By noticing small, seemingly insignificant facts and putting them logically together, connecting the dots in modern parlance, Sherlock Holmes famously solved mysteries that baffled his contemporaries. Indeed, he once solved a whodunit by noticing what did not happen--the watch dog did not bark - and voila! Holmes realized the crime was an inside job.

So, playing Sherlock Holmes, notice what is not mentioned in this Washington Post description of the (alleged) terrorist, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, typical of others, who (allegedly) try to blow up a plane from the Netherlands as it was about to land in Detroit. Give up? There is no mention of the (alleged) terrorist's (alleged) interest in Islamic terrorism or that he had become (allegedly) a radicalized Muslim. Indeed, the only mention of religion is a passing second reference to the religion of the (alleged) Fort Hood slaughterer.

Political correctness and fear of offending will not overcome the core problem; accurate reporting would be the first step in doing so.