Inside one media company’s surrender to progressive pieties

... A style guide sent to staff in January 2022 reads more like a game of Media Matters mad libs than a document for journalists. It suggested some noninclusive words that Politico reporters should avoid using in their work.

YOU CAN’T SAY THAT: Politico’s banned words

• • Mankind
  • Man-made
  • Manhunt
  • Crack the whip: unacceptable because of origins in slavery
  • Waiter or waitress: server should be used instead
  • Biological gender, biological sex, biological woman, biological female, biological man, or biological male
  • Illegal immigrant or illegal alien
  • Cake walk: “originated during slavery” and thus perpetuates “racist motifs”
  • In reference to illegal migration: onslaught, tidal wave, flood, inundation, surge, invasion, army, march, sneak and stealth
  • Anchor baby
  • Chain migration: this is a term used by “immigration hard-liners”
  • Peanut gallery: “the cheapest seats often occupied by Black people and people with low incomes”
  • Third-world countries: too “derogatory”

The guide also warned that reporters should not say that a transgender person “identifies as” a certain gender, or describe the current situation at the border as a “crisis,” because “while the sharp increase in the arrival of unaccompanied minors is a problem for border officials, a political challenge for the Biden administration and a dire situation for many migrants who make the journey, it does not fit the dictionary definition of a crisis.” It also cautioned reporters against portraying migrants as a “negative, harmful influence.”

In a special section for “Standards on Culture & Inclusivity,” the style guide warned reporters not to use “pro-choice” or “pro-life” outside of quoted material and instead use “abortion rights,” “abortion rights supporter” or “anti-abortion.” “When describing abortion issues,” the guide explained, “consider using gender-neutral language like ‘people who seek abortions’ or ‘patients who seek abortions’ rather than ‘women who seek abortions,’ as there are non-female-identifying people who are able to become pregnant.” “Late-term abortion” was to be avoided too — they should opt for “abortion later in pregnancy” instead.

“Generally, avoid references to a transgender person being born a boy or girl, and opt for phrasing such as ‘identified at birth as boy/girl,’” cautioned the guide. “A person’s biology does not take precedence over their gender identity, and such oversimplifications can invalidate the person’s current, authentic gender.” It also urged reporters to “consider using gender-neutral language like ‘pregnant people’ or ‘people using birth control’… as there are non-female identifying people who are able to become pregnant, require reproductive healthcare, etc.”

When it came to race, the guide explained that “Unlike Black, white should not be capitalized in any instances.”