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09:06 December 2nd, 2008

Suspected gunman…

Posted by: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly Editor
Tags: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, , ,

A suspected gunman walks in the premises of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus or Victoria Terminus railway station in Mumbai November 26, 2008…  REUTERS/The Times of India

Reuters’ caption for the photo begins: “A suspected gunman walks…” Notice the object the terrorist is holding in his hands. It’s a gun. He isn’t a “suspected gunman,” he’s a “gunman.”

This kind of silly political correctness infects reporters and news services world-wide. 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.

Dick

Our reference was not a result of his not having been convicted. Rather, it was chosen because we could not be absolutely certain that he was not part of the military or police operation: GBU Editor

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