In December the Society for Professional Journalists (SPJ)’s Diversity Committee entertained discussion of a campaign to “educate journalists about the hurtfulness of phrases like ‘illegal immigrant,’ which is the term currently preferred by the influential AP Stylebook.” This was driven by committee members Leo Laurence. The committee "did not reach any consensus," however Mr. Laurence is taking the campaign to anyone who will listen. In advocating for language that contorts and obscures the illegal status of the immigrants in question, this midguided idea is simply an abandoning of journalism and a taking of sides in a political issue. It is also insulting American media consumers’ intelligence. As the Culture and Media Institute points out, A drunk driver is a drunk driver, even if he hasn’t been caught by the police and declared guilty by a judge.
Watch these two interviews below.
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Contrary to many references in recent days, the Society of Professional Journalists has not engaged in any initiative to end the use of the term "illegal immigrant."
ReplyDeleteOne of SPJ's volunteer committee members, Leo Laurence, wrote a blog posting and an article expressing his personal opinion and reporting discussion within the committee on this topic. However, the committee did not reach any consensus, and the campaign was voted down.
The views expressed by Laurence in Quill magazine, SPJ's Diversity Committee blog "Who's News," and on subsequent television programs are his personal opinion and do not reflect the views of SPJ nor its Diversity Committee.
These statements are currently our website and have been noted at the top of Laurence's piece. Additionally here are two Fox News coverage bit URL links clarifying SPJ's position:
Grapevine: http://fxn.ws/f8w9AX
Fox & Friends http://bit.ly/hz0hwe
Also, our national President, Hagit Limor recently went on the O'Reilly Factor to clarify this misperception. It is a video that you've included above in your blog coverage http://fxn.ws/fa5G44
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me.
Andrew Scott
Contrary to many references in recent days, the Society of Professional Journalists has not engaged in any initiative to end the use of the term "illegal immigrant."
ReplyDeleteThe views expressed by Laurence in Quill magazine, SPJ's Diversity Committ...ee blog "Who's News," and on subsequent television programs are his personal opinion and do not reflect the views of SPJ nor its Diversity Committee. Laurence did propose such a campaign but the committee voted against it during our annual convention.
These statements are currently on our website with a clarification noted at the top of Laurence's piece. Additionally here are two Fox News coverage bit URL links clarifying SPJ's position:
Grapevine: http://fxn.ws/f8w9AX
Fox & Friends http://bit.ly/hz0hwe
Also, our national President, Hagit Limor recently went on the O'Reilly Factor to clarify this misperception. It is a video that you've included in your blog coverage http://fxn.ws/fa5G44
If you have any further questions regarding this misperception, please feel free to contact me via my SPJ email which can be found at http://www.spj.org/
Andrew
This is one of the reasons why O'Reilly is the best viewpoint on the air. He has a bias. He let's you know what that bias is, but then he backs it up with a wide variety of viewpoints, many of which disagree with him, and he desires to let the truth....errr...his side win out. While we might disagree with O'Reilly he approaches the subjects properly and MUCH better than most in media today.
ReplyDeleteI think "Undocumented" could have the very same problem as "Illegal" because it presupposes judgment. Without proper review how do we know they are "undocumented"? To be accurated you would have to say "unverified immigrants" in order to completely steer clear from guilty until proven innocent.
I hear something similar from the us bishops and the office that helps immigrants - to use the word illegal is to deny them their dignity somehow. I would not greet someone as illegal immigrant but it is the proper term to use for those who have entered illegally. It does not help to change it to undocumented because that could mean several things not excluding they just need replacement
ReplyDeletePapers because they lost theirs. It is a big turn off when we are forced to use this term in the church too because it is denying what really took place and that maybe our laws are wrong. You know what agenda is being pushed when it is used - amnesty - and you are a bigot if you use the correct term. I think yhis causes I'll feeling in the Hispanic community as well too.