| One Man's Occupied Territories ... Elan 11 JUly 2002 Dear Sir. In the following I will argue that the media's refusal to refer to Palestinian terrorists as "terrorists" in the name of neutrality and objectivity is immediately exposed as pro-Palestinian bias by extending the primacy of neutrality to the designation of the disputed territories as "occupied" territories. The media often argues that its refusal to refer to Palestinian terrorists as "terrorists", instead choosing to call them "activists", or "militants" is motivated by an effort to remain neutral and to avoid siding with either of the two parties: "One man's 'terrorists' are another man's 'freedom fighters'", they explain (see, for instance, the BBC). The same media, however, is not at all bothered by references to the disputed territories as "occupied" territories. Conforming with the media's neutrality formula, however, "one man's 'occupied' territories are another man's 'liberated' territories", as is the case with Jerusalem, for instance. To remain consistent in its efforts to maintain neutrality and avoid siding with either side, the international press should avoid the usage of the one-sided term "occupied territories", and replace it by the neutral term "disputed territories", even more so, seeing as these territories do not fulfill the international standards of "occupied" territories as defined by international law. The term, thus, is both partisan and misleading. Whoever wishes to refer to terrorists as "freedom fighters", however, cannot afford NOT to refer to the territories as "occupied" territories. If there are no "occupied" territories, then there are no "freedom fighters" and terrorists are nothing but terrorists. The excuse that terrorists are "... another man's 'freedom fighters'" becomes embarrassing and pathetic once the designation "freedom fighters" is no longer supported by the emphatic designation "occupied territories". The media's partisan neutrality is exposed, once one attempts to extend this very neutrality to the designation of the territories. The media must either choose to adopt the non-partisan designation "disputed territories" and, therefore, admit that terrorists are terrorists, or it must admit that its partisan choice of referring to the territories as "occupied" territories is the foundation of its claim to neutrality ("freedom fighters"). Its claim to supposed neutrality ("freedom fighters") is, thus, exposed as being the extension of its pro-Palestinian bias ("occupied territories"). Elan |
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