It’s one of those questions we have discussed here on B-BBC. Why does the BBC refer to the “occupied territories” in the Middle East rather than the “disputed territories”?
There was an item on Today @8.53am with regard to the language journalists use to explain stories and Dutch journalist Joris Luyendijk was on to discuss a new book he has authored on the topic. He asked John Humphyrs the direct question if it is right to use “occupied” or “disputed” – Humphyrs instantly side-stepped the question and referred it to Indie Patrick Cockburn who instantly stated they are “occupied” (Hardly surprising, I was shocked Cockburn didn’t instantly start chanting Allahu Akhbar) I thought Mr Luyendijil made a number of excellent points, all of which Humphyrs dismissed or passed to Cockburn for dismissal. It’s funny but even when the BBC discuss bias, they can’t stop themselves being biased”