I recently was called my atenttion to this (also recent) post on the community blog:
Terrorist. Rebel. Illegal Immigrant. What's in a Name? [1]
Shortly, in case you haven't read it, it says that Newsroom Editors agreed to, among other things “Avoid using the labels terror, terrorism and terrorist, unless it is in a quote.”
While I found the reasons given very valid for (some) current movements and events, I don't think this must be applied to facts and groups from the past. It is like if with a magic wand suddenly we change history and the Shining Path [2] from Peru were not one of the cruellest terrorist groups of the world anymore.
I learnt this the hard way when the Latam Editor changed one post of mine about a peruvian terrorist recently released from jail after serving his sentence (Info about the case in english here [3], my post in my blog in spanish here [4]). I disagreed with the changes and was referred to our Managing Editor. After a few email exchanges I realized she was not going to change her mind. So we agreed to withdraw my post from the platform.
For me, taking this decision it is not a matter of stubbornness or intransigence, it is about the memory of the thousands of Peruvians who died in the terrorist acts of those who decided to impose violence and death without showing their faces and try to take power without knowing what for. I live in a city that is full of memories of that time, where every day I meet people belonging to communities that were displaced by the actions of terrorist cells. I lived that times and I would fail myself if I accept not to call terrorists to whom almost managed to destroy my country. It is about my conscience and my truth.
So, I share this with you because I still believe in GV as a place of transparency and tolerance, not to try to revert the decision on my post, but to have a discussion with others GVrs about this subjects:
Is it an excess of political correctness not to call terrorist the terrorist?
Must this be just a journalistic decision?
Isn't memory and reconciliation processes in which we have to call things by their real name in order to reach peace and forgive?
If a whole country calls terrorism some facts from its past, do others have the right to dismiss that?
Is there anyone personally affected by terrorism on this list? What does he/she think about this?
I know political context may have been radically different in each country that has seen the outbreak of a terrorist movement, but that would enrich any exchange on that. For example, the romantic perception of the guerrillas as seen in Latin American countries in the 60s and 70s can still permeate the views of some, but currently, guerrilla and terrorism are often quite different terms in use around here. So… I really hope an interesting conversation can be started on this subject.
Thanks for your attention! and excuse me for the sensationalist title, just a bit of clickbait…
PS. No GVr was harmed on the process described before.