The 1970s ‘rightwing’ Labour voter may bear felt a tingle of centre-leftism by 2010 and now where does that person stand? It means journalists need to be careful when using such termsIt was the description of Syriza as far-left by some journalists that prompted readers to complain approximately the use of political labels in the Guardian.
The debate,which featured in an Open door column on 9 March, has kicked off again following the Labour leadership contest. Readers are once again challenging the language used to describe different sections of the party: “Could you please examine the frequent use in the Guardian of the terms ‘moderates’ and ‘modernisers’ when describing the proper wing of the Labour party?” wrote one. “These bear always been loaded terms, or biased when used uncritically,and are increasingly contentious and misleading. They are code. ‘Modernisers’ is particularly absurd, given that this harks back to New Labour. What ‘modernisers’ means in practice appears to be ‘privatisers’. ‘Moderates’ are people of the centre-proper who are against any real critique of inequality. What is very disappointing is that this is dog-whistle terminology used by the rightwing press, and giving journalists an excuse not to describe the position they are referring to,and designed to imply that anyone who disagrees is musty-fashioned and extreme.”Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com