Patterico's Pontifications

4/3/2013

AP Changes Stylebook to Eliminate Term “Illegal Immigrant”

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 7:20 am



Washington Post:

The Associated Press has dropped the phrase “illegal immigrant” from its stylebook, a victory for immigrant advocates who argue that the term is biased against the people it describes.

“The Stylebook no longer sanctions the term ‘illegal immigrant’ or the use of ‘illegal’ to describe a person,” a blog post from AP Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll explains. “Instead, it tells users that ‘illegal’ should describe only an action, such as living in or immigrating to a country illegally.”

The move, Carroll writes, is part of a broader shift away from labeling people and towards labeling behavior — for example, referring to people “diagnosed with schizophrenia” instead of “schizophrenics.”

The AP has previously rejected the term “undocumented immigrants,” favored by some pro-reform activists, as inaccurate. Many people in the country illegally have documents, just not the right ones.

Exactly. I mean, is an illegal immigrant with counterfeit government documents really “undocumented”?

So what in the heck are AP writers supposed to say? “Specify wherever possible how someone entered the country illegally and from where. Crossed the border? Overstayed a visa? What nationality?” Um, this seems a bit unwieldy, AP. If I want to say: “we should not count illegal immigrants among the uninsured in this country because their lack of insurance is an immigration issue, not a health care issue,” how am I supposed to rewrite that by referring to how the people entered and from where and whether they overstayed a visa?

Basically, the idea is to make the concept so unwieldy that you banish it from the discourse, using control over language to change the terms of the debate.

You know how I’m going to rewrite a sentence like that? I’m not. Because I don’t work for the AP.

While they struggle to make their pieces about political correctness, I will continue to make mine about truth, accuracy, and common-sense English usage.

63 Responses to “AP Changes Stylebook to Eliminate Term “Illegal Immigrant””

  1. Leno reports the new authorized version is ‘Undocumented Democrat’.

    gary gulrud (dd7d4e)

  2. AP will refer to them now as wetbacks.

    AZ Bob (c11d35)

  3. ohnoes

    the Associated Press has been diagnosed with a bad case of propaganda slut

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  4. 2.AP will refer to them now as wetbacks.

    Comment by AZ Bob (c11d35) — 4/3/2013 @ 7:30 am

    That is inaccurate. The Rio Grande forms only part of the border.

    nk (d4662f)

  5. #1—I think Leno actually made that joke yesterday!

    Simon Jester (c8876d)

  6. They have a style book at AP? Coulda fooled me.

    What real and self-respecting reporter (assuming there are any left) would want to work for an outfit where they are not allowed to choose their own words or report the unvarnished facts?

    This bow to pc propaganda has wide implications too. AP stories are picked up and reprinted around the country and around the globe. But of course that’s exactly why they made their change to the “style book”.

    elissa (31744b)

  7. Considering the US military — yes, the US military — didn’t want to hurt the feelings of Nidal Hasan, the folks at AP are mere pikers.

    And reports today indicate Barry Obama wants banks to again start giving home mortgages to people with a poor credit history.

    Don’t cry for us, Argentina.

    Mark (e5fd6c)

  8. how about “criminal aliens”?

    redc1c4 (403dff)

  9. foreign benefit seekers

    crazy (d60cb0)

  10. Call them “illegitimate immigrants” (AKA “los bastardos”)

    Neo (d1c681)

  11. People who for no fault of their own find themselves in a discontinuity between their current location and where they ought to be.

    Pious Agnostic (6ff605)

  12. Good for Leno! He is enjoying his last days at the MSM.

    Patricia (be0117)

  13. How about “criminal foreign invader”?

    Wolf (6fd356)

  14. 4 “2.AP will refer to them now as wetbacks.

    Comment by AZ Bob (c11d35) — 4/3/2013 @ 7:30 am”
    That is inaccurate. The Rio Grande forms only part of the border.

    The rest of them are refered to as “Dustybutts”

    Mark Reardon (1a140d)

  15. I believe the law actually calls them “illegal aliens,” so I’ll stick with that one.

    This politically correct crap will ruin society and open borders will only make the Mexican drug cartels even more emboldened. The DA in Texas was a hit, plane and simple. It’s going to get worse.

    © Sponge (8110ec)

  16. Old: we should not count illegal immigrants among the uninsured in this country because their lack of insurance is an immigration issue, not a health care issue.

    Newspeak: we should not count newly arrived members of our society among the insurance industry’s victims because their lack of acceptance by bigoted and predominately white Republicans is more of a problem.

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  17. How about law-breaking non-citizens?

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  18. Maybe pre-citizens.

    Meanwhile, here in Europe, the land liberals love, they are walking back immigration policies, admitting they have hurt citizens.

    The idea of illegal immigrants having some rights is just not popular.

