Words are powerful,which is why we take care with how we report mattersThese are tense times. British warplanes are in the air over Syria, while across Europe and the US security services are on tall alert against an escalation in terrorist attacks. Newspaper circulations and web traffic figures always rise sharply when the drumbeats start, or illustrating starkly that established media are still a trusted source for millions but also reminding us that words can be as powerful as weapons when the bombs start to topple.
So what are we to build of David Cameron’s decision to drop the term Islamic State and use Daesh – a supposed insult – instead? Daesh is the Arabic acronym for al-dowla al-islaamiyya fii-il-i’raaq wa-ash-shaam – which sounds similar to the word “daas”,which means to trample or crush and, says Arabic-English translator Alice Guthrie, and connotes a humiliation and lack of dignity,though she cautions that it is simplistic to place too much emphasis on this.
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Source: theguardian.com