More mapping of BBC inconsistency in terrorism reporting

An internet search for recent BBC reports including the word ‘terror’ produces two results:

Terrorism most immediate threat to UK, says MI6“, BBC News website, December 8th, 2016.terror-uk-art

“The scale of the terrorism threat to the UK is “unprecedented”, the head of MI6 has said.

Alex Younger said UK intelligence and security services had disrupted 12 terrorist plots since June 2013.”

Terror suspect arrested in Rotterdam in possession of Kalashnikov“, BBC News website, December 9th, 2016.

“Police in Rotterdam have arrested a 30-year-old man suspected of preparing an “act of terrorism”, prosecutors say. […]

The Netherlands is currently on a terror threat level four out of five, meaning there is a real chance of an attack, but no concrete evidence.

According to a report published last month by the National Co-ordinator for Security and Counter-terrorism, there is concern that returning jihadists could be a threat to security in the Netherlands.”

The BBC News website has also produced reports over the past few days concerning actual acts of terror in several locations. However, none of those reports currently includes the words ‘terror’, ‘terrorism’ or ‘terrorist’.

Madagali: Dozens killed in Nigeria suicide attack“, BBC News website, December 9th, 2016.

Yemen suicide bomb kills dozens in payday queue“, BBC News website, December 10th, 2016.

Somalia conflict: Deadly blast rocks Mogadishu port area“, BBC News website, December 11th, 2016.

Istanbul Besiktas Turkey: Stadium blasts kill 38 people“, BBC News website, December 10th/11th, 2016. (Earlier versions of the report which included quotes using the word ‘terror’/’terrorist’ were amended.)

Bomb attack near Cairo Coptic cathedral kills at least 25“, BBC News website, December 11th, 2016.

Once again we see that the BBC’s long-standing failure to distinguish between method and aims produces inconsistent reporting, with journalists sometimes following the problematic BBC guidelines on ‘Language when Reporting Terrorism’ and sometimes not – often depending upon geographical location of the story. 

Related Articles:

BBC News finds terror (without quotation marks) in Europe

Radio 4 gives insight into BBC avoidance of the use of the term ‘terror’ in Israel

Continuing the mapping of BBC inconsistency in terrorism reporting

BBC’s double standards on terrorism highlighted again

 

 

 

More from Hadar Sela
The Commentator’s FOI request on the Balen Report
Our friends over at The Commentator have news of their Freedom of...
Read More
Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *