| A Note from Cole, CEO of The Flyover Dear Reader, Buried in the official editorial guidelines of one of the world's largest news organizations—on the books for decades, published for anyone to read—is a remarkable sentence. It says the word terrorist "can be a barrier rather than an aid to understanding." The written policy is that the plainest true word for an act of terror gets in the way of understanding it. That's not one outlet's quirk. It's mainstream media doctrine. And last month, you got to see where doctrine like that leads. Ahead of the 25th anniversary of September 11, reporters at another major news organization, a national public broadcaster, received a memo from the standards office: "Do not refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorist attacks." The approved language for the deadliest terrorist attack in American history, in which nearly 3,000 people were murdered, was "hijackings that led to plane crashes." The memo leaked. Two days later, the broadcaster backed down. Sort of. They carved out an exception for 9/11, and only 9/11. The rule stands. And their defense was telling. They didn't argue that the rule is right. They argued that it's the industry standard and that newsrooms everywhere follow the same practice. The worst part is, they're right. It is the standard. That's the problem. You know why we exist. The truth isn't a barrier to understanding. It's the only road there. The facts arrive the way we found them, in plain words, and you decide what they mean. That's your job, and we'd never dream of doing it for you. We call things what they are. We keep the spin out and trust you with the facts. And The Flyover stays free. A terrorist attack is a terrorist attack. We'd print that sentence any day of the week. No memo required. So today I'm asking: if news that calls things what they are is something you want to see thrive, will you stand behind it? Support the news in plain words. Free, every morning. Make a generous donation to support The Flyover. Give $25
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Our promise: we answer to you.
Help us keep it.
— Cole
CEO, The Flyover |
