Tag Archives: Associated Press

Another change for the Associated Press style book. 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 …

For the last week the LGBT blogosphere has been battling the Associated Press over a direction to  their reporters that they should not automatically refer to people in legal same-sex marriages as “husband” or “wife.”  I left the story alone because I figured the AP would immediately correct such as obviously wrong position. Today they finally did. Here’s the new …

“The AP, whose guidelines set news industry standards, defines phobia as an ‘irrational, uncontrollable fear, often a form of mental illness.’  But the ‘mental illness’ part is surely too literal – no one accuses arachnophobes of needing an asylum. The term homophobia was first used in the 1960s when psychologists began to notice how vehement their own colleagues’ reactions were …

In an update to their style guide for reporters, today the Associated Press officially discouraged the usage of the word “homophobia.”  The update reads: phobia An irrational, uncontrollable fear, often a form of mental illness. Examples: acrophobia, a fear of heights, and claustrophobia, a fear of being in small, enclosed spaces. Do not use in political or social contexts: homophobia, …

Right Wing Watch notes that the American Family Association is continuing its practice of rewriting Associated Press headlines on the news feed it publishes on OneNewsNow.

Shepard Fairey has settled his long-running dispute with the Associated Press over their photograph of Barack Obama, which Fairey turned into his now-iconic “Hope” poster. In settling the civil lawsuit, “The A.P. and Mr. Fairey have agreed that neither side surrenders its view of the law,” The Associated Press said in a statement Wednesday. “Mr. Fairey has agreed that he …

Good As You points out the American Family Association’s ongoing practice of rewriting of the Associated Press stories they post on their OneNewsNow blog, in which they substitute “gay” for (in their minds) the more damaging “homosexual,” insert (in their minds) insulting graphics, and rewrite the headlines themselves. The AFA pays the AP to use their stories, and that usage …

The is the second national poll to show that a majority of Americans support marriage equality. Stand by for NOM to issue their usual denouncement. The full poll can be viewed here (PDF).

“We can’t allow the lowest common denominator states, like Massachusetts, to set standards for the country.” – Andrea Lafferty of the SPLC-certified hate group, the Traditional Values Coalition, as quoted by the Associated Press. We’re standing by for the AP to go to the KKK for a quote the next time black civil rights is in the news.

At the bottom of the Associated Press story I excerpted in the post below this one, readers are directed to three sites: On the Net: Marriage Equality USA: http://www.marriageequality.org Join the Impact: http://jointheimpact.com Family Research Council: http://www.frc.org Family Research Council? Really?