Posted on 08/25/2003 9:44:00 PM PDT by yonif
Arutz Sheva published a lexicon of terminology used in its news broadcasts. The collection was written by the head of Arutz Sheva's Hebrew Radio News Department, Haggai Segal. The full English edition of the lexicon appears below. Bear in mind that the lexicon was compiled for the use of Hebrew broadcasters, to an Israeli audience; the Arutz Sheva English department, with additional factors to take into consideration, is sometimes guided more by the spirit of the lexicon than by its actual recommendations. Enjoy!
1. Amman, Ras el-Amud: Sites with a Hebrew name will be thus cited on Arutz-7. Other media sources may say Amman, while our [Hebrew] broadcasts will call it Rabbat Ammon. We will even insist on saying Mt. of Olives, and not Ras el-Amud; Kfar HaShilo'ach [adjacent to the Old City] instead of Silwan; the Mashbir Junction [in northern Jerusalem] and not the A-Ram junction; etc.
2. Arafat: The unshaven old man is no longer "the arch-terrorist," as he used to be called by Voice of Israel, but he will forever remain an arch-terrorist in retirement. We must therefore not allow his horrific past to be forgotten by using the respectable title "Chairman," but we'll rather call him just "Arafat."
3. Believers: The exclusivity granted to Moslems for this term has become downright tiring. For instance, we seem to hear quite often how "tens of thousands of Moslem believers arrived at El Aksa mosque for prayers today." We Jews are also believers; we even preceded the others!
4. Boy: According to the authoritative [Hebrew] Even-Shushan dictionary, "boy" means "a male from the time he is born until the age of Bar Mitzvah [13]". Accordingly, when our forces harm a 16-year old Arab, we need not be dragged under by the Arab propagandists and report, "An Arab boy was wounded by IDF fire." Similarly, the words "youth" or "youngster" need not be bestowed upon everyone under the age of 120.
5. Breakthrough: This is a propaganda term used by the left to prettify Israeli capitulations at the negotiating table. When an Israeli concession allows the resumption of talks with the Syrians, the Voice of Israel headlines are, "Breakthrough in the Oslo Talks." On Arutz-7, we use a much more accurate terminology: "A Significant Development in the Diplomatic Process." (see: Progress in the Peace Talks)
6. Coalition blackmail: When an Arab Knesset faction receives a small fortune in benefits following coalition negotiations with a left-wing government, the general media report that "an agreement has been reached between the Finance Ministry and the Knesset Members of the United Arab List." When bankrupt kibbutzim of the secular left extract 15 billion shekels from the State coffers, the headlines feature the "Kibbutz Debts Arrangement." On the other hand, the transfer of 20-30 million shekels to Yeshivot or Yesha settlements is always described as "blackmail." Arutz-7 is unwilling to lend a hand to this fraud, and will erase this word from our lexicon. The transfer of sums to or for a religious party will hereafter be called an "arrangement" or "agreement."
7. Disturbances: Euphemistic language for violent protest activities on the part of Arabs in Yesha is part of the linguistic effort to grant a form of legitimacy to this violence. The more correct term is "riots."
8. Ethiopians, Russians: Jews of Ethiopian origin are not "Ethiopians." Their precise Zionist nomenclature is "immigrants from Ethiopia." Similarly regarding Russians, Georgians, Americans, and all of the other Exiles who have joined us here in Israel.
9. Evacuation of Settlements: The codeword "evacuation" is designed to calm the pangs of conscience of those who know that the issue is really one of "expulsion." It furthermore serves to get the public used to the concept of uprooting Jewish settlements. No politician has the courage to recommend an "expulsion order," for it simply sounds illegal and immoral. Instead, the airy term "evacuation" was conceived. Arutz-7 will punctually use the true terms: "expulsion," "uprooting," and even "transfer."
