Sniffing Out Dog Whistles

PRO-LIFE/PRO-CHOICE

HOMO-SEXUAL

ISLAMOPHOBIA

UNDOCUMENTED/ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT

SKEPTIC/DENIER

2000

The AP recommends chucking the terms pro-life and pro-choice, terms charged by their respective sides in the debate, in favor of the more direct anti-abortion and pro–abortion rights.

2006

The AP identifies gay as a preferred term. Homosexual, a word popularized by psychologists in a time when being gay was seen as a disease, can have derogatory clinical connotations.

2012

The AP adds an entry for the suffix-phobia, saying it’s not appropriate for social or political contexts. Words like Islamophobia can suggest that someone has an irrational fear that qualifies as a mental illness. In general, the Stylebook tries to eschew labels in favor of details.

2013

The phrases illegal immigrant and undocumented immigrant both go by the wayside. The AP reasons that no person should be labeled “illegal,” even if their actions might be, and finds “undocumented” too imprecise. They recommend describing the person’s situation.

2015

The entry for global warming directs reporters not to use the words skeptic or denier. Scientists say true skeptics are involved in inquiry and research, while denier has connotations of denying tragedies like the Holocaust. The AP recommends phrases like climate-change doubters.