Zarqawi: Insurgent? Yes. Terrorist? Maybe, says WaPo.

Ellen Knickmeyer, the WaPo's woman in Iraq, got a tad defensive today in an online chat with readers when pressed on the issue of labeling Zarqawi a terrorist (or not):

Wheaton, Md.: Why does The Washington Post keep referring to Zarqawi as an "insurgent leader?" Are you afraid to use the word "terrorist?" If Zarqawi wasn't a terrorist, who is?

Ellen Knickmeyer: We try to avoid terms that imply judgment, and 'terrorist'' is one of them. Our job is to present the facts, and when the facts about Zarqawi are that he targeted civilians specifically and liked to behead hostages personally, the facts do speak for themselves.

Dunn Loring, Va.: How much judgment is involved in declaring that someone who cuts off the head of a conscious human being is a "terrorist"? 

Ellen Knickmeyer: Why is it necessary for a reporter to make that judgment? Do you as a reader need to be told what judgment to reach?