10. Extremist, Extreme Right-wing: Various conjugations of the word "extremist" are standard fare for leftists when discussing bearded Jews who refuse to be the suckers of the Oslo process. Interestingly, the Law of Analysis of Popular Opinion establishes that there must be an equal number of extremists on both sides. For instance, if Rabbi Moshe Levinger of Hevron is one kilometer right of center, there must be some anti-Levinger a kilometer left of center - Uri Avnery, for instance. On Arutz-7, therefore, we will use the term "extremist" equally for radical leftists as well as for former Kach activists.
11. Flexible: An Israeli diplomat who adopts a "flexible" stand according to Voice of Israel or IDF Radio, is actually taking "leftist stands" or "concessionary positions" according to Arutz-7 (see "tolerant").
12. Freeze, Stall: If a long period goes by without Israel retreating from a piece of its homeland in favor of the Arabs, this does not automatically imply headlines such as, "Diplomatic Process is Frozen" or "Dead End in the Middle East." In most cases, it would be more accurate to report that "Negotiations Continue as Israel Stands Firm on its Interests," or possibly, "Talks Temporarily Suspended Because of Arab Intransigence."
13. Fury in the right: This is a common journalistic description for the emotional state of the nationalist camp. You may have noticed that the Jewish residents of Yesha are always "upset," as are the leaders of the Yesha Council and Knesset Members of Moledet. Almost every time that these bodies have some criticism of a particular governmental move, the radio tells us that "the settlers are furious," "there is fury on the right," and so on. Arutz-7 uses more moderate and accurate words: "Criticism has been expressed by the right...", "disappointment amongst the residents of Hevron," etc. (...unless of course the guys are really upset. It can happen.)
14. Handful: This is a common quantitative term used by the left-wing media to describe right-wing demonstrations of less than a few hundred participants. Compare this to three left-wing demonstrators opposite the house of Binyamin Netanyahu, who are bestowed with the prestigious title "protest vigil." In Arutz-7, we will not do the opposite. We will simply try to be accurate.
15. Hareidim [ultra-orthodox] : This word without the addition of the word "citizens" creates an impression that the reference is to weird alien beings, devoid of rights. For this reason it is preferable to used the term "hareidi citizens." Instead of saying, "A group of hareidim demonstrated today against the desecration of graves," we should say, "A group of hareidi citizens demonstrated..."
16. Hate Proclamation: Of late, every right-wing placard posted anywhere the public can see it merits the title "right-wing invective" or "proclamation of hate," no matter how politely it may be worded. Arutz-7 will certainly not use this anti-democratic term, unless the announcement contains curses, threats or character assassination.
17. Incident: This word is derived from the same root as, and is reminiscent of, coincidence. Since the Arab rioters in Yesha attack our soldiers purposely, and not incidentally, Arutz-7 Hebrew radio will not broadcast items such as, "Soldiers were attacked in two incidents in Hevron today," but rather, "Two Arab assaults on soldiers in Hevron today..."
18. Incitement: Ever since the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin, "incitement" has become the most sweeping term in Israel. Every peep against the government, and especially against the left, is immediately termed "incitement" and dispatched to be dealt with by the law. Arutz-7 has not caved in to this anti-democratic trend, and we do not confuse the terms "criticism" and "incitement." Only an outright call, or an almost-outright call, for violence against a person will be categorized on Arutz-7 as incitement.
19. January, February: In Arutz-7 we try to use Hebrew dates. When we use the general phrases "this month" or "this year", we are referring to the Hebrew month or year. When the necessity arises to refer to the Gregorian calendar, it is desirable to add a word of explanation. Thus, instead of reporting on "a rise in tourism since the beginning of the year," we will announce "a rise in tourism since the beginning of 1998" or "the beginning of the civil year."
20. The Jerusalem Problem: Arutz-7 news reports should not report on new proposals to solve the Jerusalem problem" and the like, as Jerusalem is not a "problem," but is rather our capital. The settlements are also not a "problem," but rather a glorious Zionist enterprise. The true problems in Israel are the problem of car accidents, the problem of drug consumption among the youth, the problem of motivation within the IDF, the problem of the media, and, mainly, the problem of Oslo.
