Terrorism

The Public Editor, Clark Hoyt, writes in December '08, "The Times is sparing in its use of 'terrorist' when reporting on that complex struggle."

Terrorism should be defined as violent acts against civilians by a non-state actor from within a civilian population. 

Again, this can be broken down into three parts:

1. Violent acts against civilians
2. Committed by a non-state actor
3. From within a civilian population

Hamas argues that it is a a guerrilla movement that operates from within the heart of the people. The difficulty with this claim is that it downplays the role of violent coercion in establishing a presence within a civilian population. In other words, how can the populace be anything other than supportive of a band of weapons-bearing people who engage in warfare? Often times, dissent is not possible in these situations. 

NYT provides further muddling of the matter with the printing of Michael Slackman's Memo from Cairo, in February '09. In the words of Sam Bahn, "Slackman allows the Arab street to push its own definition on the world. This is, in essence, mob rule."