    MayBee (d48d90)

  19. Martians

    pdbuttons (2648f1)

  20. People often overuse the adjective “Orwellian,” but this is an example where it fits well. The as$holes that control the media are changing the English language to change the culture. Taxes become “revenues.” Gun control becomes “gun safety.” It’s shameless and right up in your face. SOB’s!

    gp (5a38d9)

  21. I guess “displaced foreign traveler” is out of fashion now.

    http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2010/07/bureaucrats-now.html

    Joe Mama (1c8caa)

  22. “we should not count illegal immigrants among the uninsured in this country because their lack of insurance is an immigration issue, not a health care issue,” how am I supposed to rewrite that by referring to how the people entered and from where and whether they overstayed a visa?

    “We should not count people who are not legal residents of the United States among the uninsured in this country because their lack of insurance is an immigration issue, not a health care issue.”

    Probably not “immigrated illegally” because maybe some of them didn’t really intend to “immigrate”

    By the way that sentence doesn’t make much sense.

    It might make better sense to say:

    “We should not count people not currently lawful residents of the United States among the uninsured in this country because they are not really part of the population of the United States.”

    The original sentence would probably be OK in an AP article if it was quoting someone.

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  23. undercover citizens

    crazy (d60cb0)

  24. The move, Carroll writes, is part of a broader shift away from labeling people and towards labeling behavior

    I suggest – “person who crossed the border illegally and remains in this country in violation of US law and regulations, used forged documents in violation of numerous local, state and federal laws, obtained employment using fraudulent documents, stole another person’s identity for personal gain, sought and is receiving social benefits in violation of law, operated motor vehicles without a license and without insurance putting others at grave risk of personal and financial harm” – quite a mouthful but truthful.

    OT – the left bemoans the fact that the impoverished illegals can’t afford to pay for medical insurance, yet the 2nd largest source of income for the Mexican economy for the past several decades has been funds transfers from illegals living and working in the US. So, they could have used some of those funds to pay for their own insurance, but chose not to and relied on the American taxpayers to foot their medical bills for them.

    The movement of those funds into Mexico short-circuited the flow of those funds within American communities. Some economic studies show that money is circulated 7 times within a local economy, so local economies were starved of 7 times the total of the transfers to Mexico.

    The amount of money sent home to Mexico by migrants working abroad has stabilized following two years of declines caused by the U.S. economic downturn.

    The Mexican Central Bank reports that remittances totaled $21.27 billion dollars in 2010, compared to $21.24 billion in 2009.

    http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9L432R01.htm

    in_awe (7c859a)

  25. I wonder, is the AP also going to stop using the term in the context of say, Bangladesh, Burma, or the Ivory Coast?

    Probablyu yes.,. they would say, “whom the government claims are illegal immigrants”

    Here is a story where the issue comes up:

    http://www.thestateless.com/2013/02/rohingyas-not-illegal-immigrants-in.html

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  26. http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/hopeful-reform-immigrants-filing-tax-returns-article-1.1306261

    Anybody truly “undocumented” is probably not now able to pay taxes.

    The ITIN allows those without a Social Security number to file, regardless of immigration status. Immigrants have to file a return in order to get a number…..The Internal Revenue Service tightened rules for ITINs before this season, requiring certified — not just notarized — copies of passports and making new numbers expire in five years

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  27. I like “foreign criminals” and to the extent that anyone is terrorized (or even a little scared) by their illegal entry, I would happily accept “terrorists”.

    Hangtown Bob (d5056a)

  28. i like the ‘bugs bunny ‘ martian
    he got like a roman helmet and shit

    pdbuttons (2648f1)

  29. Of course, to stay consistent, AP will also stop referring to “President Obama” and instead will say “the man who resides at the White House.”

    And no more gays; instead AP will refer to “people who choose to engage in gay sex” (oops, there goes the equal protection argument).

    Andrew (152a14)

  30. In other words, AP admits they are no longer reporting news.

    Perfectsense (86017c)

  31. Control the language, Control the DEBATE.
    I like the lame ass…..”A person cannot be illegal” nonsense. Someone breaking the law is ILLEGALLY MIGRATING. Would the LIBTARD AP prefer, we call them BURGLARS??

    Gus (694db4)

  32. Andrew, a person cannot be “GAY”. A person can be a HOMOSEXUAL.
    Having HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONS is not GAY.

    I’m sure the AP will want to be consistent in this matter.

    Gus (694db4)

  33. you can’t reward them
    if you want to lose country
    give ’em amnesty

    Colonel Haiku (a0097f)

  34. pdbuttons, you wouldn’t be making fun of anything Roman would you?

    SPQR (768505)

  35. hopping teh fences
    GPS challenged immigrants
    they’ve come for our gold

    Colonel Haiku (a0097f)

  36. He’s not a rapist. He’s a nonconsensual partner.

    Amphipolis (e01538)

  37. Undocumented democrat as #1 above pointed out. No wonder Leno is now out.

    joe (93323e)

  38. Unauthorized foreign intruders?
    Voluntarily displaced non-U.S. individuals?
    Freeloading foreigners?
    Lawbreaking scum?

