Reuters upset by CanWest's use of 'terrorist'

[CHIMO]

OTTAWA - The world's oldest news agency, Reuters, says it will complain to CanWest Global's newspaper chain about alterations made to some of its stories dealing with the Middle East.

The Citizen inserted the word "terrorist" seven times. Anderson says fighters in Fallujah are not terrorists.

But Anderson does not believe the paper has a duty to inform its readers when it changes words.

"We're editing for style," he said. "We're editing so that we have clear consistent language to describe what's going on in the world. And if we've made a mistake we should correct that. And we will."


http://ottawa.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=ot_reuters20040917

[sui generis]

1. mayhap we could learn a lesson from that

makes you wonder how often we do that. Terraists are absolutely everywhere! I thought I saw one in the break room just now but it was just a furriner making more coffee. It's getting to where you just can't tell whether that sweet little old lady who's been living next door for the past 20 years isn't actually the queenpin of al kaheeda. /sarcasm + taupe alert

[iverglas]

2. kewl!

The Citizen, of course, is one of the most despicably stupid and piggish of the ex-Conrad Black chain.

Here's the conclusion of it, from the Reuters article:

"The changes to the Associated Press story do not reflect Citizen policy, which is to use the term 'terrorist' to describe someone who deliberately targets civilians. As such, the changes to the Associated Press story were made in error."

In error ... or by David Warren maybe. Too bad the Citizen on-line isn't available for free (I haven't figured out what kind of idiot pays for it), or I could recommend a few of his insane ravings. He's following in Conrad's footsteps: the convert who is more RC than the Pope ... and yet he apparently rejects what the Pope has had to say about that Iraq business. You'd be hard pressed to find a righter-wing columnist at any US daily than David.

[iverglas]

3. worth listening to the interview

The link is in the CBC story in the opening post; I'm listening now.

The Citizen's Anderson states plainly that CanWest systematically replaces words like "militant" or "insurgent" in wire stories with "terrorist". (And the radio piece points out what idiocies this leads to, like a Palestinian source referring to some specific people in a story as "terrorists" -- an example of how this policy leads to putting words in people's mouths that they did not speak.)

Reuters' Schlesinger says that this particular incident concerns him because the Reuters' name and its correspondent's name are on the article in the Citizen, and this could put the correspondent in jeopardy and cause problems for Reuters in the mideast.

[Spazito]

4. Can West is right wing, they suck, imo...

it doesn't surprise me they would change wording to slant the news item.

[CHIMO]

5. In My Book

It's called fraud.
If Reuters wants to be able to operate in all areas of the world they better make their position dam well known and implement it.