Tag Archives: Sgt. Robert Bales
Framing terrorism: When word choice speaks volumes
By Ann Santori
The way in which a story is told through the use of specific terminology is crucial to the impression it leaves upon its audience. For this reason, the Chicago Tribune’s recent coverage of five Cleveland men arrested for attempting to blow up a highway bridge in the Brecksville, Ohio area is problematic.
Possibly the most troubling aspect is that The Chicago Tribune allows these men to self-describe themselves as “anarchists”. The problem here is not that the men claim to be “anarchists”, but that The Chicago Tribune gives the opportunity to the five men to label themselves as they wish. By definition, the five men’s plot to blow up the Brecksville, Ohio bridge is an act of terrorism; and thus, the five men should be labeled as terrorists.
Khandahar Massacre: Excuses and hypocrisy in media portrayal
By Agnieszka Karoluk
On March 11, 2012, 17 civilian lives were lost in three homes in three different locations in Panjwai district – the villages of Alkozai and Najeeban and another settlement known locally as “Ibrahim Khan Houses.” When reports first came out that this mass murder was a result of a rogue U.S. soldier, Staff Sergeant Robert Bales- everyone wanted to find out why he had done this. However, due to mass media’s apologetic portrayal of Bales, people began to wonder: what lead him to do this?
