CAIR Says Not To Link Dix Six To Islam
The men alleged to have plotted the attack are Muslim, and, according to court papers, "several of them said they were ready to kill and die 'in the name of Allah.'"
On one level I understand why CAIR would not want the case linked to the faith of Islam, as these men are clearly not representative of the majority of Muslims. But media outlets should not be in the business of selectively suppressing information.
The fact that these men are Muslim may make some people more antagonistic towards all Muslims, and that's unfortunate. But it is not the role of journalists to make judgments about which facts to report and which to suppress, unless there are mitigating circumstances such as national security issues. The faith of these men is part of the story, and, whenever possible, the story should be told in full.
In the age of the Internet, of course, it would be extremely difficult for reporters to keep the facts secret even if they wanted to. But if they could, and did, it would only lead frustrated news consumers to traffic in rumors that could do far more damage than the facts. Can you imagine what people might have assumed about the Virginia Tech shooter if the press corps had not identified him and discussed his motivations and background?
The Asian American Journalist Association called on media outlets to move in that direction, requesting that they "avoid using racial identifiers unless there is a compelling or germane reason" in identifying the shooter. But in situations like Virginia Tech and Fort Dix, there is always a compelling and germane reason to fully identify those involved: The obligation of a free press to put all the facts out there and let us come to our own conclusions, even if they're flawed. To do otherwise would be to engage in something approaching social control, and that's what our press corps is for.