Talk:January 6 United States Capitol attack/Ongoing analysis of naming trends

Per WP:SP this is a talkpage adjunct – serving to develop and provide supporting materials for the current and any future article naming and word usage discussions.

There appears to be interest in improving and maintaining these charts. Editors sometimes default to rudimentary google searches to back up their arguments, and talking about how these results mean nothing can create some drag in the discussion. Referencing this is a better alternative. Since the original analysis of naming trends (and discussion thereof) was folded into an earlier RM and archived, these references would have become possibly outdated.

Research of naming choices

Exhibit A

Prevalence of headlines by name (July 26 – August 3 2021; previous:[1][2])

Descriptor	Results Google News (since Jan. 20)	Results Selected RS (since Jan. 6)	Search method (two part search to differentiate verb from noun, not needed for "insurrection" and "incident" which are only nouns)
insurrection (RM)	59 . . . [3] or 137 . . . [4]	10 . . . [5] or 44 . . . [6]	insurrection capitol -"insurr. act" -incite/d/ing/ment or same as above, sans capitol, (this includes titles using just "the insurrection" to name to the event, and some others such as "Insurrection Day")
riot (RM)	163 . . . [7]	92 . . . [8]	"capitol riot" / "riot at" capitol
attack	79 . . . [9]	83 . . . [10]	"capitol attack" / "attack on" capitol
siege	9 . . . [11]	1 . . . [12]	"capitol siege" / "siege of" capitol
breach	15 . . . [13]	6 . . . [14]	"capitol breach" / "breach of" capitol
storming (RM)	3 . . . [15]	0 . . . [16]	"capitol storming" / "storming of" capitol
assault	11 . . . [17]	1 . . . [18]	"capitol assault" / "assault on" capitol
rampage	0 . . . [19]	0 . . . [20]	rampage capitol
invasion	5 . . . [21]	0 . . . [22]	invasion capitol
raid	0 . . . [23]	0 . . . [24]	raid capitol
protest	0 . . . [25]	0 . . . [26]	"capitol protest" / "protest at" / "protests at" capitol -state (most results refer to state Capitol protests or "protest" is used with a qualifier or it's from Jan. 6 before Capitol was breached)
occupation	0 . . . [27]	0 . . . [28]	occupation capitol
incident	1 . . . [29]	0 . . . [30]	incident capitol
takeover	2 . . . [31]	0 . . . [32]	takeover capitol
coup attempt	0 . . . [33]	0 . . . [34]	coup capitol (real results mixed w. opinion and articles on how it was not a coup; reputable news orgs don't use "coup")
Selected RS: Associated Press, BBC , The Guardian, NYT, Reuters, Washington Post, CNN, NPR, PBS, NBC, ABC News, USA Today, L.A. Times, CS Monitor, WSJ, Financial Times, Agence France-Presse, Al Jazeera, CNBC, Bloomberg News, Chicago Tribune, US News, Politico, UPI

Exhibit B

Preferred word(s) by media outlet Z22 (talk) 17:24, 30 January 2021 (UTC)

Media outlet	Preferred word(s)	Last date of evidence	Evidence and references
Associated Press	riot, insurrection; siege*	2 August 2021	According to John Daniszewski, AP vice president and editor at large for standards.[35] *"Capitol Siege" category.[36]
NPR	insurrection	2 August 2021	Use "Capitol Insurrection" as a news section name[37] (changed from "Insurrection at the Capitol" on or around 27 Jan)[38][39]
CBS News	assault	2 August 2021	"U.S. Capitol Assault" as section name highlighted on cbsnews.com main page (until Jan. 20)[40]
Politico	insurrection	2 August 2021	"Insurrection Fallout" as a category, within the "Congress" section[41]
PBS	attack, insurrection	2 August 2021	"U.S. Capitol Attack" and "Insurrection" as categories of PBS NewsHour[42][43][44] content
NBC News	riot; insurrection*	2 August 2021	"Capitol Riot" as a category on main page of nbcnews.com (until Jan. 13)[45] *The event is consistently referred to as "Capitol Insurection" on-air, incl. in MTP (flagship program)[46]00:00:50
The Guardian	attack	2 August 2021	"US Capitol attack" as a category (topic) of US news[47]
BBC	riot	2 August 2021	"US Capitol riots" as a category (topic) in the US & Canada section[48]
Business Insider	siege, insurrection	2 August 2021	"Capitol Siege" as a category in the politics section[49] "US Capitol insurrection" as a module in the politics section (older)[50]
New York Times	riot	2 August 2021	"U.S. Capitol Riot" as a category (topic) in the U.S. section[51]
Washington Post	insurrection	2 August 2021	Opinion by the Editorial Board[52] The Jan. 6 Capitol attack was, in fact, a violent insurrection, a July 10 editorial, contained in The Post's View section, which is subtitled "Opinions of the Washington Post Editorial Board" and outlined as: "Editorials represent the views of The Washington Post as an institution, as determined through debate among members of the editorial board."

