worthy victim, n.Definitions

The Worthy victim (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the one whose suffering serves the state: a hostile government's harassed opposition paper gets hundreds of stories, an ally's murdered editors get none.

A Worthy victim (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠one killed by an enemy state: covered intensely and with indignation, with a hunt for responsibility at the top — while victims of one's own side or its clients are implicitly unworthy.

A Worthy victim (n.) can ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠outweigh a hundred unworthy ones: a single priest murdered by Polish Communists drew more coverage than a hundred religious victims killed in U.S. client states, eight of them Americans.