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Media Matters
March 6, 2003
The Politics of Language and Geography
By Jeffrey A. Dvorkin
Ombudsman
National Public Radio
As the tension builds around the possibility of war against Iraq, the listeners' hearing has become more sensitive to words and their implications.
Some have written to say that NPR has not been consistent about two aspects of the history of Iraq's troubled relations in the region and with the west.
'No Fly? No Fair!'
Bud Feuless writes:
The two items in question are the expulsion of weapons inspectors from Iraq and the approval of no-fly zones over Iraq. My current belief has been that the inspectors, contrary to popular myth, were actually removed from Iraq by chief inspector Richard Butler in order to ensure their safety, just prior to operation Desert Fox. Another current belief has been that the no-fly zones were an initiative supported by the U.S., U.K. and, for a time, France (who later withdrew). It appears that the U.N. has never approved the no-fly zones and that they have specifically clarified that UNR 688 did not authorize same.
Mr. Feuless is correct. But some NPR hosts and even the estimable NPR Web site have repeated the error: Confronting Iraq: A Timeline of Iraqi History. ("This has been corrected." -- Online Editor).
'You Say Eye-Rack and I Say'...
On a point of pronunciation, Dr. Robert Schumacher asks:
OK... I know it's a trivial point in the midst of all (of) the hubbub, but on your broadcasts, I have heard the country of "Iraq" pronounced by your hosts and reporters variously as "ear-rack," "ear-rock," "eye-rock," and "eye-rack." Which is it? After listening to Iraqi nationals, I believe the closest approximation in English is "ear-rock." Whatever you decide, please choose one and stick to it!
According to the pronunciations mavens at NPR, the Arabic inflection is "ear-rock." But the standard American English is "i-rack" with the letter "i" spoken as in "issue."
'Homogeneous or 2 Percent'
Edward O'Keefe noted two mistakes:
This morning on Living On Earth, a story about bacteria talked about "one bacteria," more than once. Second, the story on the Seattle protest pronounced "homogeneous" (as) "homogenous." Granted this is quite trivial, but NPR has some responsibility not to legitimize incorrect usage and thereby spread it, like a virus.
'You say KILL-o-meter and I say'
Don Nearhood asks that NPR use the correct pronunciations for words related to the metric system:
I know it is a small thing but it seems that public radio should try to
pronounce "kilometer" correctly. The following is from the U.S. Metric Association, a Web site dedicated to the International System of measurements:
The pronunciation of the word, kilometer, is KILL-oh-meet-ur (not
kill-AHM-it-ur, as it was pronounced in now-obsolete versions of the metric
system).
Mexico and the U.N. Security Council
Recently some other errors of fact have been creeping into the programs. A story on Mexico's diplomatic approach to the gathering storm over Iraq referred to Mexico's first-ever presence on the United Nations Security Council.
Not so, writes Gareth Penn:
This morning (2/26/03), Morning Edition aired a story concerning the Mexican position on war with Iraq. The introduction included the
sentence, "This is the first time Mexico has held a Security Council
seat." The Economist made the same statement in an article published three weeks ago. Two weeks ago, the magazine published a letter from the
Mexican ambassador to the UK setting the record straight: this is the
third time Mexico has held a Security Council seat. The first time was
in 1946, the second in 1980.
'Sea of Japan' or 'East Sea?'
A report from correspondent Eric Weiner in Tokyo referred to a North Korean missile that was shot over the Korean peninsula and fell into the "Sea of Japan."
That elicited a few e-mails asking NPR not to use the Japanese reference to that body of water. Yoon Seo Noh asks that NPR refer to the less Japan-centric "East Sea."
Using a proper name for the body of water between the Korean peninsula and the Japanese archipelago is not simply a question of changing the name of a geographical feature. It is rather a part of national effort by the Korean people to erase the legacy of their colonial past and to redress the unfairness that has resulted from it. So, I urge you to use East Sea to describe the body of water in question or both Korean and Japanese designation simultaneously (e.g. "East Sea/Sea of Japan") in all your documents and announcements.
As is my habit, I immediately contacted Kee Malesky, reference librarian extraordinaire at NPR.
Malesky pointed out three Web sites devoted to this issue. First, the Japanese Foreign Ministry, not surprisingly, likes the name and gives historical reasons why it should not change.
Second, a Web site devoted to geography issues, geography.about.com, points out that the
National Geographic Society is already using both designations after a lobbying effort by "VANK" -- Voluntary Agency Network of Korea -- a lobby group devoted to (mostly South) Korean issues.
Third, WorldAtlas.com now refers to the "Sea of Japan" as first reference with "East Sea" in brackets on all its maps.
Malesky also pointed out that the U.S. Department of State still refers to that body of water as the Sea of Japan -- thus recognizing political and diplomatic realities.
Should the State Department Set NPR's Journalistic Standards?
NPR has in the past followed the lead of the State Department in these matters. As countries go through political change and upheaval, they often change their names as a reflection that they are no longer the "old regime." Often they hope the news media will legitimize the changes by agreeing to the name change, thus granting a form of journalistic recognition.
Burma became Myanmar. The Congo (Kinshasa) became Zaire and now Congo again. Cambodia became the Khmer Republic, then Kampuchea, then back to Cambodia.
Often the U.S. government refused to recognize these regimes, especially during the Cold War, and NPR followed the lead of the State Department for reasons of consistency and clarity. But it may be neither good nor independent journalism if NPR simply repeats State Department language in every case.
As an ongoing story, Korea shows no signs of becoming a news backwater. Pressures on news organizations to endorse competing claims by adopting different nomenclature will not likely diminish. We have already seen that conflict in (where else?) the Middle East. The State Department refers to organizations like Hamas and Islamic Jihad as "terrorist" organizations. In the interests of consistency, shouldn't NPR use the same terms here?
Listeners may contact me at 202-513-3246 or at ombudsman@npr.org.
Jeffrey Dvorkin
NPR Ombudsman
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