The Conscious Language Newsletter: March 2022

From the World of Conscious Language

Note: The authors’ viewpoints are not necessarily shared by Conscious Style Guide. 

“There is no such thing as an objective or neutral map” but design choices and additional context can help minimize bias.

“Journalists can help analyze and contextualize the complexities, and the thoughtful way to do that is to ask: ‘Is this how I would want to see something I care about covered?’”

The Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association condemns news coverage that “ascribes more importance to some victims of war over others.”

“Graphic images have the potential to solidify support for military action just as they have the potential to turn public support against military action.”

“Utilizing gender-inclusive language can encourage more thorough medical treatment while influencing policy and social rhetoric.”

 AAJA Guidance on Coverage of Anti-AAPI Violence | Asian American Journalists Association

The Asian American Journalists Association has updated the guidance on coverage of violence against Asian Americans.

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“Amazon’s category wording choice of ‘LGBTQ+ Families’ is especially powerful considering that queer content is often censored on the belief that it is ‘inappropriate’ and goes against ‘family values.’”

“Any use of the term ‘spaz’ is inherently and deeply ableist, even and especially when used to describe non-disabled people as, say, jerky or on-edge.”

Two-time gold medalist Chloe Kim wants the hairstyle of loose hair framing the face to be called “beauty strands” instead of “slut strands.”

“Don’t we all want to release our book into the world safe in the knowledge it’s as rigorously edited as it can be?”

“Ableism can be as small as someone asking about your disability by saying, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ or as big as a lack of accessible public transportation.”

“Because queer is seen as an umbrella term, it is also very common in the LGBTQ+ community to identify as multiple labels at once.”

When offering emotional support to a friend, consider the context, including their personality, the role of culture, and the mode of communication (online vs. in person).

“Dehumanizing, pathologizing, and invisibilizing language are three key—and often mutually reinforcing—ways that words contribute to the oppression of particular peoples.”

CSG in the News

 16 Copy Editor Pet Peeves | BuzzFeed News

The Conscious Language Newsletter gets a mention in BuzzFeed News’ “What We’re Reading.”

Six editors share their favorite resources on grammar and style.

From the Archives

 How to Speak Up Against Casual Hate | Conscious Style Guide

“Model kindness, open-mindedness, and boundaries through language.”

In Case You Missed It

 #WriteInclusion Factsheets | Think Tank for Inclusion & Equity

Check out the #WriteInclusion Factsheets in the General section of Conscious Style Guide. These “research-driven one-pagers” from Think Tank for Inclusion and Equity are “to help guide writers rooms, writers, and all content creators toward better representation in their stories.”

The February issue has articles on “women figure skaters,” “pregnant people,” and gender-nonspecific language in reporting.

Get Your Own “Make Peace With Words” T-Shirt

This super soft T-shirt is hand-printed to order in your choice of shirt and ink colors as well as style (fitted or straight-cut). Every purchase supports two woman- and POC-owned businesses. Why make peace with words? Read the article by founder Karen Yin.

Tightly cropped photo of a purple T-shirt on white fence-like planks. Hand-lettered on the shirt: Make Peace With Words. Snipe: ConsciousStyleGuide.com/shop.

Conscious Books for Children

On DiversePictureBooks.com (our Bookshop.org storefront), find exceptional picture books that spread understanding, compassion, and joy through diverse representation. We earn a commission on all orders.

Graphic illustration of a child with two pigtails reading a book, with a rainbow in the background.

Diversify Your Staff

CSG’s Editors of Color Database helps recruiters connect with editors, proofreaders, and sensitivity readers of color in the U.S. and Canada. On the website, you can submit job listings for distribution to our private network of pros and explore the 100+ resources in the Database of Diverse Databases, which highlights underrepresented groups. Diversify your sources now!

Transparent white strip on top of blood-red background has EDITORS {OF COLOR} knocked out. Below, reads "Tools for Diversifying Your Staff and Sources," followed by editorsofcolor.com.

Follow Us on Instagram

Follow @consciousstyleguide on Instagram for examples of how context can support sensitive content, with a focus on children’s books, including young adult.

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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].