Since at least 2005, the BBC has had a policy not to use the word "terrorist" when reporting unless it is quoting someone else:
We must report acts of terror quickly, accurately, fully and responsibly. Terrorism is a difficult and emotive subject with significant political overtones and care is required in the use of language that carries value judgements. We try to avoid the use of the term ”terrorist” without attribution. When we do use the term we should strive to do so with consistency in the stories we report across all our services and in a way that does not undermine our reputation for objectivity and accuracy.
The current BBC policy says:
The term 'terrorist' should only be used with attribution, ie when quoting or citing its use by others. Content makers should not adopt other people's language as their own; their responsibility is to remain objective and report in a way that enables audiences to make their own assessments. The BBC should convey to the audience the full consequences of an act by describing the perpetrators as, for example, 'bombers', 'gunmen', 'kidnappers', 'insurgents' and 'militants'. Their actions should only be described as 'terrorist attacks' with attribution.
It described, and continues to describe, the 2017 London Bridge attacks as terrorism.
It has described the suicide bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester as a "terror attack" numerous times.
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Only a week ago, it described the attempted stabbing of prison guards by the brother of the Manchester area attack as "terrorist" without scare quotes.
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But today's attack killing two at a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur? No, that word is only in quotations from police and Netanyahu - but never in the BBC's own voice in the roughly eight articles on the incident I've seen so far.
If the BBC was consistent in calling terrorism on UK soil "terrorist", even if it violates its own policies to do so, at least there would be consistency. But when it suddenly decides to adhere to standards it regularly flouts - and it does that when Jews are the target - one wonders if the BBC doesn't really consider Jews to be true British citizens whose deaths deserve the same outrage as "real" British citizens.
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