Words are to journalists what calories are to athletes: Language is the primary fuel that powers storytelling. When professional athletes eat junk, their performance suffers and their fans are disappointed. When journalists use junk language, their stories become corrupted and their audience accuses them of bias.
Think about the difference between a "protest" and a "riot." Or "immigration reform" versus "immigration crackdown." Or an "embryo" compared to an "unborn baby." Words in news stories signal both their basic definitions, as well as their political implications.
Language and politics are constantly evolving. One of the most important skills journalism teachers can impart to their students is the ability to recognize loaded words and labels and find alternate choices.
For this Educator Edition of the NPR Public Editor newsletter, we look at how frequently word choice carries weight and consequence. Over the next several Educator Editions, we'll dive into some specific categories of fraught word choices, and offer some frameworks that help journalists select the best words. — Kelly McBride and Nicole Slaughter Graham
When journalists enter the profession, they are often handed a set of tools to help them navigate these choices. The Associated Press Stylebook, newsroom handbooks and subject-matter style guides developed by experts offer guidance on hundreds of issues, including which labels are neutral and safe and which labels convey a bias.
Educators can do more than teach their students to defer to the style guides. They can teach students to understand how and why AP and others recommend some words and advise journalists to avoid others. And they can teach emerging journalists to interrogate their own language choices by asking questions like:
- What do my words suggest or imply? Could a different word better capture nuance or avoid unintended bias?
- Am I mimicking the language of my sources? If so, is there a good reason to do that?
- If I am leaning on the language that my sources use, is it because I'm new to this topic and lack the expertise to select different words?
For example, a police officer might describe a passionate public demonstration as a "riot." Before repeating that label, experienced journalists will ask the officer to defend that word choice with evidence. Was there widespread violence or vandalism? What percentage of the crowd participated? Reporters will also rely on their own interviews and witness accounts, as well as on videos and other documentation.
Ultimately, on this and every other story, the reporter must decide which words are most accurate and appropriate. Because news consumers sometimes detect bias in such labels, it's wise for journalists to include the evidence for their word choices in their stories.
Language isn't neutral, and educators can guide their students to see the power that words have to both communicate clearly — as well as to obfuscate.
Here are a few of the categories we'll cover:
Politics: The language used by politicians is almost always designed to persuade people and shape narratives. Experienced journalists can readily spot this language. Skilled storytellers know how to educate news consumers on the issues without being co-opted by their sources. When students first learn this skill, they often start by determining when political speech should be included in news stories and when it is in the interest of the audience to neutralize it by translating and paraphrasing.
When journalists cover topics like abortion and immigration, advocates will often use language like "pro-life," "pro-choice," "illegal alien" and "undocumented worker," terms that signal specific positions in the debates. When journalists use the same terms in their stories, news consumers assume the reporters are taking sides.
Identity: Specific labels that describe race, gender, sexuality, disability or religion require careful consideration on the part of the reporter. Mislabeling a person's identity, using outdated terminology or failing to consider cultural nuance can harm communities and undermine a journalist's credibility. When describing an individual, the best practice is to ask how they describe themselves. When describing a group of people, the best practice is to seek input from members of the group, include their voices in the reporting and use terms they are likely to use themselves. It's always safe and respectful to use attribution: "John Doe, who describes himself as…"
Coded language: Journalists are sometimes guilty of using coded words like "inner city" and "urban" when they are describing crime and poverty. In some cities, the meaning can be further obfuscated by using the name of a neighborhood as code for a troubled place, like "the South Side." In many cases, these words are inaccurate shortcuts to describe complicated scenarios. When reporters hear sources use these words, they should ask for further clarification. When reporters are tempted to use these terms, they should ask themselves what they are really talking about and then describe that.
At the NPR Public Editor's Office, audience questions about word choice and language come up regularly. Here's a small sample of the listener letters we've addressed:
- This past January, an NPR journalist referred to young prisoners being held by Israel as "males who were minors." Some listeners found the terminology vague and dehumanizing. Our office dug into the story and found that, as clinical as it was, at the time, the phrasing used was the best descriptor available, but that the journalists should take the time to explain to the audience why such vague language is used. In this case, the reporter could not confirm the ages of the people and therefore, a blanket term would have been inaccurate. When reporting on devastating conflicts, it's important that the humanity of the moment shows through the chosen words.
- Outdated language can sometimes creep into a journalist's reporting. An audience member challenged the use of the term "committed suicide" in a 2023 story about Jeffrey Epstein, even though mental health experts and journalists had concluded 10 years earlier that the term should be avoided. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's guidelines offer alternative terms like "attempted suicide" or "died by suicide," among others. When we researched the use of the language at NPR, we found a mixed bag: Some journalists abided by the recommendations and NPR's own editorial standards to avoid the term, while others used the phrase in their reporting pretty regularly. We noted that NPR's editors — the safety net for standards — needed to catch these instances where stigmatized language was used and correct the issue, so the journalists didn't come off as insensitive to the audience.
- We've also reported how language evolves. In one case, a listener wanted to know why a Planned Parenthood site was characterized as an "abortion clinic" in an NPR headline, noting that such wording made it seem like the journalists were positioning the story as "anti-abortionist rhetoric." We found that in the context of the story— then-Vice President Kamala Harris visiting the Planned Parenthood clinic in a show of support for abortion care — was fair and accurate, but that perhaps in another story or different context, it wouldn't be, which is why journalists have to think about how they're using words.
We expect that audience members will continue to question journalists about the words they use. Language is ever-evolving and should be taught as such. Rather than teaching a uniform set of rules for student journalists to follow, educators would better prepare new journalists by giving them the skills to sort through word choices. Encouraging students to think a little deeper about the reasons behind the ever-moving rules and norms will equip them to create accurate stories that serve a wider audience.
In order to start applying a critical eye to their own word choices, students can start by analyzing the work of others.
Use this assignment to get them started. — Kelly McBride and Nicole Slaughter Graham
The Office of the Public Editor is a team. Reporters Amaris Castillo and Emily Barske Wood and copy editor Merrill Perlman make this newsletter possible. Illustrations are by Carlos Carmonamedina. We are still reading all of your messages on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and from our inbox. As always, keep them coming.
Kelly McBride
NPR Public Editor
Chair, Craig Newmark Center for Ethics & Leadership at the Poynter Institute
Copyright 2025 NPR