21. King Abdullah: Abdullah is the king of the Jordanians alone. We should therefore state, "The King of Jordan, Abdullah," or "The King of Jordan," or even "Abdullah"
22. Locals, natives: Why is this term used only for Arab residents of Yesha? Arutz-7 feels that the Jews there are also locals!
23. Media: It is permitted to politely attack specific media outlets (if necessary), but not to attack "the press" in general. After all, we are also "the press!"
24. Moderate: Ten measures of moderacy were bestowed upon the world, and all of them have been commandeered by those in favor of a Palestinian state in Israel. The time has come to reclaim some of this moderacy, and to bestow this honorific title also on those who moderately object to a Palestinian state, and to those who gently do everything they can against the expulsion of Jewish settlers from their homes. The reporters of Arutz-7, for instance, are much more moderate than our left-wing colleagues who are not willing to give up on their demand for the destruction of most of the Yesha settlements. We, on the other hand, are willing to accept their continued existence forever.
25. The Murderer Yigal Amir: News reports, as opposed to opinion pieces and the like, should not contain unofficial titles for the persons about whom the articles are written. The news should therefore not refer to "the murderer Yigal Amir," or to "the murderer Baruch Goldstein," just as they do not mention "the traitor Mordechai Vaanunu," "arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat," or "the fascist Jean-Marie LePen." In short, it is more professional to say, "Yigal Amir, the murderer of Prime Minister Rabin," and the like.
26. Our Soldiers, Our Forces: The Israel Defense Forces is not a foreign army. It is ours. We should therefore not be embarrassed to say "our armed forces", "our pilots", "our soldiers", etc. Only foreign media are justified in using the neutral terms "IDF soldiers", "security forces" and the like. Instead of saying, "In a clash between Hizbullah terrorists and IDF soldiers, etc." we would say, "In a clash between Hizbullah and our forces, etc."
27. Palestinian: In most of the media, the word Palestinian is used specifically to refer to the Ishmaelites living within Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, while their brethren within "little Israel" are called Arabs. This not only reeks of pure politics, it is also laughable. For instance, is Arafat's advisor Ahmed Tibi [an Israeli citizen] an Arab or a Palestinian? If there is such a thing as a Palestinian nation, then it lives in the Galilee no less than in Yesha. Arutz-7 will use the terms interchangeably: Palestinians from Yesha will often be called Arabs, while their brothers in Jaffa will sometimes be called Palestinians.
28. The Palestinian Police: This is an under-description for a fighting force that is 40,000-strong, armed with tens of thousands of submachine guns, machine guns, and even armored cars. Arutz-7 calls this force the Palestinian Police Army or the Palestinian Paramilitary Police Force. A member of the force will not be called by Arutz-7 a policeman, but rather a Palestinian fighter.
29. Peace Process: At Arutz-7, we are very careful to use the modest term "diplomatic process" or "negotiations." It has not yet exactly been proven that the diplomatic contacts between Israel and the Arabs are in fact a peace process; they may be nothing more than a lead-in to war.
30. PLO: From time to time it is desirable to expand this abbreviation and say straight out, "The Palestine Liberation Organization", just so that we do not forget the past.
31. Progress in the Peace Talks: Here's some good advice: If you know of a journalist who terms Israeli consent to execute a withdrawal as "progress in the talks," don't stand in front of his car when he's backing up. "Progress" is a word with positive connotations, and it should not be used when describing retreats and diplomatic capitulations. See also "breakthrough."
32. The President: The State of Israel has its own President. Him, and only him, will Arutz-7 call "President" without stating the nation over which he presides. We will therefore introduce, "The President of the United States, Bill Clinton," and never "President Clinton." Similarly, we will say, "American Secretary of State Madeleine Albright," and not "Secretary of State Madeleine Albright." After all, we are already an independent country.
33. Public uproar: Please think twice before using this dramatic term. In general, it is justified whenever a significant portion of the public - and not just the community of reporters - is in an uproar about something.
