20 May 2010

Letter to the Guardian re "Death of rogue Thai general sparks fears of renewed violence"

Sir,

As an English teacher, I am fascinated by the repeated use of the adjective 'rogue' in your article "Death of rogue Thai general sparks fears of renewed violence". Please could you explain its use here? What definition did the author of this piece have in mind?

The Compact Oxford English Dictionary gives these 4 definitions:
1 a dishonest or unprincipled man. 2 a mischievous but likeable person. 3 an elephant or other large wild animal with destructive tendencies driven away or living apart from the herd. 4 a person or thing that is defective or unpredictable.

Surely, the use of the word 'rogue' in this article is subjective, and has no place in a fair and balanced piece of journalism?

Yours Sincerely

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