Words carry meaning and may be charged with a sensitive history. “Language, Please,” a new resource from Vox Media, was developed to help newsrooms and writers make word choices that won’t alienate readers.
With funding from Google News Initiative, the “Language, Please” project brought together news leaders to create a style guide for more than 275 words. The entries contain detailed definitions, notes on usage, and additional resources to help determine how and when to use a term.
Here’s the site’s mission statement:
You might be a copy editor looking for a deeper history of a sensitive word; a writer rethinking who your beat is serving; or a manager trying to make a tough call on deadline. The challenge is the same: Language is ever-evolving, and the words we choose to use can have lasting, consequential outcomes.
At a time of changing standards, our aim is to provide the greater context of these debates, dig into some history you might not have known about a term, connect related terms, and inform thoughtful decision-making.
The site also features an interactive edit test, tips for improving diversity in news coverage, and a directory of inclusivity readers.