Monday 26 January 2015

Another loaded term



Following on from the last post, the introduction to the section of the BBC Editorial Guidelines on the BBC's use of language regarding terrorism ends with the following passage:
For similar reasons, it is also usually inappropriate to use, without attribution, terms such as "liberate", "court martial" or "execute" in the absence of a clear judicial process.
So Hugh Sykes was clearly in breach of the BBC's editorial guidelines when he said the following during his recent Roubaix report
I had to shelter from wild wind and rain and chose a cafe on the Grand Place, opposite the tall, elegant Hotel de Ville, Roubaix town hall. The Charlie Hebdo executions are still a shock here. Disbelief takes time to retreat.
Will Mr Kafala be having a word with him?

2 comments:

  1. The word "disbelief" is odd in context. I think most French people had been fearing an attack like that (remember the pre-Christas build up in lone wolf attacks) and when it happened believed it all too clearly. This wasn't like 9-11 coming "out of the blue" as most people were concerned.

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  2. If that is not a sacking offence at the BBC what is ?

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