No ‘lone wolf’: media urged to take care over terrorism vocabulary

#WordsMatter campaign says media should be careful not to 'glamorise' terrorism

Descriptions of terrorist attackers as a "lone wolf" or "mastermind" and nicknames such as "the Beatles" only glorifies them, say terrorism survivors who are launching a campaign to change the vocabulary around terrorism.

The #WordsMatter campaign appeals to media to usedispassionate language, and to avoid publishing images of terrorists in combat gear and using war terminology such as "soldier", which serves to legitimise them.