I read, in an albeit biased source, that there's a deliberate decision amongst the media to abstain from using 'Muslim' to characterize the French rioters. http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=72904&d=9&m=11&y=2005 A well known phenomena is that of 'framing', where people feel a particular way about an issue depending on how they're told of it. A news piece about a new law when told from the perspective of increased taxes reults in a negative reaction (no to the law). When the same story is told but stressed is the people it will help, there's a positive reaction (yes to the law). The more credible the framer, the more likely one will conform to a particular frame. ie, Jerry Springer vs. Colin Powell, Powell carrying more credibility and thus more likely to convince audiences simply by framing.
