Well, well, well. Here it is, at long last: "The Diversity Style Guide is a resource to help journalists and other media professionals cover a complex, multicultural world with accuracy, authority and sensitivity."
What took so long?
Worried about using the incorrect race/ethnicity terminology, or the wrong disability definition, a bad immigration word, an outdated term for sexuality or gender identity? Concerned you might make an embarrassing drug and alcohol reference or a geographical faux pas? I assure you, your troubles are over. If you are a journalist who wants to be sure you are politically correct, this is the latest and greatest gimmick to keep up with the changing world of self-censorship.
I once concerned myself with such things. But it got too crazy to keep up with everyone's pet peeve. Language changed on a dime. It became too cumbersome, too rigid, too strict. As even the author of this guide says: "No one person can determine the correct usage of a word." That worried me. Would we need to have committees assembled then? Well, sort of …
Just look at the panoply of consultants and references they employed for this work:
- Asian American Journalists Association and its Handbook to Covering Asian America
- Densho Encyclopedia
- Gender Spectrum
- GLAAD and the GLAAD Media Reference Guide, 10th Edition
- Media Takes: On Aging, a publication of the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center and Aging Services of California
- Michigan State University School of Journalism cultural competence series:
- 100 Questions & Answers About African Americans
- 100 Questions & Answers About Americans
- 100 Questions & Answers About Arab Americans
- 100 Questions & Answers About East Asian Cultures
- 100 Questions & Answers About Indian Americans
- 100 Questions & Answers About Hispanics & Latinos
- 100 Questions & Answers About Muslim Americans
- 100 Questions, 500 Nations (co-sponsored by the Native American Journalists Association)
- 100 Questions and Answers About Veterans: A Guide for Civilians
- National Association of Black Journalists and the NABJ Style Guide
- National Association of Hispanic Journalists
- National Center on Disability and Journalism and the Disability Style Guide
- National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and the NLGJA Stylebook Supplement on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Terminology
- National Institute on Drug Abuse Media Guide
- Neutrois.com
- Race Forward's Race Reporting Guide
- Racial Equity Tools Glossary
- Religion News Association and its Religion Stylebook
- TEAM Up (Tools for Entertainment and Media), a project of the Entertainment Industries Council, and the TEAM Up Reporting on Mental Health Style Guide.
Whatever happened to the simple and elegant "Elements of Style"?
This latest guide is a regular "Rule for Radicals."
How many diversity guides does this world need?
The Diversity Style Guide was edited by Rachele Kanigel, a professor and chair of the Journalism Department at San Francisco State University. Where else? Notice that the editors use the term "chair" to avoid the use of the word "chairman." Is she a chair or the chairman? That's what I hate about the kind of prig who wastes time with this kind of activity.
I got stopped by the very first item listed in this guide. It was "B.C."
"Literally, before Christ or the Christian era. Scholars and textbooks are increasingly using the abbreviations B.C.E. for 'before the common era' and C.E. for 'common era' to avoid using terms defined by their relation to Christianity. See A.D." No thanks! I've read the definitions before. I prefer B.C. and A.D, if it's OK with the "scholars" – or even if it's not.
And then there was this entry: "Bible-believing."
"A term used by some Christians to describe their emphasis on the authority and primacy of Scripture, as in Bible-believing Christians. By definition, however, all Christians believe the Bible. Thus, journalists should avoid using this term except when it is clear people are using it to describe themselves."
All Christians believe the Bible? Many Christians have not even gazed at one – like many in, say, China, where they are banned outright. There they often cling to one page or so and share it with others. Plus, as hard as it to believe, Amazon agreed not to sell Bibles inside China. That more of less puts the kibosh on the editor's definition of all Christians.
I guess when you have to keep track of so many pronouns and gender identities in the Diversity Style Guide, they couldn't have afforded to be too careful with the definition of Christians.
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