VoluntaryAmerican
04-16-2013, 04:57 PM
In "Close to the News," a staff newsletter about the AP news report, worldwide and in all media, Deputy Managing Editor for Standards and Production Tom Kent reviews use of the term "illegal immigrant" and offers further guidance on writing about immigration issues.
In recent weeks, we’ve seen some requests for the AP and other news organizations to ban the term “illegal immigrant,” based on the contention that the term is inaccurate and dehumanizing. The issue has come up in the past, too, almost always in the U.S. context; we rarely see a complaint when the term is used to refer to people who illegally enter other countries.
The latest discussion has given AP an opportunity to clear up some misunderstandings about its policies -- particularly the incorrect assertion that we insist on the use of “illegal immigrant.”
The discussion has also reinforced for us the importance of reporting clearly and precisely about this sensitive subject, where there is a distinct danger of broad-brushing people and making incorrect assumptions.
http://www.ap.org/content/press-release/2012/reviewing-the-use-of-illegal-immigrant
In recent weeks, we’ve seen some requests for the AP and other news organizations to ban the term “illegal immigrant,” based on the contention that the term is inaccurate and dehumanizing. The issue has come up in the past, too, almost always in the U.S. context; we rarely see a complaint when the term is used to refer to people who illegally enter other countries.
The latest discussion has given AP an opportunity to clear up some misunderstandings about its policies -- particularly the incorrect assertion that we insist on the use of “illegal immigrant.”
The discussion has also reinforced for us the importance of reporting clearly and precisely about this sensitive subject, where there is a distinct danger of broad-brushing people and making incorrect assumptions.
http://www.ap.org/content/press-release/2012/reviewing-the-use-of-illegal-immigrant