LOADED WORDS

militant” — what this word changes.

"Militant" frames a combatant as a threat. "Fighter" or "freedom fighter" frames the same person more neutrally or even positively.

militant” makes the story feel like

violent, threatening, dangerous.

The contrast: “fighter

The other side's framing of the same event: neutral, combatant, no moral charge.

See the “fighter” page →

Live headlines using “militant

No live headlines using “militant” right now. Optics scans 380+ feeds every 5 minutes — check back as new stories appear.

How Optics uses these words

Optics doesn't decide which framing is “right.” It surfaces them so a reader can see, in one glance, that the same event is being labeled completely differently depending on which outlet picked the verb. See the full loaded-word catalog or read the methodology.