Exhibit C

List of event names of public discussion about the Jan 6 event.

List of event names of public discussion about the Jan 6 event. Z22 (talk) 05:35, 2 February 2021 (UTC) Organizer Word used Event date Event title and references Chicago Council on Global Affairs insurrection 8 January 2021 World Review: Global Reaction to US Capitol Insurrection[53] Josef Korbel School of International Studies insurrection 8 January 2021 Insurrection at the Capitol[54][55] Notre Dame College of Arts and Letters assault 8 January 2021 Assault on the Capitol: What Just Happened?[56] Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University chaos 11 January 2021 On Freedom: Capitol Chaos and Its Impact on Democracy[57] Johns Hopkins University SNF Agora Institute insurrection 13 January 2021 Public discussion of capital insurrection[58] UC Davis School of Law insurrection 13 January 2021 Insurrection and the Rule of Law.[59] Hammer Museum insurrection 14 January 2021 Insurrection at the Capitol: What’s next[60] Carr Center for Human Rights Policy insurrection 14 January 2021 (postponed) Democracy at Risk: Reckoning with the Capitol Insurrection[61] George Washington University Law School insurrection 14 January 2021 The Insurrection at the Capitol: A Discussion by Legal Scholars[62] First Amendment Coalition riot 14 January 2021 Erwin Chemerinsky On The First Amendment And The Capitol Riot[63] Northern Illinois University insurrection 14 January 2021 Ask an Expert: The January 6 Insurrection, Constitutional Processes, and the Peaceful Transition of Power[64] Central Michigan University chaos 14 January 2021 Unpacking the Chaos at the Capitol[65] North Carolina State University insurrection 14 January 2021 Responding to Insurrection: How Do We Talk With Students?[66] Interfaith Alliance insurrection 14 January 2021 Insurrection and Religious Extremism: How Did We Get Here and Where Do We Go?[67] University of Massachusetts Amherst siege 14 January 2021 Capitol Siege: Making Sense of What Happened[68] University of Connecticut siege 14 January 2021 Capitol Under Siege: Community Reflections on the Lawless and Violent Attack on Democracy[] Elon University insurrection 15 January 2021 Reacting to the Insurrection at the Capitol[69] University of Pittsburgh siege 18 January 2021 What Just Happened? Race, Justice and Politics after the Capitol Siege[70] Alma College insurrection 18 January 2021 Lunch & Learn: Community Conversation on the Capitol Insurrection[71] The National Press Club insurrection 19 January 2021 Getting it right: Breaking news, the Inauguration, and the Capitol insurrection[72] International Institute for Strategic Studies storming 19 January 2021 Crisis in America: the storming of the Capitol and Biden’s challenge[73] University of Washington attack 19 January 2021 Attack on the Capitol--What Does It Mean for Democracy?[74] Brookings Institution insurrection 19 January 2021 Truth and accountability post-insurrection: Where does the country go from here?[75] Oregon State University’s School of History, Philosophy and Religion  sedition 21 January 2021 Divided States of America: Sedition, the Inauguration, and the Unfolding Crisis in American Democracy[76] Schenectady, Albany and Troy chapters of the NAACP insurrection 21 January 2021 Aftermath of the Insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.[77] George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs riot 21 January 2021 The Capitol Riots, QAnon, and the Internet[] University of Missouri–St. Louis riot 21 January 2021 What Just Happened? Putting the Presidential Election and the Riot in the Capitol in Context[78] William & Mary Law School insurrection 22 January 2021 Insurrection at the Capitol[79] Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies storming 22 January 2021 The Storming of the Capitol and the Future of Free Speech Online[80][81] Fordham University School of Law attack 25 January 2021 The Attack on the Capitol: an on the Ground Report and What's Next[82] Washington University in St. Louis insurrection 25 January 2021 U.S. Presidential Transition & Insurrection at the Capitol[83] Munk School of Global Affairs insurrection 25 January 2021 Insurrection and Accountability in the United States: What Just Happened? And What Happens Next?[84] DeSales University insurrection 27 January 2021 Insurrection at the Capitol: A Special DeSales University Panel Discussion[85] United States Capitol Historical Society insurrection 27 January 2021 How Do We Move Forward? Contextualizing the January 6th Capitol Insurrection[86] Harvard Institute of Politics insurrection 28 January 2021 What Just Happened? Insurrection, Impeachment, and Inauguration [87] Johns Hopkins University insurrection 28 January 2021 U.S. Democracy Post-Insurrection: What’s Next? (Part I)[88] Carleton College chaos, insurrection 28 January 2021 Carleton Talks: Capitol Chaos: Reflections on the Insurrection[89] American Academy of Religion insurrection 29 January 2021 Insurrection, White Supremacy, and Religion[90] Department of Communication and Theatre Arts, Old Dominion University insurrection 1 February 2021 Insurrection: The Critical Reflection Forums[91] Ponars Eurasia, George Washington University storming 4 February 2021 The Storming of the US Capitol: Views from Eurasia[92] The Utica College Center for Historical Research insurrection 11 February 2021 The Impact of the Capitol Insurrection on the Modern Presidency & U.S. Elections [93] Texas A&M University School of Law insurrection 11 February 2021 [94] Arizona State University insurrection 11 February 2021 Roundtable: The Rise in Anti-Democratic Violence in the U.S.: Perspectives on the Capitol Insurrection[95]

