Bill Maher slams media for treating terrorist attacks as a balanced debate
On his HBO show, Bill Maher accused news outlets of avoiding the term “terrorism” and implying equal moral standing on both sides of Islamist attacks.
Bill Maher used the final segment of HBO’s “Real Time” to criticize how contemporary news coverage handles Islamist terrorism. He noted that, unlike the immediate post-9/11 era when the media plainly identified the attackers as terrorists, many outlets now shy away from the term, treating it as a politically sensitive label. Maher highlighted a recent advisory from four American journalism associations, issued on the 20th anniversary of the attacks, which advises quoting the word “terrorism” only when necessary.
He ridiculed this stance by likening it to quoting the “World Cup,” arguing that such caution dilutes accountability. Maher concluded that this rhetoric creates a false equivalence, suggesting there are “very fine people on both sides” of a terrorist act.
Why it matters
The commentary highlights a growing tension between journalistic caution and clear labeling of extremist violence.
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