Talk:Omagh bombing/Archives/2006/5

Worst atrocity tag

This was just reintroduced: "The bomb is notable for having claimed the most lives in a single incident since the beginning of the Troubles"

I had put in that the Dublin & Monaghan bombings (2 carbombs) claimed the most- higher death toll. Not worth an edit war over, just putting it on record that "single incident" is less exact compared to "single bombing". Fluffy999 11:21, 20 May 2006 (UTC)

The sentence you are talking about was not re-introduced. I added a different sentence that has significantly different meaning than the previous one which you had changed. This is not an article about the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, so I removed that and put in its stead the fact that the Omagh bomb was the worst single atrocity to have occured during the Troubles. --Mal 12:19, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

Yes, its not about the Dublin & Monaghan bombings and nicely done- you refered to "incident" instead which is entirely accurate as it indicates a single event.

However where I have a problem is that the majority of media (British & American anyway) commonly refers to Omagh as the "worst atrocity" of the troubles etc. Since that term "atrocity" isnt used in the article readers might get the impression thats whats meant by "incident".

For example, from the BBC hisory of the RIRA

"The Real IRA is responsible for the single worst atrocity of the Troubles; the Omagh bomb planted during the town's civic week in August 1998 killed 29 men, women and children"[1]

Also commonly appears in BBC online, TV, radio, British Parliament, more examples.

The point im making is that although it's a media POV/agenda to say it's the worst, if that POV isn't addressed in the article then, by omission, the article is helping perpetuate the dominant, misleading, POV that exists in the media. Will add it as a footnote. Fluffy999 14:44, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure where the problem is to be honest. As you say, this article doesn't refer to an atrocity. However, the Omagh bombing was an atrocity - particularly going by the wikipedia definition you linked to above. Likewise, the Dublin and Monaghan bombings were attrocities. Perhaps you're talking about the previous edit, and you're presumably happy enough with the current edit. I don't think the article needs to point out what you consider POV in the media. That might be better served in an article about the media rather than an article about the Omagh bomb, for a start. --Mal 00:53, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

Yes I think your edit is fine. Yes it is an atrocity and is often referred to as such- see media links. Yes the Dublin & Monaghan bombings was an atrocity according to atrocity article. Yes Dublin & Monaghan bombings is the worst atrocity in the troubles- not the Omagh bombing.

A myth spread via the media- see links, is that Omagh is the "worst atrocity" of "the troubles". Since that myth isnt addressed in the article right now (one way or the other) I will include a footnote to straighten it out. Thats all my original edit did- addressed and squashed a widely disseminated myth about the Omagh bombing. Thats the point I made above, by failing to address the myth wikipedia perpetuates and reinforces it as a "fact". Fluffy999 01:41, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

Someone has reverted it to my version. I will revert to your version and add it as a footnote. Thanks. Fluffy999 13:28, 28 May 2006 (UTC)