The Atlantic’s James Fallows objects to CNN’s use of “Al Qaeda” to refer to the insurgents there. I also heard NPR and the BBC describe an Al Qaeda in Iraq attack as the work of “Al Qaeda” today on the radio. It’s a seriously misleading phrase to use.

The problem is that the administration spin tactic of lumping all insurgents together as “Al Qaeda” lines up with the media’s desire for a convenient shorthand. Even the generally left-leaning staff at NPR and the BBC need a quick way to refer to insurgents that listeners will understand. Few journalists (a) understand that Al Qaeda in Iraq is a small portion of the insurgency and only loosely affiliated with the Al Qaeda that attacked us on 9/11 and (b) want to explain this each time AQI comes up. As a result, the White House shorthand tends to win.