lot of excellent work in tracking biased Israel coverage.
-The Associated Press, quite possibly the most influential news organization in the world, has this same problem. In its official Stylebook, used as a journalistic guide by many newsrooms, the AP claims that it “is not using the terms for specific actions or groups, other than in direct quotations or when attributed to authorities or others… In the past, the AP had used the terms without attribution sparingly and with great caution.”
But recent examples of the AP using this term can be found easily -- including this, just weeks before the October 7 attacks in Israel.
And less than a month before the October 7 attacks, the AP still referred, accurately, to the “September 11 terror attacks.”
The October 7 attacks in Israel were exponentially larger per capita. As President Biden noted, “for a nation the size of Israel, it was like 15 9/11s.”
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is among those calling out the AP. And the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) has a petition.
-I also talk about other examples from across the news world, including NPR, where I started my career. For a depressingly obvious sign of how bad things are, try searching “terrorist group” at npr.org. You’ll see the term used freely -- but avoided like the proverbial plague when it comes to Israel.
-Purposeful attacks on civilians have long had a great deal of support among Gazans.
-As I explain in the show, most (if not all) Islamist terrorist groups say they stand against “occupation.” To understand the reality of this term, you need to listen to Episode 1 first.
From the 9/11 Commission’s official report: “In February 1998, Usama Bin Ladin and four others issued a self-styled fatwa, publicly declaring that it was God's decree that every Muslim should try his utmost to kill any American, military or civilian, anywhere in the world, because of American ‘occupation’ of Islam's holy places and aggression against Muslims.”
I also explain that Islamist terrorist groups actually stand for occupation.
-In the show, I explain that Hamas is not the “democratically elected” government of Gaza. The only election Hamas took part in was way back in 2006. (That election used a plurality voting system.) Hamas then battled with Fatah, took over through violence, and has never faced another popular election.
What you can do to help fix this problem in the media
Search the website for any news agency you care about. See when they do and do not use words like “terror,” “terrorism,” “terrorist,” etc. Make a list of several links. Then, send a note to the top executives and owners of the news agency. Use language like this. Feel free to copy and paste it if you wish.
Why do you use the word “terror” to describe these groups or attacks, but not when it comes to Israel? (Paste the links to the specific examples you pulled up.) What standards are you following and why? Please provide me an answer in writing to this question by (add a date), because I plan to share this with the new podcast They Stand Corrected, which fact checks the media.
Also, you can send me links to check out. I reach out to news executives all the time. If you’re a paid subscriber, you can include links along with your comments and questions right here in this post! (If you’re not, feel free submit the form via my website, which will have you confirm your email address.)
Coming up in the next episode: News agencies have been getting away with breaking a cardinal rule of journalism involving allegations of breaking a law. It’s dangerously bad reporting.