Monday, December 15, 2008

Shame on you, BBC

Says M.J Akbar.
"When Britain finds a group of men plotting in a home laboratory your government has no hesitation in creating an international storm, and the BBC has no hesitation in calling them terrorists. When nearly two hundred Indian lives are lost, you cannot find a word in your dictionary more persuasive than 'gunmen'.

It's been quite some time since I read or heard from M.J Akbar in the Indian media and it's a fantastic outpouring from him that smacks the BBC on the face.
Oh wait, BBC did reply.. Porter had argued that, "The guidelines we issue to staff are very clear-we do not ban the use of the word terrorist, but our preference is to use an alternative form of words. There is a judgement inherent in the use of the word, which is not there when we are more precise with our language. "Gunman", or "killer", or "bomber", is an accurate description which does not come with any form of judgement...

Oh you racist bastards. You pommie snobs, it's terrorism when white folks are killed and "gunmen" when the dead are all colored?

Why blame BBC, check out CNN's records in the past seven years after 9/11. How many incidents have happened across India that involved CNN labeling the culprits as "militants".

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