A news article at the top of the front page of today's New York Times reports on the possibility that America will take military action in Pakistan against Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters. The subheadline on the article is "Spring Offensive Feared."
The word "fear" or "feared" appears nowhere in the text of the article, so readers are left wondering exactly who is fearing this offensive.
Is it the evil-doers who are hiding in Pakistan? If that is indeed the reference, it is hard to see how the Times could determine their level of fear or lack of fear without using mind-reading ability.
Is it the American soldiers who may launch the attack who are in fear? The Americans interviewed in the article certainly don't say so. Maybe the "offensive" the Americans fear is not their own but one from the Taliban and Al Qaeda forces hiding in Pakistan. There's no way to tell from the headline whose offensive is being feared, though it would seem to be the potential American one.
If the fear reference is to the American people, the polls indicating overwhelming support for military action against the September 11 culprits suggest a more accurate headline would be "Spring Offensive Hoped For."
The "fear" in question might be that of the Times headline writers, who seem to fear the use of the American military no matter what the circumstance.
Unknown Incident: An article in the international section of today's New York Times runs under the headline "On the Eve of His Trip to Latin America, Bush Ties U.S. Aid To Reforms." The article mysteriously concludes: "Last night, the White House issued a brief statement offering condolences to the victims and their families as the anniversary of incident drew near." It's unclear what incident or anniversary the Times is referring to -- it almost seems as if this is a stray paragraph from some other article.
Illegal Immigrants: An article in the international section of today's New York Times runs under the headline, "Beijing Increases Detentions of Illegal North Korean Immigrants." The story turns out to be that there is a debate over whether the Koreans are illegal immigrants or legitimate refugees. The Communist position, as the Times reports that the Communist Chinese ambassador to South Korea put it, is that "No refugee problem exists between China and North Korea. China views such people as illegal immigrants." Well, it looks like the New York Times headline writers view such people as illegal immigrants, too.