The expression “lone wolf” in journalistic language: analysis and translation (EN-ES)

Abstract

In October 2021, former British Member of Parliament David Amess was stabbed to death during a
meeting in Essex County. The crime was attributed to a single actor, fanaticized through social
networks that spread jihadist radicalization. The new terrorism is directly linked to the
westernization of extremists and terrorists, which means that Islamic radicalization and terrorism
have moved to the Muslim world, both geographically and sociologically. These actions are
perpetrated by individuals known as "lone wolves", a figure that, among others, is closely linked to
the type of terrorism known as single-issued terrorism. The widespread use of the "lone wolf"
concept in very varied fields, from legal to academic, added to media saturation, makes the
delimitation of actions linked to the concept somewhat confusing. However, the urgency of current
affairs plays a fundamental role in journalistic language, therefore, this study analyses the treatment
and use of those terms that allude to the figure of the «lone wolf» in the main English and Spanish
newspapers. with the aim of evidencing the correct use and true meaning of the expressions in
question. In this sense, the variants of the concept “lone wolf” within the journalistic field are
analysed and the different uses are compared in the context of violence, in general, and terrorism, in
particular, as well as its brief political application from their initial meanings.