Published: 24 April 2013
Region: Worldwide
Despite the decision of the Associated Press (AP) and some other media to ditch the term “illegal immigrant” from their stylebooks, the New York Times decided to keep it.
“Being called ‘illegal’ without trail or conviction is inaccurate and offensive”, wrote Aidan White for the Media Diversity Institute’s blog reviewing the AP’s decision to ban the expression “illegal immigrant”.
The condemnation of that expression could have been read on the pages of the New York Times itself. The newspaper’s editorial writer Lawrence Downes has written that “illegal” is often “a code word for racial and ethnic hatred”.
Despite the dangers of “reinforcing the public prejudice against migrants”, as White emphasizes in its MDI blog, the New York Times decides not to give up “illegal immigrant” but changes the entry on “illegal immigrant” giving the more detailed guidelines. The newspaper’s reporters and editors are now encouraged to “consider alternatives”. The alternatives offered in the New York Times guidelines are expressions like “unauthorised” and “undocumented” and the reporters are encouraged to use “an appropriate explanation of the specific circumstances of the person in question”.
‘The people in question’ and others, who don’t approve the usage of the terminology which is considerate offensive, have gathered outside the New York Times headquarters to protest. They have delivered a petition with more than 70,000 signatures, reports New York Magazine.
The NY Times Associate Managing Editor for Standards Philip Corbett tells Poynter that the newspaper is aware of the debate over these terms. “We have had many discussions in recent months among reporters, editors and outside parties, and have come up with more detailed and nuanced stylebook guidelines on the use of ‘illegal immigrant’ and other terms. The goal is to give our reporters and editors a range of options in describing this complex topic”, says Corbett.
Related articles: AP Leads as Media Finally Ditch ‘Illegal’ Label for Migration by Aidan White
