This political teenager notes Fox News’ new policy of using the term ‘homicide bomber’ in place of ‘suicide bomber’. But surely the term ‘homicide bomber’ is a tautology, unlike ‘suicide bomber’. How many bombers out there are not intending to commit homicide? The term ‘suicide bomber’ actually adds more depth to the description, not that Fox News would care about that. Unless there is some kind of fluffy flower bomb that I’ve totally missed?
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I am Duncan Stephen, based in Dundee but originally from Fife. I work as the Web Editor for the University of St Andrews. This is a personal blog.
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Snooo
17 July 2006 23:09
#1
Not just Fox News – the term was established by the Israeli government and the US Bush administration. Yup – means precisely nothing, and is next to useless as a journalistic account.
Crossy
18 July 2006 09:45
#2
Just read the linked-to page and I’m really not convinced that this isn’t just Fox trying to be different.
IMHO the “suicide bomber” term is correct for when describing the Semtex-waistcoat brigade, who kill themselves along with their “targets”. On the other hand – to me at least – a “homicide bomber” would be a person who is intending to kill their “targets” but not themselves. For example, the IRA and ETA campaigns of the past.
That said, who’s stupid enough to get their news from Fox anyway? Lowest-common-denominator t.v. par excellance!
Matthew Downhour
6 April 2007 05:42
#3
Moreover, the term homicide bomber is inaccurate if the bomber fails to kill anyone, or if their targets are strictly millitary.