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When is a little kid a 'detainee'? When he's an immigrant, and the AP says so When is a little kid a 'detainee'? When he's an immigrant, and the AP says so
(2 months later)
Amid all of the Iraq crisis coverage, another, quieter war was declared this week, by the media and Republican politicians. The target: children.Amid all of the Iraq crisis coverage, another, quieter war was declared this week, by the media and Republican politicians. The target: children.
Not just any children, but children who left their homes in Central America – alone – to be spirited across the Mexican border and into America. Children are coming in such numbers – an estimated 60,000 this year, up tenfold since 2011 – that the Obama administration has described it as an "urgent humanitarian situation". Not just any children, but children who left their homes in Central America – alone – to be spirited across the Mexican border and into America. Children are coming in such numbers – an estimated 60,000 this year, up tenfold since 2011 – that the Obama administration has described it as an "urgent humanitarian situation".
The children often arrive here after fleeing abuse or violent gangs and, if they're from Mexico, the US government often just sends them straight home. But those children who arrive from other places – like Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala – enter into an immigration system that is overseen by an alphabet soup of federal and state agencies, including HHS, ICE, Fema and CBP. The children often arrive here after fleeing abuse or violent gangs and, if they're from Mexico, the US government often just sends them straight home. But those children who arrive from other places – like Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala – enter into an immigration system that is overseen by an alphabet soup of federal and state agencies, including HHS, ICE, Fema and CBP.
To address the crisis, the government began simply warehousing these children in camps at US border patrol facilities and on military bases in Texas, Arizona and California. Only a few weeks into this purported "solution" to a problem all but created by an already-terrible immigration system, reports have emerged of overcrowded, squalid dangerous conditions for the children held in – and I use this term loosely – "facilities" not meant for anything close to this purpose.To address the crisis, the government began simply warehousing these children in camps at US border patrol facilities and on military bases in Texas, Arizona and California. Only a few weeks into this purported "solution" to a problem all but created by an already-terrible immigration system, reports have emerged of overcrowded, squalid dangerous conditions for the children held in – and I use this term loosely – "facilities" not meant for anything close to this purpose.
The Associated Press was part of a pool of news organizations that was allowed to tour two such facilities on Wednesday – one in Brownsville, Texas, and the other in Nogales, Arizona. We planned to run the story on The Guardian.The Associated Press was part of a pool of news organizations that was allowed to tour two such facilities on Wednesday – one in Brownsville, Texas, and the other in Nogales, Arizona. We planned to run the story on The Guardian.
But when the package and its accompanying photos arrived, I was apoplectic.But when the package and its accompanying photos arrived, I was apoplectic.
Not at the conditions – where were predictably depressing – but at a disturbing, slanted and nearly unethical choice to call the young people held in these facilities not children but something else: "detainees".Not at the conditions – where were predictably depressing – but at a disturbing, slanted and nearly unethical choice to call the young people held in these facilities not children but something else: "detainees".
The description was pervasive in the photo coverage.The description was pervasive in the photo coverage.
Even the AP, though, couldn't bring itself to call this little guy a detainee. The original caption just called him a "toddler" – because that's what he is.Even the AP, though, couldn't bring itself to call this little guy a detainee. The original caption just called him a "toddler" – because that's what he is.
Because the AP photographers, Eric Gay in Brownsville, Texas, and Ross D Franklin in Nogales, Arizona, were part of a small pool of journalists granted any access, their images and their captions were shared with other agencies. It's a common practice, and media subscribers who decide to use the photos are free to edit the captions as they see fit.Because the AP photographers, Eric Gay in Brownsville, Texas, and Ross D Franklin in Nogales, Arizona, were part of a small pool of journalists granted any access, their images and their captions were shared with other agencies. It's a common practice, and media subscribers who decide to use the photos are free to edit the captions as they see fit.
