Racist

A person who shows or feels discrimination or prejudice against people of other races, or who believes that a particular race is superior to another – Dictionary.com

Do not use racially charged or similar terms as euphemisms for racist or racism when the latter terms are truly applicable – AP Stylebook March 29,2019

The word “racist” has been widely used recently following President Trumps recent tweets about four Congresswomen who came under attack…

In the past, the AP Stylebook (the holy bible for reporters and editors) urged journalists to not use a derogatory term in a story that has racial overtones unless “it is crucial to the story or the understanding of a news event”. It goes on to suggests to “flag the contents in an editor’s note”.

My how times have changed. The news agency now says terms such as “racism” and “racist” can be used in broad references or in quotations to describe “the hatred of a race, or assertion of the superiority of one race over others.” Journalists are now encouraged to report an incident racist if it is such, rather than tread softly around the word.

One example given by the AP was…

Mississippi has a history of racist lynchings, not a history of racially motivated lynchings.

So why does that matter? You need to understand that making a change to the AP Stylebook is like the Catholic church updating the canon law, it does not happen very often. Still, why should the public care?

If you still believe that not all news is fake and reporters are attempting to accurately describe what is taking place, using the right word is critical to eliminating as much confusion as possible (knowing that nothing is ever 100 percent fool proof) when it comes to telling the story.

The words journalists use can have a profound effect on people and, in today’s world of social media, blogs and other so-called news outlets, accuracy is more important than ever.