Every newspaper in existence adheres to some type of style to make sure copy is uniform. Many newspapers, although not all, use the Associated Press Stylebook to guide those decisions, but every paper makes its own style decisions on certain word choices.
However, illegal immigrant is one of those words that’s been problematic for some newspapers and writers for some now. Last year, in response to the conversations taking place in newsrooms across the country, the Society of Professional Journalists finally passed a resolution recommending newsrooms stop using “illegal alien,” and even questioned the term “illegal immigrant,” in stories on immigration when describing undocumented immigrants.
It wasn’t that long ago that AP said it was going to stick by illegal immigrant, as did the New York Times (locally the UA’s Arizona Daily Wildcat, recently announced it decided to use the term undocumented).
Today, AP announced it was no longer using illegal immigrant in the Stylebook. The AP announcement stated it was making “some changes in how we describe people living in a country illegally.”
From AP’s Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll:
The Stylebook no longer sanctions the term “illegal immigrant” or the use of “illegal” to describe a person. Instead, it tells users that “illegal” should describe only an action, such as living in or immigrating to a country illegally.
Why did we make the change?
The discussions on this topic have been wide-ranging and include many people from many walks of life. (Earlier, they led us to reject descriptions such as “undocumented,” despite ardent support from some quarters, because it is not precise. A person may have plenty of documents, just not the ones required for legal residence.)
Those discussions continued even after AP affirmed “illegal immigrant” as the best use, for two reasons.
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Also, we had in other areas been ridding the Stylebook of labels. The new section on mental health issues argues for using credibly sourced diagnoses instead of labels. Saying someone was “diagnosed with schizophrenia” instead of schizophrenic, for example.
And that discussion about labeling people, instead of behavior, led us back to “illegal immigrant” again.
Here’s the new entry:
illegal immigration
Entering or residing in a country in violation of civil or criminal law. Except in direct quotes essential to the story, use illegal only to refer to an action, not a person: illegal immigration, but not illegal immigrant. Acceptable variations include living in or entering a country illegally or without legal permission.Except in direct quotations, do not use the terms illegal alien, an illegal, illegals or undocumented.
Do not describe people as violating immigration laws without attribution.
Specify wherever possible how someone entered the country illegally and from where. Crossed the border? Overstayed a visa? What nationality?
People who were brought into the country as children should not be described as having immigrated illegally. For people granted a temporary right to remain in the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, use temporary resident status, with details on the program lower in the story.
According to a Poynter story on the change, the New York Times may be making a similar change. Could be a crazy day for anyone who uttered, “When hell freezes over.”
This article appears in Mar 28 – Apr 3, 2013.
Political correctness will destroy our Constitution. No matter what you call it, IT”S ALL ILLEGAL. Mexicans need to be housed, fed, and educated etc. by their own country and they should never expect a foreign nation to give them handouts. Nor should Mexicans ever allow themselves to be exploited. Everything about illegal immigration is ILLEGAL. The AP strikes a new low journalism.
Doesn’t that make you happy as a clam Mari…
I prefer “country crashers”. However, Jay Leno said it best when he referred to them as “undocumented Democrats”. However, keep beating that “viva la raza” drum of yours Mari. As true “journalism” is dead, one would expect nothing less from a racist zombi “journalist” such as yourself.
They’re “migrants”, plain and simple. From a legal standpoint, their immigration status does not automatically make them criminals, so the term was inaccurate at best.
What’s the big deal, anyway? The haters are still free to attach whatever bitter, ignorant, bigoted judgments they want to the migrants. The only difference is that the rest of us will no longer be continually influenced to do the same.
American,
These people are risking their lives to come here and work menial jobs TO FEED THEIR FAMILIES.
HOW GOD DAMN INHUMAN DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO CONSIDER THEM CRIMINALS?
Actually, most of the comments make me pretty happy, marisabigot … kind of proves every point we constantly make on this blog. Viva la raza.
Reports indicate that since Senator John McCain’s “Gang of Eight” restarted their latest push for amnesty, illegal border crossing from Mexico to the U.S. have more than doubled. It appears those entering the country illegally want to be sure they are here in case a blanket amnesty pronouncement is issued. As a U.S. Border Patrol Agent who spoke on condition of anonymity made clear, a number of those entering the country illegally are doing so to escape jail time or persecution in their own country: “We’ve seen the number of illegal aliens double, maybe even triple since amnesty talks started happening. [And] a lot of these people, although not the majority, are criminals or aggravated felons.” Making matters worse, Border Patrol Agents currently face hour and pay reductions which Obama is blaming on the sequester cuts he signed into law in August 2011. This means there is less and less chance of catching illegal aliens as they cross over. Therefore, at the very time Sens. John McCain (R-AZ), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Robert Menendez (D-FL), Michael Bennett (D-Col.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) are pushing for a path to citizenship is, our border is becoming more and more porous, and everyone who can get here illegally is doing it.
Checking Amnesty Applications Would Cost $20 Billion By Stephen Frank on 04/02/2013 from the California Reports and Review website:
It costs a lot of tax dollars to allow criminals to stay in this country “legally”. Currently, just in California it costs government at all levels over $20 billion. That includes the cost of free cell phones, free health care and education, housing vouchers and the cost of jobs honest Californians cannot get. Oh, the amnesty to allow the criminals from foreign nations to stay here will cost $20 billion and give them pardons from crimes like fraud, lying on applications and other criminal acts that would put us in jail.
“Total USCIS fees, thus would have a range of $917 for the most straightforward cases to $2,612 for the most time-consuming cases. The medical examination fee, and perhaps some other agency fees, will be in addition to the range noted above, as would, in many cases, moneys used to compensate for non-payment of income taxes in the past.
Given the huge financial (as well as peace of mind) benefits amnesty will bring to the applicants there should be no fee-waiver arrangements. However, given the low income levels of most of the applicants, and presumably a low level of savings, some creative governmental arrangements probably should be made in this connection to keep the amnesty applicants out of the hands of the lawless loan sharks and their cousins, the not-quite-lawless payday lenders.” We have so many people out of work with no health insurance, yet the “illegals” get paid cash, they pay no taxable income and still able to defraud the IRS with child tax reimbursement without paying a dime and even go to our hospitals and clinics free. They have more rights than we do. How many have criminal records that we don’t know about? Every day there is another illegal drunken driver, slaughtering a family on our roads.
We cannot give any ground of any kind in exchanging blows, by confronting politician in any method possible, to even calling them through the Central Washington phone terminal at (202) 224-312. Don’t forget the TEA PARTY is for maximum freedom and the U.S Constitution. REMEMBER THESE LAWS CAN STOP FURTHER WAVES OF AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION INVASION, THAT THE TAXPAYERS ARE FORCED TO PAY. Read more about the undeveloped border fence at AmericanPatrol and a surprising sensor called the “Sonic Barrier” that is far superior to the regular units they have on the border. AmericanPatrol can also illustrate to you the incompetence and intended ignorance of the risks at the border, plus daily news and views that the Liberal press is keeping hidden? Here is a few websites for petitions against illegal immigration, news and reports not seen within the pages of the left wing press. NumbersUSA carries much intelligence on specific laws, with American Patrol showing ample evidence of an extremely weak border and ineffectual management at ports of entry, including airline terminals. There is daily news also to be found here, at American Patrol and all the happenings in Washington. Corruption and abuse of all our laws, pending immigration bills and abuses in congress is available at Judicial Watch.
JOIN THE BATTLE FOR FINANCIALLY STRAPPED AMERICA, NOT THE BOTTOM FEEDERS IN OBAMALAND?
The forewarning bell must ring out, that the borders are not only unsafe for the Border Patrol, but for county sheriffs, town people, ranchers and land owners who live along the border region and live in danger every day; some of these regions either the South side or in our nation are being controlled by the drug cartels. The border fence remains an anomaly, because this administration continues the crowing from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and the left wing press that the border is secure. If it wasn’t such a mind anesthetizing lie, it would be laughable when the border is not anywhere near safe? That it stretches on for miles with nothing to separate the United States from Mexico, but some old lengths of rusty barbed wire. If you tend to be are interested in the truth about the Southern border, you can see actual aerial photographs showing where the politicians have been misled, given a deliberate tour of the border fence where it exhibits it strongest points, but few politicians ever venture out of the area and so remain ignorant; never seeing outside of the towering fence barriers in heavy population areas. The American Patrol group has done extensive surveys of the regions where there is non-existence border fence. Video and picture displays the fence where it’s very prominent in heavily populace sectors, but outside these confines it dwindles mostly to nothing.
