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- The Conscious Language Newsletter: October/November 2021
The Conscious Language Newsletter: October/November 2021
From the World of Conscious Language
Note: The authors’ viewpoints are not necessarily shared by Conscious Style Guide.
Trauma-Informed Editing With Iva Cheung | The FOLD Academy
“Content notes let an audience decide when and whether to engage with the content.” Iva Cheung’s recent webinar for The FOLD Academy is now available on YouTube.
“Elderspeak is often produced with the goal of appearing caring while also exerting control.”
The NCDJ’s disability language style guide “now acknowledges that identity-first language (‘disabled person,’ for example) is preferred by many in the disability community.”
Want to Uncover Hidden Details Missing From Poverty Coverage? Ask These Questions. | Covering Poverty
“Considering broader contexts can help readers better understand how the story represents large-scale issues.”
Making Data Visualizations More Accessible | MIT News
“Survey results revealed that a majority of blind readers were emphatic that [data viz] descriptions should not contain an author’s editorialization, but rather stick to straight facts about the data.”
“By removing casual use of words associated with mental health conditions, we can avoid trivializing the experiences of people who live with them.”
Samantha Price, president of the Girls’ Schools Association, “warned that using derogatory language to belittle young people’s demands for change risked undermining future progress on equality and sustainability.”
“People with facial differences are speaking up about the harmful impact of being vilified on screen.”
“For every ableist word out there that devalues those with a disability, there’s usually a more neutral alternative that doesn’t rely on a cliché or callous analogy.”
“Part of dismantling fat stigma needs to include empowering fat patients to talk to their healthcare providers candidly—and without apology.”
A Patriarchal Tradition That Just Won’t Budge | The Atlantic
“The first thing to understand about the patrilineal surnames commonly used in the United States is that they are not universal.”
CSG in the News
“I’m co-teaching (read: mostly watching Dr. Earnest Perry in awe) in this semester’s cohort of Diversity Across the Curriculum. One of the students reminded us about the Conscious Style Guide in our chat. There’s a lot in there to consider and talk about in your own classes.”
From the Archives
Are “Fetus” and “Unborn Child” Interchangeable? | Conscious Style Guide
“Because each story is unique, a blanket approach won’t work.”
In Case You Missed It
We Removed the Word “Infertility” From Our Site & Here’s Why | mindbodygreen
New in CSG’s Health section: mindbodygreen’s article “We Removed the Word ‘Infertility’ From Our Site & Here’s Why” on using “empowering language that better reflects the science.”
Suggested Language List | Students at Brandeis University’s Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center
New in CSG’s + More section: Formerly the “Oppressive Language List,” this list now centers alternatives rather than the words and phrases that may cause harm.
Writing about COVID vaccine hesitancy, guidance for being an authentic and useful ally, advice for using the inclusive default “they” until other pronouns are given, and more.
Hiring? Try the Editors of Color Database!
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. It’s also free to submit job listings for distribution to our private network of editorial pros. The Editors of Color website is home to the Database of Diverse Databases, now with 100 resources featuring underrepresented communities. Diversify your staff and sources now!
Follow CSG 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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