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 Post subject: Stylebook latest
PostPosted: Tue Apr 02, 2013 4:07 pm 
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Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2005 3:47 pm
Posts: 4655
Location: New York City
Quote:
illegal immigration Entering or residing in a country in violation of civil or criminal law. Except in direct quotes essential to the story, use illegal only to refer to an action, not a person: illegal immigration, but not illegal immigrant. Acceptable variations include living in or entering a country illegally or without legal permission.

Except in direct quotations, do not use the terms illegal alien, an illegal, illegals or undocumented.

Do not describe people as violating immigration laws without attribution.

Specify wherever possible how someone entered the country illegally and from where. Crossed the border? Overstayed a visa? What nationality?

People who were brought into the country as children should not be described as having immigrated illegally. For people granted a temporary right to remain in the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, use temporary resident status, with details on the program lower in the story.
[AP]


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 Post subject: Re: Stylebook latest
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 5:44 am 
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Posts: 4655
Location: New York City
Update: The Times has second thoughts, too. Like AP, it doesn't say clearly what term it will use. However, it did make the bold move of explicitly telling its readers what that other pejorative term, stylebook, means.

Quote:
The Associated Press made a bold move on Tuesday in dropping the term “illegal immigrant” from its influential stylebook.

The Times, for the past couple of months, has also been considering changes to its stylebook entry on this term and will probably announce them to staff members this week. (A stylebook is the definitive guide to usage, relied upon by writers and editors, for the purpose of consistency.)

From what I can gather, The Times’s changes will not be nearly as sweeping as The A.P.’s.

It will “provide more nuance and options” for what term to use, said Philip B. Corbett, associate managing editor for standards. In the past, for example, the term “undocumented” has practically been banned as a euphemism. That position is very likely to be softened in the revision, and other ways of describing those who are in the United States without proper legal documentation probably will be allowed and encouraged.


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 Post subject: Re: Stylebook latest
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 7:33 am 
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Location: Bethesda, Md.
"Illegal immigrant" is offensive to many, but I have yet to see a satisfactory substitute. "Undocumented immigrant" doesn't do it.


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 Post subject: Re: Stylebook latest
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 8:09 am 
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Location: New York City
Then AP should start a contest [first prize: a genuine AP stylebook; second prize, two stylebooks] to choose a new term.


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 Post subject: Re: Stylebook latest
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 11:33 am 
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Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2006 5:33 pm
Posts: 1225
Location: Texas
Sometimes you have to go with the least bad option, and AP finally figured out that "illegal immigrant" was not it. As far as I'm concerned "undocumented immigrant" is the least bad till someone convinces me otherwise.


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