• insurrection: 28 events
• storming: 3 events
• riot: 3 events
• chaos: 3 events
• siege: 3 events
• attack: 2 events
• assault: 1 event
• sedition 1 event

Exhibit D

• Note: goal of this part of research is not so much to include all references to the event, but to find references in diverse social spheres, that may be seen as relevant (please comment in the discussion below) — Alalch Emis (talk) 02:15, 3 February 2021 (UTC)

Terms used by scholars, jurists and career/military appointees (not politicians and commentators)

Type	Term used	Evidence and references
scholar, fmr. ambassador	insurrection	an armed insurrection against the Capitol inspired by the president of the United States[96]
jurist (judge)	insurrection	an active participant in a violent insurrection that attempted to overthrow the United States government[97]
generals (JCS)	insurrection, sedition	... do not give anyone the right to resort to violence, sedition and insurrection.[98]
scholars (APSA)	insurrection	Statement on the Insurrection at the US Capitol[99]

subpage created & all of the above included: — Alalch Emis (talk) 08:47, 9 February 2021 (UTC)

Discussion

@Z22: Just notifying you that I've created this subpage, where your charts are included. Cheers — Alalch Emis (talk) 10:24, 9 February 2021 (UTC)

@Guy Macon and Neutrality: Some of the material on this subpage may be helpful in the "First sentence" discussion. I think that exhibit C is particularly good. Exhibit A is problematic because of the obscure meaning of numbers put out on the search results page (it probably works the best when comparing very short intervals such as 3 days), but it's helpful for finding a bunch of RS-grade references. — Alalch Emis (talk) 19:16, 11 March 2021 (UTC)

• Could we please add "sedition" to the lists that don't have it? It isn't used in a lot of sources, but experts on the subject often point out that "sedition" is the correct word.It would be good to see how many newspapers picked up on that. I am guessing "not many".
• There is a huge flaw in the methodology of counting Google results. Google give you a different number of results depending on whether you are using a Mac, PC, or android device. They give you a different number of results depending on where you live. And on your previous searches. And -- if you use gmail -- the contents of your emails. One way we could compensate for this would be to have multiple editors run the same tests and average the results.

