Does it upset you when media organizations call the insurgents and the terrorists, "gunmen"?

Question

I hate it when the term gunmen is used to describe the Iraqi Insurgency and or terrorists. CNN used this quote in the news today.

U.S. attack helicopters armed with missiles killed 17 "al Qaeda gunmen" Friday in and around a village southwest of Khalis, a volatile town in the province, the U.S. military said.

Why can't they call al Qaeda terrorists?

It also called them militants

"U.S. reports 68 al Qaeda militants killed in Iraq"

Josh,

Did you actually read my question?

let me type it out slowly for you to understand....
Does it upset you when media organizations call the INSURGENTS and the TERRORISTS "gunmen"?

Al Qaeda are NOT defending their home country they have come from other countries to disrupt the Iraqi democracy and to fight US.

Of course you would use this opportunity to insult like you always do. Careful your intelligence is showing through.

aztrain. I am not attacking CNN. I am pointing out the term used by the media. I used CNN, because believe it or not, us "cons" use a variety of news sources to get our news from and that is where I saw the story.

Answer 1

militants, gunmen, whatever. they're al Qaeda and they are dead. i think by now we all understand al Qaeda is a terrorist network. when you write news stories for a living you have to use different words once in a while, so no it doesn't upset me, i'm glad they are dead.

Answer 2

Many FOXed people believe that only Rupert words can be used to describe anything.

But according to the Patriot Act definition of Terrorist the AlQaida gunmen would not officially be terrorist until after they caused someone to be uncomfortable.

So an unknown AlQaieda militant could be a gunman until FAUX reported him making Americans fearful and uncomfortable. At that point he is a terrorist.

SO FOX is responsible for creating terror.

Go Team Red Go

Answer 3

The story you referenced:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/06/22/iraq.main/index.html

You know, I searched but I couldn't find an equivalent story on FOX NEWS at all (who reports, who decides?).

However, I did find two stories about the Iraq conflict today, neither of which used the term "terrorists". Coincidentally, BOTH used "militants" and "insurgents" as well.


Swing and a miss...




Edit:
It sounded like you were attacking CNN as "liberal propaganda", as I've seen many on this forum do. If that wasn't your intention, fine. I'm pointing out to everyone else that it isn't just CNN that does this. I also applaud your use various sources to obtain your news; as I said, I couldn't find an equivalent story on the FOX website (attacked by many as "conservative propaganda").

To answer your original question, no it doesn't really upset me. Word choices can be powerful tools to influence opinion, but I work with contract documents so I'm used to translating euphemisms and connotative language. You say potato, I say potahto.

Answer 4

it relatively is the way that Propaganda works. they attempt to physique public opinion with the aid of making use of diverse buzzwords to portray an analogous image from diverse perspectives. Bush's grandpa funded Hitler and his daddy ran the CIA. Bush knows all approximately a thank you to apply propaganda. The PKK has been attacking Turkish civilians in Turkey with American weapons that have been funnelled to them. Even the puppet government of Iraq considers the PKK to be a Revolutionary Organization 17 November.

Answer 5

There's about 22 definitional elements that the military uses to define a terrorist; however, a militant simply refers to any individual or party engaged in aggressive physical or verbal combat and a gunmen, well that's self explanatory. Perhaps the media doesn't know if they meet the requirements to technically be called a terrorist, and therefore use militant; and if they can't technically call them militants, then they use gunman. So to answer your question, no, it doesn't upset me.

Answer 6

no. Because there is a difference between the insurgents, and the terrorists. Yu would know that, if Bush stopped saying we were fighting the terrorists over there, because we aren't. We are fighting the insurgency, which, but for the fact that we are there destroying their country, would NOT be fighting us. Calling them gunmen just say that they killed people who had guns...different again, than those who don;t have guns. Aren;t we MORE justified in killing gunmen, than just regular unarmed citizens? Anyhow, no, it doesn't bother me.

Answer 7

Yes, it upsets me when media organizations doesn't call the U.S. terrorists!

We invaded their land and we are accusing of them of being terrorists, because they are fighting back?

"We are destroying their land as well with radiation from uranium-tipped weapons and it's equivalent to many times that was released in Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs.

Children are allowed to play in these areas without any warning and of course they get sick. More than half of Iraq's cancer sufferers are under the age of five."

Information taken from:
(Pilger, 32) from "Freedom Next Time." by John Pilger.

Answer 8

Yes it does bug me. . Pretty soon you're going to be hearing al Qaeda freedom fighters killed 20 civilians in bombing.

Answer 9

I call them terrorists and psychopaths. Josh for some reason thinks they are heroes--sure wouldn't want him trying to protect America.

Answer 10

WOW HOW MANY UN AMERICAN PEOPLE DO WE HAVE HERE. TO THE UNINFORMED " JOSH " THE ALQUEDA TERRORIST DO NOT LIVE IN IRAQ. THEY CAME OVER THE BORDER FROM WHERE EVER TO FIGHT AMERICANS.
DUDE CNN IS THE SISTER STATION OF ALJAZEERA THE TERROR NETWORK. THEY ARE PRACTICALLY TERRORIST THEMSELVES. ALL OF YOU UN AMERICANS TALKING ABOUT THAT THEY ARE DEFENDING THEIR HOMELAND DO YOU REMEMBER DESERT STORM? THEY SURRENDERED BY THE THOUSANDS. WHO IS PROTECTING THEIR HOMELAND? THEY HAD THE PERFECT CHANCE TO PROTECT THEIR HOMELAND BUT THEY SURRENDERED AND RAN AND NOW THEY WANT TO PROTECT THEIR HOMELAND? THEY WANT AL QUEDA OUT PROOF OF THIS IS THE IRAQI'S ATTACK AND SLAUGHTER OF AN ALQUEDA OUTFIT THAT WAS FIGHTING IN IRAQ. THEY HAVE VOWED TO REMOVE ALL FOREIGN TERRORIST FROM THEIR HOMELAND