34. The Rabbinic Establishment: The word 'establishment' smacks of something that is fossilized and corrupt. The use of this word in connection with rabbis is designed to malign them as rabbis per se, and we will therefore not use this term.
35. Racism: A racist, according to the dictionary, is one who divides the world into superior races and inferior races; one who cannot tolerate his fellow man merely because of his ethnic, religious, or geographic origin. The term 'racist' should therefore not be attributed to one who demands full execution of judgment on his enemies, even if his enemies happen to be Arab. Nor is 'racist' the correct term for one who objects to the political platform of Peace Now. The word 'racist' will be applied in Arutz-7 broadcasts only to one who is not willing to accept immigrants from Ethiopia to his school, or to one who calls those of Moroccan extraction the derogatory term "Chakh-chakhim," one who terms those who live in Yesha "mitnachablim" [a play on the word for 'settlers' implying that they are terrorists], one who calls members of the hareidi [ultra-orthodox] community "blackies," and the like.
36. Safe passage: This term refers to the planned transportation route between Gaza and Judea/Samaria, passing through sovereign Israeli territory, without the possibility of Israeli supervision. This passage is about as "safe" as a crosswalk on a race track: the drivers are in no danger whatsoever. Accordingly, we shall not use this term, but will prefer "land-based corridor between the two sections of the autonomy."
37. Security Prisoner: A security prisoner is an Israeli citizen held in a foreign prison because of activities he undertook on behalf of the security of the State of Israel. Jonathan Pollard, for instance. On the other hand, the prisoners presently filling up Israeli prisons because of anti-Jewish terrorist activity should be known as "imprisoned terrorists," "convicted murderers," etc.
38. Settler, settlement: Those who live on Kibbutzim are not ashamed of the designation Kibbutznikim, despite their tremendous debts to the State coffers. All the more so should the residents of Yesha proudly bear the Biblical-Zionist appellation "settlers." On the other hand, it is permitted to diversify a little and use terms such as "citizens of Efrat," "residents of Kedumim," and the like.
39. Territories: This is the derogatory term used by the left for the areas liberated during the Six-Day War. This word is taboo on Arutz-7. By the way, Gaza, Shechem, Hevron, etc. are not the Diaspora. We should therefore not refer to "workers who come from Gaza to Israel," but rather, "workers who were allowed to enter sovereign Israel area from Gaza," or "the borders of little Israel." This is a bit involved and complex, but it will be worth it in the end.
40. Terrorist: An Arab fighter who is not a soldier in an organized army. Thus, a 14-year old youth who hurls Molotov cocktails upon Israeli cars will be called nothing less than a "terrorist" in our broadcasts. When he "only" throws stones, we can suffice with the term "rioter," but certainly not "demonstrator." The reason is simply because these intifada-like activities are not only peaceful demonstrations, but an inseparable part of the long blood-soaked dispute been Israel and those who would destroy her.
41. Thinkers (lit., Men of Spirit): It is a good idea to use this noble approbation sparingly. Not every leftist who ever wrote a book or two is a "man of spirit;" sometimes he may be no more than a "writing technician."
42. Weekend: This is a particularly secularistic term for the days Friday and Saturday, one that exudes less holiness than does the word "Shabbat." In Arutz-7 we say Friday when we mean Friday, and Shabbat when we mean the Sabbath. By the way, from Judaism's point of view, Shabbat is considered the pinnacle of the week, and not merely its "end."
43. (West) Bank, (Gaza) Strip: It is illogical to think that a bank of such a narrow brook as the Jordan should spread out over tens of kilometers, from the Allenby Bridge to Elkanah. In Arutz-7 we say Judea, Samaria, Binyamin, and Gaza. This is much more accurate from a geographic and historical standpoint.
Thank you, Yonif. Good post!
Fascinating. One of the first things the Nazis did after occupying Czechoslovakia on 15 March 1939 was to order the Czech national radio station - renamed "Bohemia Radio" - to use only the German names for places in the country.
It earned them a lot of ridicule, but very little propaganda traction.
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