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- The Conscious Language Newsletter: March 2022
The Conscious Language Newsletter: March 2022
From the World of Conscious Language
Note: The authors’ viewpoints are not necessarily shared by Conscious Style Guide.
How Maps in the Media Make Us More Negative About Migrants | The Correspondent
“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?’”
“Racist and Orientalist”: CBS, Al Jazeera Criticized for “Explicit Bias” in Reporting on Ukraine Invasion | The Hollywood Reporter
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.”
The Exclusionary Messaging of Gendered Language in Journalism | The Objective
“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.
Why Amazon’s New LGTBQ+ Children’s Category Matters | Publishers Weekly
“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.’”
Disability and Film Festivals: The Secret and the Not-So-Secret Complacencies | International Documentary Association
“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.”
Stop Moaning About Sensitivity Readers—if There Was Diversity in Publishing We Wouldn’t Need Them | The Guardian
“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.”
An (Updated) LGBTQ+ Friendly Survey Template | UX Collective
“Because queer is seen as an umbrella term, it is also very common in the LGBTQ+ community to identify as multiple labels at once.”
How to Support a Struggling Friend | Psyche
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).
The Power of Everyday Language to Cause Harm | Radical Copyeditor
“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.
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.
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!
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.
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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