PrintMarch 30, 2010
Caucasian female alert level raised to amber
The fact that mainstream media coverage of the Muslim terrorist attacks in Moscow was predictable makes it no less craven.
The Wall Street Journal (the hero of the story) ran the story above the fold, with a dramatic photo of a survivor, correctly identifying the bombers as an "Islamic insurgency."
The New York Times likewise put the story on the front page. Their headline, however, reads: "Attack Victims Are Mourned as Russia Weighs Its Response." So as not to offend anyone, no mention of the identity of the attackers is made.
A second New York Times story addresses the nettlesome question of who those "attackers" were, but since "terrorist" is the new T-word, the word "bombers" seemed less offensive. A first draft of their headline might have read: "Russia's Fear of Bombers Is Revived." But it sounded silly. Everyone fears bombers. If you learn that bombers are around, you want some clues to help identify them. It's almost a genetically programmed response, like asking how someone died so you know what to look for when it's your turn. The Times then discovered the appropriate modifier and ran with it: "Russia's Fear of Female Bombers Is Revived." That's right, female.
The Boston Globe can be relied on to follow the lack of leadership of its big brother, with even greater lack. The Moscow story does not appear at all on the Globe's webpage, bumped by breaking news: "Unwanted phone charges raising ire."
In the paper edition, the Globe tucked the Muslim terrorist attack into the "In the News" bullet points on the left column. It only rated second place on the list however. Number one was: "Nine purported members of a Christian militia group...charged with conspiring to kill police." No beating around the bush there. A Christian conspiracy ranks above a Muslim mass murder.
The militia is identified as "Christian" since cop-killing militia groups, it is well known, derive their marching orders from the Bible.
The Globe's Moscow story? "Russia blamed Caucasus separatists for the suicide blasts."
If I were profiling terrorists using the Times and the Globe as my sources, I'd be on the lookout for Caucasian females.
