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Hispanic Journalists Urge Sensitivity When Covering Immigration
While this article was originally intended as a heads-up for
journalists, we are sharing it in the hopes that our readers will
examine more closely how language can subtly reveal the attitudes or
acceptance of insensitive practices on the part of the news media.
Washington, D.C. -- As protesters march in the streets and debate
intensifies in Congress over how to fix the nation’s immigration
laws, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists calls on our
nation’s news media to use accurate terminology in its coverage of
immigration and to stop dehumanizing undocumented immigrants.
NAHJ is concerned with the increasing use of pejorative terms to
describe the estimated 11 million undocumented people living in the
United States. NAHJ is particularly troubled with the growing trend
of the news media to use the word “illegals” as a noun, shorthand
for "illegal aliens". Using the word in this way is grammatically
incorrect and crosses the line by criminalizing the person, not the
action they are purported to have committed. NAHJ calls on the media
to never use “illegals” in headlines.
Shortening the term in this way also stereotypes undocumented people
who are in the United States as having committed a crime. Under
current U.S. immigration law, being an undocumented immigrant is not
a crime, it is a civil violation. Furthermore, an estimated 40
percent of all undocumented people living in the U.S. are visa
overstayers, meaning they did not illegally cross the U.S. border.
In addition, the association has always denounced the use of the
degrading terms “alien” and “illegal alien” to describe undocumented
immigrants because it casts them as adverse, strange beings, inhuman
outsiders who come to the U.S. with questionable motivations.
“Aliens” is a bureaucratic term that should be avoided unless used
in a quote.
NAHJ, a 2,300-member organization of reporters, editors and other
journalists, addresses the use of these words and phrases by the
news media in its Resource Guide for Journalists. The following are
excerpts for some of the terms prevalent in the current news
coverage:
Alien
A word used by the U.S. government to describe a foreign-born person
who is not a citizen by naturalization or parentage. People who
enter the United States legally are called resident aliens and they
carry alien registration cards also known as "green cards," because
they used to be green.
While Webster's first definition of the term "alien" is in
accordance with the government's interpretation, the dictionary also
includes other, darker, meanings for the word, such as “a
non-terrestrial being," "strange," "not belonging to one,"
"adverse," "hostile." And the Encyclopedia Britannica points out
that "in early times, the tendency was to look upon the alien as an
enemy and to treat him as a criminal or an outlaw." It is not
surprising then that in 1798, in anticipation of a possible war with
France, the U.S. Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which
restricted "aliens" and curtailed press freedoms. By 1800 the laws
had been repealed or had expired but they still cast a negative
shadow over the word.
In modern times, with science-fiction growing in popularity, "alien"
has come to mean a creature from outer space, and is considered
pejorative by most immigrants.
Illegal alien
Avoid. Alternative terms are "undocumented worker," or "undocumented
immigrant." The pertinent federal agencies use this term for
individuals who do not have documents to show they can legally
visit, work or live here. Many find the term offensive and
dehumanizing because it criminalizes the person rather than the
actual act of illegally entering or residing in the United States.
The term does not give an accurate description of a person's
conditional U.S. status, but rather demeans an individual by
describing them as an alien. At the 1994 Unity convention, the four
minority journalism groups ń NAHJ, Asian American Journalists
Association, Native American Journalists Association and National
Association of Black Journalists ń issued the following statement on
this term: "Except in direct quotations, do not use the phrase
illegal alien or the word alien, in copy or in headlines, to refer
to citizens of a foreign country who have come to the U.S. with no
documents to show that they are legally entitled to visit, work or
live here. Such terms are considered pejorative not only by those to
whom they are applied but by many people of the same ethnic and
national backgrounds who are in the U.S. legally."
Illegal immigrant
While many national news outlets use the term "illegal immigrant,"
this handbook calls for the discussion and re-evaluation of its use.
Instead of using illegal immigrant, alternative labels recommended
are "undocumented worker" or "undocumented immigrant." Illegal
immigrant is a term used to describe the immigration status of
people who do not have the federal documentation to show they are
legally entitled to work, visit or live here. People who are
undocumented according to federal authorities do not have the proper
visas to be in the United States legally. Many enter the country
illegally, but a large number of this group initially had valid
visas, but did not return to their native countries when their visas
expired. Some former students fall into the latter category. The
term criminalizes the person rather than the actual act of illegally
entering or residing in the United States without federal documents.
Terms such as illegal alien or illegal immigrant can often be used
pejoratively in common parlance and can pack a powerful emotional
wallop for those on the receiving end. Instead, use undocumented
immigrant or undocumented worker, both of which are terms that
convey the same descriptive information without carrying the
psychological baggage. Avoid using illegal(s) as a noun.
Illegal
Avoid. Alternative terms are "undocumented immigrant" or
"undocumented worker." This term has been used to describe the
immigration status of people who do not have the federal
documentation to show they are legally entitled to work, visit or
live here. The term criminalizes the person rather than the actual
act of illegally entering, residing in the U.S. without documents.
Immigrant
Similar to reporting about a person's race, mentioning that a person
is a first-generation immigrant could be used to provide readers or
viewers with background information, but the relevancy of using the
term should be made apparent in the story. Also, the status of
undocumented workers should be discussed between source, reporter
and editors because of the risk of deportation.
Undocumented immigrant
Preferred term to "illegal immigrant," "illegal(s)" and "illegal
alien." This term describes the immigration status of people who do
not have the federal documentation to show they are legally entitled
to work, visit or live here. Some Latinos say this term more
accurately describes people who are in the United States illegally
because the word points out that they are undocumented, but does not
dehumanize them in the manner that such terms as “aliens” and
“illegals” do.
Undocumented worker
Preferred term to "illegal alien," "illegal immigrant," or "illegal(s)."
This term describes the immigration status of people who do not have
the federal documentation to show they are legally entitled to work,
visit or live here.
This article was originally published by the National Association of
Hispanic Journalists
• http://www.nahj.org/
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