What is the proper terminology to use
when referring to this incident in the corporate media? The New
York Times referred to it variously as a “confrontation,” “fight,” “shootout,”
“chaos,” and “problems.” To this, CNN added “melee,”
“ruckus,” “fracas,” “brawl,” and “brouhaha.” Under
no circumstances, however, is it to be referred to as a “riot,” since this term is reserved for the actions of people of
color.
How
are the participants in this incident to be called? As Charles Blow pointed out, the Times
referred to them as “biker clubs” and “outlaw motorcycle
gangs,” terms that have positive, even romantic, connotations to some Americans. However, they are not to be referred to as “thugs,”
since this term refers to young black men demonstrating against
police brutality. Furthermore, it would be ridiculous to assume that
biker gangs are representative of white culture generally, or to speculate that
their behavior was influenced by heavy metal music. It is equally
inappropriate to question whether their fathers were present during
their upbringing.
A
similar principle applies to the use of the word “terrorist.”
Terrorists are Muslims who plot or engage in violent acts against
non-combatants. It follows then that white people engaged in
similar actions are, by definition, not terrorists. In fact, when
white people do these things, one may question whether they are
newsworthy at all. Here is a useful case in point.
 |
| © Doggart for Congress |
Robert
Doggart, an ordained Christian minister and former Congressional
candidate from Signal Mountain, TN was recently convicted of
plotting—on tape and on the internet—to attack the residents of
Islamberg, a small, rural Muslim community near Hancock, NY. To implement his plan, Doggart recruited followers and “battle tested” his
M4 rifle. His statements, recorded by an informant, included the
following:
Those guys [have] to be killed. Their buildings need to be burnt down. If we can get in there and do that not losing a man, even the better.
Those guys [have] to be killed. Their buildings need to be burnt down. If we can get in there and do that not losing a man, even the better.
Yet
Doggart was allowed to plead guilty only to interstate communication
of threats, is out on bail, and faces a maximum penalty of five
years in jail.
You've
probably never heard of this case, and rightly so. Attempting to
report such a crime in the corporate media would likely end the
career of an aspiring young journalist. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting did a search of the Nexis data base looking for media
coverage of the Doggart case. It was reported in local Tennessee
news media, and by a handful of mostly small newspapers in the US, UK
and Pakistan. It was not covered by the New York Times,
Washington Post, Los
Angeles Times, USA
Today, NPR or any of the
national television networks.
Imagine the saturation coverage the corporate media would have given this incident had it been a Muslim group plotting a similar attack on a small Christian community.
 |
| Where did Doggart get the idea to attack Hancock, NY? |
As
the Daily Beast pointed out, one reason for the lack of coverage is that the FBI
chose not to put out a press release about Doggart's arrest.
This stands in sharp contrast to the extensive publicity given to
cases of entrapment in which an undercover agent is able to persuade
some hapless Muslim to agree to participate in an FBI-planned
terrorist plot. When deciding what is important, journalists are
well-advised to follow the lead of the FBI.
Aspiring
reporters may question whether there are any exceptions to the “white
people don't riot” rule. There are. The term “riot” can
sometimes refer to the behavior of groups of predominantly white
people, provided they are demonstrating in favor of a liberal cause.
Occupy Wall Street is a recent example. A helpful cue for predicting a "riot" is when the police show up in "riot gear."
You may also be interested in reading:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are always welcome.