AP, Fox Use 'Passive Language' to Mask Illegal U.S. Assassinations

On March 2, 2026, a joint US-Israeli military strike in Tehran killed Iran’s Supreme Leader and 40 high-ranking military and political figures. The hardware used—precision munitions manufactured by Lockheed Martin—was funded through the $3.8 billion annual Foreign Military Financing program. Despite the magnitude of the event, the primary news wires and cable networks immediately adopted a linguistic framework that minimized the agency of the attackers and the legal gravity of the act. The Associated Press (AP) published article 8de8054f3abd4688f894c657467ee3dd with the headline: 'Supreme Leader killed in US-Israeli attack.' By using the passive voice, the AP positioned the deceased as the subject of the sentence, softening the impact of the state-sponsored killing.

[Passive Voice Framing] is a linguistic technique that emphasizes the person or thing acted upon, often used in journalism to downplay the responsibility of the actor performing the action. At Fox News, video segment 6390216496112 discarded terms like 'killing' or 'assassination' entirely, opting instead for 'operation.' This terminology mirrors the Department of Defense (DoD) press briefings. By categorizing the event as an 'operation,' media outlets validated the government's efforts to categorize the strike as 'preemptive counter-terrorism.' This is not a mere semantic choice; it is a legal maneuver.

[Executive Order 12333] is a presidential directive signed in 1981 that explicitly prohibits any person employed by or acting on behalf of the United States government from engaging in, or conspiring to engage in, assassination. By rebranding the targeted killing of a sovereign state's leadership as a 'military operation' or 'tactical strike,' the Executive Branch avoids the legal triggers of EO 12333. Mainstream coverage consistently omitted this context, failing to mention that the strike bypassed Congressional War Powers consultation by utilizing these specific classifications.

Following the money reveals who profits from this linguistic sanitization. In the 48 hours following the Tehran strike, shares of Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Raytheon (RTX) rose by 7% and 4% respectively. According to OpenSecrets data, Lockheed Martin recorded $4.2 million in federal lobbying expenditures in the first quarter of 2026. These funds were directed toward the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to ensure 'continuity of supply' for the exact precision-guided munitions used in the March 2nd strike. Our Gen Us Politician Tracker shows that 14 members of the House Armed Services Committee received a combined $640,000 from defense contractor PACs in the months leading up to the escalation.

The missing context in mainstream reporting is the 'revolving door' between the Pentagon and the newsroom. Military analysts featured on major networks often hold undisclosed seats on the boards of companies that benefit from regional instability. For example, during the March 2nd coverage, three separate networks hosted former generals who currently serve as consultants for firms linked to the $3.8 billion Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program. This creates a feedback loop where the individuals explaining the 'necessity' of the strike are the same individuals whose portfolios grow when munitions are expended.

[Foreign Military Financing] is a US government program that provides grants and loans to foreign nations to purchase US-manufactured defense equipment and services. For ordinary Americans, the cost of this 'operation' is measured in more than just the $3.8 billion in annual aid. Within 72 hours of the Tehran strike, global crude oil prices surged by 12%, resulting in an average increase of $0.60 per gallon at US pumps. Furthermore, the use of taxpayer-funded infrastructure to conduct extrajudicial killings increases the domestic risk of retaliatory cyber-attacks. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a warning on March 4, 2026, noting a 300% increase in probing of US energy grid nodes from regional actors.

The normalization of 'preemptive operations' creates a global precedent where the rule of law is replaced by the rule of the missile. When the media adopts the language of the state, it ceases to be a watchdog and becomes a stenographer. The refusal to call the March 2nd event an assassination protects those in power from the consequences of international law, but it leaves the public to foot the bill—both at the pump and in the degradation of global security.

At Gen Us, we don't follow the script; we follow the money. You can use our Politician Tracker to see if your representative took money from LMT or RTX before voting on the 2026 emergency 'stability' package. You can also explore our AIPAC spending database to see how lobbying influences regional military posture. Accountability begins with calling things what they are.