- The Conscious Language Newsletter by Karen Yin
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- May 2019 Newsletter
May 2019 Newsletter
CSG in the News
More Than Words: How Journalists Can Reassess Their Unconscious Biases | Journalism.co.uk
“Harmful language is not limited to just being offended or disagreeing with characterisations or communities I’m tied to. It also affects laws that are created, it affects violence and employment, whether you go past your initial stereotypes or biases about an interviewee. It goes so deep, it’s about our lives.” —Karen Yin, founder, Conscious Style Guide
Why You Should Capitalize Black | Abundant Content
Thanks to Abundant Content for a wonderful description of what makes Conscious Style Guide unique: “The Conscious Style Guide leans more toward the creative and academic and is as much a ‘style guide’ as it is an ongoing conversation about diversity, empowerment, and inclusion. It offers articles and resources for media professionals, creative writers and graphics artists, including links to resources on how to ‘sell diversity’ in your projects, how to spot stereotypes (and avoid them), and this incredible tool for making analogies to explain technology.”
From the World of Conscious Language
Note: The authors’ viewpoints are not necessarily shared by Conscious Style Guide.
“Despite past negative connotation, the word has evolved and a new generation of Mexican-Americans uses pocho with pride to describe themselves.”
Why Student Group MEChA’s Proposed Name Change Has Set Off a Fierce, Multi-Generational Debate | Remezcla
“These proposed shifts in language…remind us that there has never been consensus around the terms that should define our complex communities.”
“If we’re able to let go of being ‘one of the good ones,’ we open ourselves to understanding how we’ve impacted others and in doing so we actually strengthen our relationships.”
Why Should I Tell You?: A Guide to Less-Extractive Reporting | Center for Journalism Ethics
A guide “to help journalists navigate the ethical dilemmas they encounter as they interview people who have experienced harm.”
When News Orgs Turn to Stock Imagery: An Ethics Q & A With Mark E. Johnson | Center for Journalism Ethics
“The stock photo they grabbed was of a concentration camp. Would you just insert something into the middle of a story about the Holocaust? You would never do that. Why are you doing it with visuals?”
Once, the “Judeo-Christian Tradition” United Americans. Now It Divides Them. | The Washington Post
“The ‘Judeo-Christian tradition’ is neither as religiously or politically coherent as it sounds. ‘Judeo-Christian’ fuses together distinct theologies; few elements of doctrine or belief are shared.”
Journalists as Characters: Using First-Person Narration to Drive Stories | The Open Notebook
“When done well, first-person narration can serve as a nod to the fact that each journalist works through a particular lens.”
Confessions of a Sensitivity Reader | Tablet Magazine
“We all know how aggravating it is to see ourselves depicted in a way that’s just a little bit off—gender, race, religion. As an artist I’d like to cause that experience to others as little as possible.” —Julie Berry, author
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Follow @consciousstyleguide for examples of how context can support sensitive content, with a focus on YA books and kidlit.
Stop Asking Kids What They Want to Be When They Grow Up | The New York Times
“When we define ourselves by our jobs, our worth depends on what we achieve.”
“With the new community standards, Microsoft is trying to set a clear line for when trash talk turns into harassment.”
“Wherever possible, non-gendered terms are now used, and when referring to a group of people, reporters write out both the female and male nouns, and include the feminine past participle in parentheses.”
Colorism in High Fashion | The Pudding
“There are [Vogue] covers with black women and covers with dark-skinned women. But when we really look, it’s easy to see that the majority of the black women are light-skinned and the majority of dark-skinned women are actually a single person.”
The Power of Words, Social Welfare Edition | Mother Jones
Measuring attitude toward “welfare” and “assistance to the poor.”
Hey New York Times, #WordsMatter | Define American
“These terms are direct echoes of government and anti-immigrant extremist group language meant to imply that immigration is a form of ‘invasion.’”
What to Say (and Not to Say) to Someone Grieving a Suicide | The New York Times
“Don’t feel afraid to say the name of the person who died, to share your memories of that person, to create space for the survivor to share their own memories, to honor their loved one’s life.”
“The phrase ‘climate change’…sounds rather passive and gentle when what scientists are talking about is a catastrophe for humanity.” —Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief, The Guardian
From the Archives
Capitalizing for Equality | Conscious Style Guide
“Both Poynter and Columbia Journalism Review have argued for capitalizing black and white when used as racial terms, for the sake of respect, equality, and typographical integrity.”
In Case You Missed It
Featuring articles on covering climate change and opioid addiction and a message from the founder of Conscious Style Guide.
Diversify Your Staff and Sources
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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