AP Tells Staff to Stop Using ‘Ground Zero Mosque’
Most of the media have uncritically adopted the term “Ground Zero Mosque,” a dishonest, inflammatory phrase coined by bigots. It’s a disgrace.
Today the Associated Press finally issued a directive telling staff to stop enabling the Bigot Brigade. (Not in so many words, of course.)
The Associated Press, one of world’s most powerful news organizations, issued a memo today advising staff to avoid the phrase “Ground Zero mosque.”
The Upshot reported Tuesday that the AP started using the phrase “Ground Zero mosque” in some headlines in late May. Other news organizations, such as the New York Times, have avoided that phrasing. …
The AP has always been clear in the text of stories that the project would be built two blocks from Ground Zero and not on the actual site. But AP headlines, at times, ran with the phrase adopted by opponents of the project and amplified by the media. Now the news organization is taking steps to make sure that no longer occurs.
“We should continue to avoid the phrase ’ground zero mosque’ or ’mosque at ground zero’ on all platforms, said Tom Kent, the AP’s deputy managing editor for standards and production, in the memo the news organization shared with The Upshot. …
“The site of the proposed Islamic center and mosque is not at ground zero, but two blocks away in a busy commercial area,” Kent continued. “We should continue to say it’s ‘near’ ground zero, or two blocks away.”
Frank says: