Bipartisan Group of House Reps Criticize Associated Press Style Guide for Refusing to Call Oct. 7 Terrorism

By Matis Glenn

A group of 16 House Representatives, Democrats and Republicans, issued a stern letter Thursday to the head of the Associated Press after the international news agency advised journalists not to use the term “terrorist” or “terrorism” to describe Hamas or the October 7 massacre.

AP’s updated style book – used by news agencies worldwide as a reference tool – defines terrorism as “The calculated use of violence, especially against civilians, to create terror to disrupt and demoralize societies for political ends.” Yet the same guide advises journalists not to use the word “terrorist” or “terrorism” if not used as part of a quotation, because the terms “have become politicized, and often are applied inconsistently. Because they can be used to label such a wide range of actions and events, and because the debate around them is so intense, detailing what happened is more precise and better serves audiences.” 

When writing about Hamas, which targeted, mutilated and murdered civilians in horrific ways on October 7, as reported by the AP itself, the style guide advocates for the use of “militant” when describing the terror group. The term is deemed appropriate by the AP because it is “in keeping with the Webster’s New World College Dictionary definition: ready and willing to fight; especially, vigorous or aggressive in supporting or promoting a cause; and Merriam-Webster: aggressively active (as in a cause).”

Thursday’s letter, led by Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and Mike Gallagher (R-WI), together with 14 other representatives, panned the AP’s guidelines and warned of the consequences of normalizing Hamas’ actions, as antisemitism continues to rise worldwide in the wake of the attacks.

“The decision by the AP to avoid using terms such as “terrorism” and “terrorist” due to their perceived
politicization is deeply unsettling,” the letter read. “Under U.S. law, and even noted in your own topical guide’s background on Hamas, since 1997 the organization has been a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the Secretary of State in accordance with section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

“As a reputable news source, by mislabeling Hamas and its actions, you are contributing to an extremely concerning trend, where the continued targeting of civilians by Hamas is legitimized in the eyes of many and ultimately contributing to a worrisome phenomenon of antisemitic vitriol being directed at the global Jewish community as a whole, based on a skewed understanding of the conflict.

“By not accurately labeling Hamas and its continued terroristic actions, we believe the AP inadvertently provides cover for these heinous acts to be accepted.”

The lawmakers argue that failing to call out terrorism will fuel rising antisemitism “based on a skewed understanding of the conflict.”

Instead of dropping the terms altogether, the lawmakers urged the AP to use a more “nuanced and context-sensitive approach to terminology.”

In addition to Torres and Gallagher, the letter was signed by Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), John Moolenaar (R-MI), Dina Titus (D-NV), Don Bacon (R-NE), Brad Sherman (D-CA), David Kustoff (R-TN), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Susan Wild (D-PA), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Kathy Manning (D-NC), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Tom Kean (R-NJ).