--Guy Macon (talk) 23:21, 11 March 2021 (UTC)

I agree that it would be a good idea to have multiple editors run the numbers. — Alalch Emis (talk) 23:15, 16 May 2021 (UTC)

@Aquillion: @Berchanhimez: By using the search method from the third column of Exhibit A for the past week (May 9 - 16), these are the actual articles I get for riot and insurrection respectively:

May 9 - 16 (Results Selected RS)

Riot, 59 results Capitol riot: Injured officer slams 'disgraceful' attempts to ...https://www.cnn.com How Republicans Aim to Rewrite the History of the Capitol Riothttps://www.nytimes.com Raju questions GOP lawmakers over their comments on ...https://www.cnn.com Marine Officer Christopher Warnagiris Charged In Capitol Riot ...https://www.npr.org Capitol riot: Proud Boys leader Ethan Nordean lashes out at ...https://www.usatoday.com US Marine charged with assaulting police officers at Capitol riothttps://www.cnn.com Bipartisan Deal Struck on Probe of Pro-Trump Capitol Riot on ...https://www.wsj.com Republican congressman calls out 'bogus' claims by GOP ...https://edition.cnn.com US Marine officer first active-duty military charged in ... - Reutershttps://www.reuters.com Capitol riot: U.S. Marine Major Warnagiris arrested for role in ...https://www.cnbc.com He led the Proud Boys in the Capitol riot, shaming his town ...https://www.latimes.com Capitol riot: Federal judge orders DOJ to set up media access ...https://www.cnn.com Marine officer's Capitol riot arrest: Maj. Christopher Warnagiris ...https://www.washingtonpost.com Capitol riot: House panel proposes bipartisan Jan. 6 commissionhttps://www.usatoday.com Democrats Press Forward to Create a Commission on the ...https://www.nytimes.com House Makes Deal On Commission To Investigate Capitol Riothttps://www.npr.org Affidavit: Man arrested in Colorado for role in Capitol riothttps://apnews.com The Latest: Hearing on Capitol riot wraps; little new infohttps://apnews.com Judge refuses to free Capitol riot suspect linked to militiahttps://apnews.com Affidavit: Man Arrested in Colorado for Role in Capitol Riot ...https://www.usnews.com Capitol riot: Former Trump officials dodge questions about not ...https://www.cnn.com Jan. 6 Capitol riot: Latest News, Top Stories & Analysis ...https://www.politico.com Judge: Pretrial Release OK for Man Accused in Capitol Riot ...https://www.usnews.com House hearing on Capitol riot: Live updates - CNNhttps://www.cnn.com U.S. Marine Officer First Active-Duty Military Charged in U.S. ...https://www.usnews.com Former chiefs of Pentagon, DOJ defend response to Jan. 6 ...https://www.usatoday.com Judge Refuses to Free Capitol Riot Suspect Linked to Militia ...https://www.usnews.com Capitol riot: Marine Corps officer charged for role in Jan. 6 ...https://www.usatoday.com Deflect, minimize, deny: Unraveling the GOP Capitol riot spin ...https://www.washingtonpost.com Dems blast Trump officials over Capitol riot | Reuters Videohttps://www.reuters.com Ex-Pentagon chief defends response to Capitol riot ... - Reutershttps://www.reuters.com Trump Administration Officials Defend Security Response to ...https://www.wsj.com Capitol riot: Deal on commission to investigate could come ...https://www.cnbc.com Most Capitol riot offenders won't face hefty prison terms, legal ...https://www.washingtonpost.com House Makes Deal On Commission To Investigate Capitol Riothttps://www.npr.org Congresswoman says Trump administration botched Capitol ...https://www.reuters.com Capitol riot conspiracy charge faces 31 suspects, including ...https://www.usatoday.com Pentagon Chief Feared 'Coup' Accusations if He Deployed ...https://www.nytimes.com US Marine officer first active-duty military charged in ... - Reutershttps://www.reuters.com Miller, Rosen To Defend Federal Response To Capitol Riot In ...https://www.npr.org Chris Miller backs off blaming Trump for Capitol riot - The ...https://www.washingtonpost.com The Latest: Hearing on Capitol Riot Wraps; Little New Info ...https://www.usnews.com Judge refuses to free Capitol riot suspect linked to militia - The ...https://www.washingtonpost.com Former Defense Secretary Christopher Miller defends Capitol ...https://www.chicagotribune.com US Marine officer first active-duty military charged in ... - Reutershttps://www.reuters.com The Latest: Hearing on Capitol riot wraps; little new info - The ...https://www.washingtonpost.com Opinion: Capitol riot defendant's 'Foxitis' defense may do ...https://www.cnn.com Capitol riot: Could a commission bring clarity on a divisive ...https://www.csmonitor.com US Capitol riot: Former acting defense secretary Christopher ...https://www.cnn.com US Marine officer first active-duty military charged ... - ロイターhttps://jp.reuters.com Trump officials speak on Capitol riot response, extremism ...https://www.latimes.com Memory expert on the right's effort to downplay Capitol riot ...https://www.cnn.com Ex-Pentagon chief defends response to Capitol riot ... - Reutershttps://www.reuters.com Ex-Pentagon Chief Defends Response to Capitol Riot, Feared ...https://www.usnews.com Trump officials defend their Capitol riot actions - USA Todayhttps://www.usatoday.com (7) House hearing on Capitol riot: Live updates - CNNhttps://www.cnn.com Key Trump officials testify in House committee hearing on the ...https://www.washingtonpost.com Kayleigh McEnany Runs From Podium After Denying ...https://e.newsletters.cnn.com Dems blast Trump officials over Capitol riot | ロイタービデオhttps://jp.reuters.com Insurrection, 20 results Efforts to play down Jan. 6 insurrection 'indefensible,' Cheney ...https://www.politico.com What insurrection? Growing number in GOP downplay Jan. 6https://apnews.com GOP lawmaker Fred Upton rips colleagues' 'bogus ... - CNNhttps://www.cnn.com Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection: House reaches deal on commissionhttps://www.cnbc.com Lawmakers Reach Bipartisan Deal For Commission ... - NPRhttps://www.npr.org US lawmakers reach agreement on probe for Jan 6 insurrectionhttps://www.aljazeera.com Cicilline seeks to censure Republicans who dismiss Jan. 6 ...https://www.politico.com Insurrection Fallout: Latest News, Top Stories & Analysis ...https://www.politico.com Capitol riot: Injured officer slams 'disgraceful' attempts to ...https://www.cnn.com Capitol officer to lawmakers downplaying insurrection: I don't ...https://www.cnn.com What Insurrection? Growing Number in GOP Downplay Jan. 6 ...https://www.usnews.com GOP lawmaker Fred Upton rips colleagues' 'bogus ...https://edition.cnn.com First known active-duty military member is charged in Jan. 6 ...https://www.politico.com In Insurrection Hearing, Partisan Divide On The 'Big Lie' Takes ...https://www.npr.org Insurrection: Was Jan. 6 a greater danger to democracy than 9 ...https://www.usatoday.com The Daily 202: Republicans deny insurrection, McCarthy ...https://www.washingtonpost.com (1) House Democrats and Republicans strike deal to ...https://www.theguardian.com George Conway says GOP lawmakers 'trying to memory hole ...https://www.cnn.com Growing number in GOP downplay Jan. 6 insurrectionhttps://www.usatoday.com 'You're ridiculous': Tempers flare at House hearing on Capitol ...https://www.politico.com

