Freedom fighter
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"Freedom fighter" is a relativistic term for those engaged in rebellion against an established government or regime that they consider to be oppressive. The terms "freedom" and "rebellion" are often confusing, as often both sides in armed conflict claim to represent the popular cause of "freedom". While external intervening parties, even oppressors, almost always claim to be "liberators", freedom fighters can become oppressors in the eyes of civilians. Though the literal meaning of the words could include anyone who fights for the cause of freedom, common use is restricted to those who are actively involved in an armed rebellion, rather than those who campaign for freedom by peaceful non-disruptive means (though they may use the title in its literal sense).
Usage of the terms "terrorists" and "freedom fighters" is almost always controversial and reflective of opposing points of view. There is no universally agreed-upon definition for either term and many organizations that have been accused of committing acts of terrorism are regarded as being freedom fighters by others.
US President Ronald Reagan described the anti-Soviet insurgency in Afganistan as freedom fighters. Years later, some of these same fighters are now seen as Taliban enemies, often labelled as terrorists.
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[edit] Terminology
People who describe themselves (or are described by their supporters) as "freedom fighters" tend to be called assassins, rebels, or terrorists by others. This leads to the aphorism "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter". During the Cold War, the term freedom fighter was used by the United States and other Western Bloc countries to describe rebels in countries controlled by communist states or otherwise under the influence of the Soviet Union, including rebels in Hungary, the anti-communist Contras in Nicaragua, UNITA in Angola and the multi-factional mujahideen in Afghanistan, as well as rebels in Jammu and Kashmir.
The term freedom fighter, while indicating favor of some political group, often does not reflect any actual political position of those fighting — central to this is a dispute over the meaning of freedom itself and whether a group in question can be said to actually fight for the purpose of establishing freedom. Of all political labels apart from the term "terrorist" (applied to an enemy), freedom fighter is perhaps the most blunt term for "friend".
[edit] Media reporting
Many major media agencies, notably the BBC[1] and Reuters, except in attributed quotes, avoid the phrase "terrorist" or "freedom fighter", in favor of neutral terms such as "militant", "guerrilla", "assassin", "insurgent", "paramilitary" or "militia" to avoid the editorializing implicit in the use of such words. However, this was not the case during the Troubles when the mainstream British media, including the BBC, used the term "terrorist".
