• The Spanish Embassy calls constantly using the term “terrorist”.
• The BBC claim that the information gave good account of the terror experienced.
• Spanish people are outraged at the British press.

Is it easy to change the terminology to describe the terrorist group ETA? The answer seems to be no. The fact that British newspapers have used “Basque separatist group” in each of the articles that described the attacks in Burgos and Mallorca party has outraged the Spanish society.

The Spanish Embassy in London claim that it has always existed a “constant complaint” from the official press abroad to the rating given to ETA in the various media and that it should be “terrorists.”

At the BBC, the term seems to have been buried deep in their language dictionary, exercising even more caution since the attacks on on London in 2005. Following criticism from some quarters about the coverage that had been done, those responsible for the public channel decided to renew the guidelines to be followed by writers.

They have not prohibited the use of the word, but added that there should be a deep reflection on terminology. “There are ways to convey the full horror and consequences of these acts of terror without using the word terrorist to describe the perpetrators. There are a number of important factors which publishers should consider before its use to refer to individuals or groups” says an internal report.

A spokesman for the public corporation ensures that its intention is always to “denounce quick, responsive, full and accurate, all acts of terror.” “It is true that there are guidelines, but there are publishers who have the final word in each case. Also, anyone who has followed the news of the car bomb attack in Mallorca could not have any doubt about the horror and atrocity that has been lived through this last week.”

But the terminology is not the only thing that has bothered the Spanish public, but also the fact that they have prioritized on the “inconvenience” to the British holiday makers, rather than the murder of two civil guards.

“We offer many news stories… In this case, the information we’ve covered in many ways.”
Regarding the claim for imbalance, the spokesman added, “the news has been tailored specifically for the audience in United Kingdom. The security of the British is not only a legitimate subject, but has greater impact because Spain is our main tourist target at the moment.” According to the spokesman for the BBC, “nobody who has read the news can doubt the seriousness of the facts.”

For their part, The Times, where news was titled as “British tourists face holiday with concern in Spain,” says it is “obvious” that there would be such an approach due to the large number of British visitors who were on the island at the time.
Regarding the definition of “Basque separatist group” which they used to call ETA, the newspaper chose not to make any comment.

The Foreign Office, has always called ETA a terrorist group. In addition, nuance is not true that the British have warned that Spain has become a dangerous destination. “For years our site has quantified a high level of terrorist threat. The one thing we have added is the information of the last two attacks. It is a lie we are telling people to avoid traveling there,” explained a spokesman. Today, what appears on the official site is that the British are not the subject of “Basque terrorist organization ETA, but the risk can be in places where the attacks take place.”

Extract from a Spanish article by CELIA MAZA (SOITU.ES)