Westminster attack: The media's 'terror' template

The attack in Westminster saw British media revert to a familiar template. Plus, Romania's media challenges politicians.

Westminster Attack: The media's "terror" template

From breaking news to a familiar story: A deadly attack at the gates of the UK parliament has the news media reaching for well-worn templates and the government calling for greater powers of surveillance.

Contributors:
Maya Goodfellow, columnist, media diversified
Rachel Shabi, journalist and author
Thomas Hughes, executive director, Article 19
Tahir Abbas, senior research fellow, Royal United Services Institute

When does a crime become an act of 'terrorism'?

The attack on the UK parliament has been called 'terrorism'. Who decides whether a crime is a 'terror' act?

British police have said 52-year-old Khalid Masood was the man who carried out Wednesday's attack outside the parliament in London.

Police say Masood was born in the UK as Adrian Russell Ajao, and he used many aliases.

ISIL, also known as ISIS, has claimed that Masood was one of its so-called soldiers. But British police have not confirmed that he was affiliated with any group.

They have also not confirmed a motive and are trying to establish what he was exposed to.