- The Conscious Language Newsletter by Karen Yin
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- August 2019 Newsletter
August 2019 Newsletter
CSG in the News
Red Pencil Conference 2019 | Northwest Editors Guild
Conscious Style Guide is proud to sponsor the Northwest Editors Guild’s biennial conference, Red Pencil 2019: Voice & Voices. Register now!
Tips include tapping in to resources like Conscious Style Guide to help companies move forward with improvement goals after conducting a content diversity audit.
From the World of Conscious Language
Note: The authors’ viewpoints are not necessarily shared by Conscious Style Guide.
The Media Erased Latinos From the Story | The Atlantic
“The top story in a broadcast signals to the audience which topics matter most. And despite the fact that the attacker purposefully targeted Latinos, that is not what most outlets chose to emphasize.”
How to Accurately and Inclusively Cover Mass Shootings | National Association of Hispanic Journalists
After the attack in El Paso, NAHJ created and collected strategies for accurate and inclusive reporting on domestic terrorism and mass shootings.
Your Next Forbidden Word: Shooter | Poynter
“Sue Morrow, editor of the National Press Photographers Association magazine, has long fought against using the word ‘shooter’ to describe photographers.”
ACLU of Alabama Responds to Use of Misleading Term | Alabama Political Reporter
“The term ‘violent offender’ has nothing to do with the individual, the facts of the crime or how the person might have grown and changed in prison. It is a purely political term that is subject to change.”
Sensationalizing Scientific Findings Doesn’t Drive More News Coverage | Columbia Journalism Review
“Whatever you put in [a press release] is going to be put in the news. That…deepens the responsibility of the scientists and press officers to make sure they get it right.” —Christoper Chambers, neuroscientist
“Having a more diverse idea of beauty benefits and empowers everyone.”
Don’t Call Me “Young Lady” | Next Avenue
“I’ve earned ‘old.’ I have experience. Maybe even wisdom. I’m not ready for the pasture and a patronizing pat on my thinning hair.”
“Some of us really do want to see pejoratives being turned into positives for a situation we didn’t choose and have zero control over.”
How You Can Help
If CSG has helped you in any way, please consider making a donation to help us keep our resources free and accessible. We also appreciate shout-outs in your newsletter, blog, and social media!
“Is it possible to reclaim a word that has been used as a slur for so long?”
Why Detroit Metro Times Now Capitalizes “Black” | iMediaEthics
Mainstream support grows for capitalizing “Black.”
Just Say “Racist” | Columbia Journalism Review
“‘Go back to where you came from’ is textbook racism. When we contort ourselves to dance around that fact, the truth is injured.”
Why Donald Trump’s Racist Language Isn’t Debatable | The Atlantic
“As long as people treat [the words ‘racist’ and ‘racism’] as a kind of political dynamite, too dangerous to wield in applicable situations, discussing the hard truths of racism will remain exceedingly difficult.”
Berkeley, California, to Remove Gendered Language Like “Manhole” and “Manpower” From City Codes | People
“Women and non-binary individuals are just as entitled to accurate representation.” —Rigel Robinson, Berkeley City Councilmember and primary author of the bill
“Male, Female…Other?” Japan Form-Makers Consider Possible LGBT Discrimination in Their Terminology | JapanToday
“The topic of gender is quite complicated across the world, but in a country with particularly rigid gender roles these complications are amplified.”
He, She, or…? Gender-Neutral Pronouns Reduce Biases—Study | The Guardian
A new study “shows how a minor change in language can help chip away at long-standing gender inequities.”
From the Archives
“Themself” Is a Perfectly Cromulent Word | Conscious Style Guide
Watching language change in action.
In Case You Missed It
Perspectives on who and what we erase when we declare that “we are all immigrants,” the effects of images that treat “foreign” lands as foreign in a globalized world, and why it’s problematic for business names to include a derogatory term for “Roma.”
The Power of Context
Follow @consciousstyleguide for examples of how context can support sensitive content, with a focus on YA books and kidlit.
More Resources From CSG
The Editors of Color Database, a project of Conscious Style Guide, is a free service that connects employers and recruiters with editors, proofreaders, and sensitivity readers of color in the U.S. and Canada. Also home to the Database of Diverse Databases, now with sixty resources!
The Conscious Style Guide newsletter rounds up the best news and blog posts from the world of kind, compassionate, mindful, empowering, respectful, and inclusive language. Note: Spotlighting an opinion is not intended as an endorsement. Please send news tips to [email protected].
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