    Hmmmm. Getting closer.

    navyvet (02dd07)

  39. He didn’t steal. He was an UNAUTHORIZED OWNER of the good he STOLE.

    Gus (694db4)

  40. does anyone remember when AP edited their style book to make accurate & honest reporting against company policy, or has it been that way since day one?

    redc1c4 (403dff)

  41. I’ve heard tell that one of the AP’s pre-eminent propaganda sluts, a Mr. Ron Fournier, had talks with Meghan’s coward daddy about taking a campaign job that second or third time Meghan’s coward daddy ran for president (and lost)

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  42. a fence is just a stranger that urr hole hasn’t met
    yet

    pdbuttons (2648f1)

  43. The problem is that the AP Stylebook is used by many smaller media outfits that aren’t big enough to support their own style guides, so this doesn’t just affect the AP.

    DLJessup (ec7b34)

  44. climb climb for freedom!climb climb for th
    mm justice
    when the Mother of dragons circles
    ur buddy holly lps wont save u
    rave on

    pdbuttons (2648f1)

  45. How about we just call them deported instead?

    peedoffamerican (ee1de0)

  46. This is actually good as now those who are the go along to get along types will see them for what they are and what they have done.

    there is NO reason to change this except that they want to change perceptions and change the argument.

    Anyone can see this now and understand it’s a cynical attempt to win and argument that logically they can’t.

    Jcw46 (0af03c)

  47. Alien Intruder, perhaps?

    {^_^}

    JD (1a2024)

  48. Comment by Jcw46 (0af03c) — 4/3/2013 @ 11:26 pm

    none are so blind as those that will not see. one can only hope that the sheep will look up before it’s too late, but with sheep like Perry, et al, that’s gonna take some serious Hopeium to make happen.

    redc1c4 (403dff)

  49. CRIMALEIN…

    mg (31009b)

  50. Hey, AP:
    “1984” was a warning, not a “how-to” manual.

    tyree (84087f)

  51. i love illegal immigrants i love them more than beans

    but i don’t think they should get free stuff

    free stuff just cheapens the whole illegal immigrant experience if you ask me

    which, nobody do

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  52. That is the whole point of the exercise, pikachu, they don’t do it out of altruism.

    narciso (3fec35)

  53. well that’s messed up

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  54. Oh SNAP! US economy creates 88K jobs, MickeyDs now requiring College degree and 2 years experience, Mexico’s minimum wage slips below Chinas.

    Squeester hurting Undocumented Democrats!

    gary gulrud (dd7d4e)

  55. Gary!!! Can’t you feel the economy turning around this morning? I can. Unless it’s all the dark chocolate almond bark I ate last night still turning around.)

    elissa (3e20bd)

  56. Looking for a sliver lining, hard:

    http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2013/04/05/housing-rentals-investors/?iid=HP_LN

    Surprise, surprise, surprise! Turns out one third of foreclosures are still on the crumbs that walked away.

    No one to clean up the mess, not banks, not investors, not renters and not Fannie Mae.

    gary gulrud (dd7d4e)

  57. Oh Rats, real unemployment 11.6%, 2009 levels, labor participation at 1979 levels, new Fed free money rolling into bonds ignoring stocks.

    Just in time for RecoverySummer 4.0! What dip number are we on again?

    gary gulrud (dd7d4e)

  58. Mexico’s minimum wage slips below Chinas.

    Not sure if that suggests Mexico’s journey to a post-Third-World future has made a U-turn or that the PRC’s road to a post-Third-World future still continues, with a few potholes here or there. But at least the former can take solace in it being an honest, crime-free society, corrupt cops and vicious narco gangs a thing of the distant past.

    As for its neighbor to the north, with more Americans reportedly no longer being counted as part of the work force, we can be happy to know that if the US can’t come to Mexico, Mexico — whose official statistics (one set vetted by no less than the CIA) indicate an unemployment rate rarely above 3 or 4 percent going back to the 1980s — can come to the US.

    Happy days are here again.

    Mark (e5fd6c)

  59. 54. Yeah, ‘lissa, I’ve had to sit down twice this AM myself. Raw Almonds I think.

    gary gulrud (dd7d4e)

  60. Yep:

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-04-05/it-beginning-biggest-jgb-price-collapse-over-10-years-triggers-tse-circuit-breakers

    Like a month back experts were saying Japanese bond purchasers would expect inflation to cut into their earnings and demand a higher yield, in 6 months or more.

    So even tho the yen took a 25% devaluation, Japanese core inflation remained placid at 0.2% thus the BoJ announced 20 months of printing at 2.5 times Bennies pace.

    Now, 24 hours later, trainwreck.

    gary gulrud (dd7d4e)

  61. Well If you live in the Dayton Area Check https://daytondonations.com

    Frank (f396d0)


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