THEY ARE COMING AND WILL KEEP COMING IN EVER LARGER NUMBERS, ENCOURAGED BY THE MAGNET OF MASS AMNESTY. INCIDENTALLY—WHEN IS AN ILLEGAL ALIEN OR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT NOT ILLEGAL, WHEN THE COME TO THE U.S. LEGALLY?
The2006 Secure fence as originally planned for most of the U.S. border is most visible in San Diego, California and that’s it? Just 15 miles erected as a physical deterrent, decorated with cruel concertina barbs and erected as two fences right down into the sea. In actual fact its two parallel barriers that according to records is completing an exception job, of inhibiting thousands of poverty stricken illegal aliens, criminal elements slipping into California. Janet Napolitano can say what she will about the so called great fence built through California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, as “Free Speech” is allowed at this present time, but people are currently beginning to wonder why the Obama Administration is buying up tons of guns and bullets literary. Anyway–don’t take my word for anything that I enumerate, but judge for your selves by going to the American Patrol website.
America has a choice, which they can keep paying hundreds of billions of dollars to support the illegal alien invasion annually; a free ride for the illegal parents of children, which should only go to true citizens and residents with green cards. It’s obscuring the true fact, that slavery was the instigator of the 14th Amendment law, NOT crafted to give the progeny of illegal parent’s citizenship, for all their babies. THE BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP LAW WAS MEANT FOR THE DECENDANTS OF THE SLAVE TRADE IN THE 19TH CENTURY. This is a trillion dollar party package that has been going on for generations in pandering to potential undocumented Liberals and Democrats and thus finally destroying the wealth of America; a free giveaway in this rising welfare country. Never has there been a president that has given away food stamps in massive quantities, whether you are here legally or not? America is turning soft, where if you don’t want to work this administration will accommodate you as a “Freeloader.” Not just illegal aliens either, but citizens/legal residence as well? Our only possible chance to alleviate this drain on America’s prosperity is for Washington to issue a NATIONAL ID CARD. IT’S PURPOSE TO IDENTIFY THE POSSESSOR AND ITS USAGE TO VERIFY YOU AS A LEGAL INDIVIDUAL, STOP VOTER FRAUD, ID THEFT AND APPLYING FOR A GUN PERMIT. THE COST WOULD BE LIKE PENNIES, TO THE DOLLARS SPENT ON SO MANY OTHER PITIFUL IMPEDIMENTS?
If these people are here illegally…then YES they are illegal immigrants or as I like to say illegal aliens. Illegal entry…illegal alien!
My uncle was killed by an illegal immigrant from Mexico in Tucson many decades ago. He was recently released from jail as the prosecutors got him on other charges and made him plead guilty to those to avoid a murder charge.
The statistics are crystal clear: Latinos commit more violent crime in the U.S. than whites. Not surprising given that crimes rates are higher in Mexico. The liberal paradigm is that racism makes people do bad things, and with a lot of liberals it doesn’t register that minority crimes rates are pretty high and that minorities commit more crimes against whites than in reverse.
Activists will lament that there are Latinos are incarcerated much more often in prisons . . . well, when you do bads things you have to go to prison. The liberals used to say that blacks committed many, many more violent crimes, but they didn’t commit the white collar crimes, well that actually isn’t true as blacks commit fraud and other white collar crimes at a much higher rate than whites. Kinda upsetting that liberal institutions, which include public schools, feel the need to spin truths like this, probably because they want more democrats voting in the U.S..
Latino street gangs have also destroyed the traditional way of life on reservations.
Of course, none of what I said is false, and most democrats, (I am one), know this, but don’t discuss it. I also think that most democrats, Hispanic Americans and whites and others, don’t want more immigrants from Mexico and other Latino countries due to non-assimilation and more money spent on prisons. Yes, most Mexican Americans are law abiding, but it costs a lot of money to pay for a lifeterm prison sentence for a criminal . . . and more Latinos commit a violent crime on a per capita basis than whites so, yes, Americans of all colors are paying a lot of $$$ to lock up Latino immigrants that Mexico can’t deal with.
So if Americans vote to lockdown the border and do away with amnesty to avoid more illegal immigrants, then in the future we’d have to pay less for prisons . . . of course ‘activists’ would cry racism (which it wouldn’t be if all illegal immigration is stopped), but the facts say that we’d save money and lives. Most everybody is for some level of border control as if the border was open there would be a refuge problem and the US could plung into anarchy.