I believe that this is a pretty representative sampling of terminology used by trusted news orgs, through which we can see what's prevailing in the titles, and also get a rough feel for the general traits of writing associated with each of these terms. For example, when outlets report the most run of the mill events such as who's been charged, they stick to, or fall back to, "riot" ("insurrection" probably sounds too lofty for these mundane stories). — Alalch Emis (talk) 23:15, 16 May 2021 (UTC)

@Moncrief: In reply to your comment (diff) – what you suggest was indeed being done in mid-late january, and forms Exhibit B. An update is in order. — Alalch Emis (talk) 16:30, 18 May 2021 (UTC)

Just did a quick Google search. "January 6th attack" got 95,000,000 hits, "January 6th Insurrection" got 33,700,000 hits, and "January 6th storming" got 9,230,000 hits. Shearonink (talk) 14:32, 2 August 2021 (UTC)

If this approach was adequate, why would people be making and updating what's on this page (including commenting, critiquing...)? — Alalch Emis (talk) 15:49, 3 August 2021 (UTC)

@The Four Deuces: In reply to your request for references of "insurrection" (if you have reliable sources, rather than a tweet from Rachel Maddow), I'm pinging you on this collaborative page (that gets linked to quite often; also during the very discussion this is connected to, but I guess you didn't see it). — Alalch Emis (talk) 00:14, 8 August 2021 (UTC)