Those captions ran – sometimes edited for length, but never without "detainee" – on the websites of ABC News, the Los Angeles Times, the Kansas City Star, the Dallas Morning News, the Christian Science Monitor, the Washington Post and dozens of other news organizations. Reuters ran with the original language. The New York Times, whose reporter who toured one of the facilities, used the "detainees" construction in the paper's article – twice in the story and once in the caption. From the photographers to their editors at AP and Reuters , to the organizations that picked up the photos and ran them, countless journalists who should know better let that word slide. Those captions ran – sometimes edited for length, but never without "detainee" – on the websites of ABC News, the Los Angeles Times, the Kansas City Star, the Dallas Morning News, the Christian Science Monitor, the Washington Post and dozens of other news organizations. Reuters ran with the original language. The New York Times, whose reporter who toured one of the facilities, used the "detainees" construction in the paper's article – twice in the story and once in the caption. From the photographers to their editors at AP and Reuters , to the organizations that picked up the photos and ran them, countless journalists who should know better let that word slide.
Either they didn't notice, in which case they're bad (or, ok, overworked, busy, multi-tasking) journalists, or they didn't care, in which case they're really bad journalists.Either they didn't notice, in which case they're bad (or, ok, overworked, busy, multi-tasking) journalists, or they didn't care, in which case they're really bad journalists.
Because really, "detainee"? That's what we're calling children now?Because really, "detainee"? That's what we're calling children now?
The Oxford English Dictionary definition gives a flavor of what that's supposed to mean: "A person detained in custody, usually on political grounds and in an emergency, without or pending formal trial."The Oxford English Dictionary definition gives a flavor of what that's supposed to mean: "A person detained in custody, usually on political grounds and in an emergency, without or pending formal trial."
The word found its place in the vocabularies of journalists around the world in January 2002 – when the US opened the detention cap at Guantanamo Bay. It's up there with "military combatant", soldier-speak that works its way into regular language when we journalists parrot the official talking points and the phrases of politicians with an agenda. The word found its place in the vocabularies of journalists around the world in January 2002 – when the US opened the detention cap at Guantanamo Bay. It's up there with "military combatant", soldier-speak that works its way into regular language when we journalists parrot the official talking points and the phrases of politicians with an agenda.
Which is why, when the US border patrol opened its doors to give journalists a tour of the facilities where it is temporarily housing thousands of children in nowhere near appropriate condition with nowhere else to go, those children became "detainees".Which is why, when the US border patrol opened its doors to give journalists a tour of the facilities where it is temporarily housing thousands of children in nowhere near appropriate condition with nowhere else to go, those children became "detainees".
I am so angered by this because the language journalists use here matters. We're all in the early days of covering a swelling national crisis. The way we frame this for our readers at the outset will determine the course of coverage throughout the rest of the summer and into next year – especially as the government expects the number of unaccompanied children that will enter to double again to 120,000.I am so angered by this because the language journalists use here matters. We're all in the early days of covering a swelling national crisis. The way we frame this for our readers at the outset will determine the course of coverage throughout the rest of the summer and into next year – especially as the government expects the number of unaccompanied children that will enter to double again to 120,000.
We are about to have a national debate about what to do with these children, and AP has already begun framing them as "the enemy".We are about to have a national debate about what to do with these children, and AP has already begun framing them as "the enemy".
I wonder where they got that idea?I wonder where they got that idea?
Well, here's a good starting place: the US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, which next week is holding a hearing to chide Obama for what it calls "An administration made disaster: the South Texas border surge of unaccompanied alien minors". (Note to journalists: let's not use House Republican language to revive the dying term "alien", please.)Well, here's a good starting place: the US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, which next week is holding a hearing to chide Obama for what it calls "An administration made disaster: the South Texas border surge of unaccompanied alien minors". (Note to journalists: let's not use House Republican language to revive the dying term "alien", please.)
It's the job of good journalists to illustrate the truth, not repeat the talking points of politicians that are intended to suggest a solution to a problem. Calling these children "detainees" is a way of suggesting to all who read that they are little more than impermanent prisoners, strangers in a strange land who we'll soon send on their way. But we hardly know to whom to return them, and have few good ways to do that. The debate should be about whether it's appropriate for our government to warehouse them like little prisoners, not whether they were "wrong" to flee into our arms in the first place.It's the job of good journalists to illustrate the truth, not repeat the talking points of politicians that are intended to suggest a solution to a problem. Calling these children "detainees" is a way of suggesting to all who read that they are little more than impermanent prisoners, strangers in a strange land who we'll soon send on their way. But we hardly know to whom to return them, and have few good ways to do that. The debate should be about whether it's appropriate for our government to warehouse them like little prisoners, not whether they were "wrong" to flee into our arms in the first place.