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December 1, 2008
The Paralysis of Style Sheets
There was a photograph that appeared in many of the British papers, taken by a Reuters man and captioned by the news agency as follows: "A suspected gunman walks outside the premises of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus or Victoria Terminus railway station." The photo of the "suspected gunman" showed a man holding a gun. We don't know much about him -- he might be Muslim or Episcopalian, he might be an impoverished uneducated victim of western colonialist economic oppression or a former vice-president of Lehman Bros embarking on an exciting midlife career change -- but one thing we ought to be able to say for certain is that a man pointing a gun is not a "suspected gunman" but a gunman. "This kind of silly political correctness infects reporters and news services world-wide," wrote John Hinderaker of Powerline. "They think they're being scrupulous -- the man hasn't been convicted of being a gunman yet! -- when in fact they're just being foolish. But the irrational conviction that nothing can be known unless it has been determined by a court and jury isn't just silly, it's dangerous."
That's Mark Steyn. You may not believe him that we are engaged in a long-term ideological war against Islamic imperialism (a tendency or movement for the restoration of the khilafa), but this is a good one to read if you intend to disagree with him.
Posted by CrankyProfessor at December 1, 2008 7:14 AM
Comments
*blink* They actually have to say "alleged gunman" when the man is photographed with a gun in his hand?? What is he doing, taking the weapon for walkies?
Posted by: Cynthia at December 2, 2008 5:04 PM