From the Daily: 'Illegal' no more

By The Michigan Daily  On  April 15th, 2013

On Tuesday, April 2 the Associated Press updated their stylebook to end the use of the term “illegal immigrant.” Used by U.S. newspapers as a guide for editing style and content, the changes made in the stylebook come at the height of immigration debate in Congress. The official removal of illegal immigration from the AP’s guide should be reflected in national rhetoric, as newspapers nationwide begin to use more inclusive, less accusatory language to describe undocumented immigrants. Stigma surrounding immigration has propelled misunderstandings to the forefront of debate, and newspapers should be quick to adopt this policy in order to encourage more accurate discussion of the issue.

Though the changes may have implications to nationwide debate, the AP claims that this change was made not for political reasons but because the term “illegal immigrant” is a legally inaccurate denomination. “The Stylebook no longer sanctions … the use of ‘illegal’ to describe a person,” AP said in a statement last week. By changing their preferred terminology, the AP confirms that while an action may be considered “illegal,” a person cannot. Though some have criticized the revision as excessively politically correct, the changes allow for more factually accurate reporting of a critical talking point across the country.

In its statement on the language change, the AP endorsed “undocumented immigrant” as the current preferred terminology. The adoption of undocumented immigrant isn’t just more precise, but more acceptable. While the media isn’t responsible for pushing a more progressive understanding of immigration, newspapers do play a significant role in not only disseminating information, but also establishing the words we use to describe news stories. Word choice matters, and language can generate harmful stereotypes and stigmas. Whether or not they acknowledge it, the AP made a step toward eliminating divisive terms nationwide.

While the AP sets the standard for newspapers in the United States, individual papers and magazines may choose whether they follow the guidelines. In this case, newspapers across the nation should endorse the changes made by the AP and abide by the new style. Newspapers have a great impact on language, and reflecting such a change in print can prompt changes in how the average American perceives immigration issues.

This new decision comes at a time when immigration has become a hot-button issue for legislation President Barack Obama has made immigration a large part of his second-term agenda, and currently a bipartisan group of senators are working on a new immigration bill. The current work being done on immigration in Washington D.C. and the new change to the AP Stylebook indicates that progress is being made towards a nuanced understanding of immigration.

Printed from www.michigandaily.com on Tue, 28 May 2013 04:56:11 -0400