BBC and other news sites refuse to call proscribed terrorist groups terrorists

[Retro]

Have you noticed that whenever the BBC report on organisations like Hamas and ISIS, they always call them "militant groups" and never terrorist groups, which is exactly what they are due to their terrorist atrocities which aren't even one-offs - and have even been officially proscribed by the UK government as such. I find that quite irritating as it sanitises the rampant psychopaths that they are, so looked up why the BBC do it. Apparently, it's all done in the interests of "impartiality" since terrorist is a loaded word. Seriously, this is it, an absolutely ridiculous reason and I'm not the only one to think so.

They're not the only guilty ones either, The Guardian and others like CNN do it too. If you find a mainstream news site or newspaper who do call them terrorists, please link to an article here, I'd be interested to see it.

Here's that excuse:

Government ministers, newspaper columnists, ordinary people - they're all asking why the BBC doesn't say the Hamas gunmen who carried out appalling atrocities in southern Israel are terrorists.

The answer goes right back to the BBC's founding principles.

Terrorism is a loaded word, which people use about an outfit they disapprove of morally. It's simply not the BBC's job to tell people who to support and who to condemn - who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.

We regularly point out that the British and other governments have condemned Hamas as a terrorist organisation, but that's their business. We also run interviews with guests and quote contributors who describe Hamas as terrorists.

The key point is that we don't say it in our voice. Our business is to present our audiences with the facts, and let them make up their own minds.

Why BBC doesn't call Hamas militants 'terrorists' - John Simpson

It's simply not the BBC's job to tell people who to support and who to condemn, writes the BBC's World Affairs editor.

www.bbc.co.uk

BBC defends policy not to call Hamas 'terrorists' after criticism

UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps says the BBC's position is "verging on disgraceful".

www.bbc.co.uk

David Cameron urges BBC to describe Hamas as terrorist organisation

Foreign secretary’s call comes after group releases video of British-Israeli hostage it says died after being wounded in Israeli airstrike

www.theguardian.com

Proscribed terrorist groups or organisations

List of terrorist groups or organisations banned under UK law, and details of proscription criteria.

www.gov.uk

 

[Tiffany]

For another perspective, I checked out the following news media sites: Fox News, News Nation and Newsmax and I could not locate any refusal to not use terrorist, nor any articles that may suggest they would use the word terrorist. Most articles about your topic discuss the same standard as you listed above for not using the word terrorist.