History backs this.īriefly consider Ruby Ridge, Waco, and Oklahoma City. Why? Because their arguments are untrue, unfair, biased, and mistakenly define terrorism. Kayyem and Robinson’s regressive certainties indicate how the mainstream media fails the public. “…if the gun-toting citizens happened to be Muslim, heaven forbid, there would be wall-to-wall cable news coverage of the ‘terrorist assault.’”Īs Eugene Robinson insinuates a double standard against these ‘white’ protestors, he fails to notice the ubiquitous “wall-to-wall” coverage of Malheur, so much so that you wonder if he doesn’t use social media. “Face it, Oregon building takeover is terrorism.”Įugene Robinson, at the Washington Post, under the headline “The Oregon standoff and America’s double standards on race and religion,” opines thus, Many journalists, like Walker, respect the sanctity of denotations and connotations, but not all. “The question of what qualifies as terrorism is hotly contested, but the most compelling definitions hinge on whether the perpetrators target civilians.” Jesse Walker, dissecting Malheur at the Los Angeles Times, writes, This creates a Sisyphean need to perpetually educate the public, proving to be a burden for journalists. Yet too many articles entail soft demagoguery, framing the issue as definitely one of race and terrorism. The polemics are about the dynamics of controlled burns, property rights, and conservation laws, tied in with militia movements. This is evident in the first drama du jour of 2016 where Caucasian armed protestors have occupied a building on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Eastern Oregon to protest government laws concerning land use and the incarceration of two farmers for setting fire to state-owned land. While identity is important, it’s as important to adhere to a standard of objectivity when reporting on these issues. This is not only unique to underground blogs, but endemic in mainstream media as well, where the focus excessively becomes about the race and religion of those involved. Use of corrupted words relates to poor journalism and exhibit one is how the coverage of domestic controversy in the United States lacks rigid examination of facts, a fair analysis of both sides and proper context. Last year, when I wrote about the Chapel Hill murders of three Muslims for The Express Tribune Blogs, I revisited the definition of terrorism because the term is oft misused.
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