FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 2, 2013
CONTACT Inez Gonzalez igonzalez@www.nhmc.org (213) 718-0740
Advocates asks other media outlets to do the same
The goal is to "provide relevance and context and to avoid labels." That means stories will no longer refer to individuals as "illegal immigrants" or "undocumented immigrants," but instead will describe a person's circumstances. Do not use "illegal alien," "an illegal" or "illegals" except in rare cases in direct quotes; they should not be used in headlines or other display type.
"We are pleased that the Los Angeles Times has joined so many other responsible media outlets that have dropped the i-word. In a city with 48% Latinos we did not expect less and we applaud the Times for its action. The i-word has done a great disservice to the immigrant community by dehumanizing and criminalizing them. It is unfortunate that the New York Times and the Washington Post have ignored the evidence and pleas from community advocates to do way with the i-word. We plan to continue our advocacy to educate media as the LGBT community did when it asked the media to drop the damaging word homosexual."
###
About NHMC The National Hispanic Media Coalition is a non-partisan, non-profit, media advocacy and civil rights organization established in 1986 in Los Angeles, California. Its mission is to educate and influence media corporations on the importance of including U.S. Latinos at all levels of employment. It augments the pool of Latino talent with it s professional development programs. It challenges media that carelessly exploit negative Latino stereotypes. It scrutinizes and opines on media and telecommunications policy issues. Learn more athttps://www.nhmc.org. Receive real-time updates on Facebook and on twitter @NHMC.
