“The Associated Press Stylebook” has been the standard usage guide for journalists for more than half a century, providing uniformity on perfunctory aspects of writing such as grammar, punctuation and abbreviation.
But its bias shows when it makes value judgments such as its recent decree that “black” should be capitalized when referring to people but not “white.”
Now, after what many regard as a crazy double standard, the AP is advising reporters to avoid using the terms “crazy/crazed, nuts or deranged.”
The only exception is if the words are “part of a quotation that is essential to the story.”
Do not use derogatory terms, such as insane, crazy/crazed, nuts or deranged, unless they are part of a quotation that is essential to the story.
Avoid using mental health terms to describe unrelated issues. Don’t say that an awards show, for example, was schizophrenic.— APStylebook (@APStylebook) November 10, 2020
A blogger for the Twitter news aggregator Twitchy said the AP “is no less biased than the rest of the media complex, so on occasion their ‘rules’ can take on more of a virtue-signaling tone rather than something approaching common sense.”
The new rule regarding “crazy,” the blogger said, “is enough to drive a person looney.”
One Twitter user wrote, “Orwell much?”
Another had Orwell’s “1984” in mind: “That’s a great message from the Ministry but I will think and say whatever I damn well please. If it offends you, that’s your right and it’s mine to say it. Maybe the Ministry itself isn’t essential to the story.”
Another Twitter user wrote, “It’s nuts and deranged that the crazy folks at AP think they control language.”
Earlier this year, the AP justified capitalizing black while not doing the same for white by arguing white people have a less distinct culture than blacks and don’t suffer dicrimination based on skin color.
“People who are Black have strong historical and cultural commonalities, even if they are from different parts of the world and even if they now live in different parts of the world. That includes the shared experience of discrimination due solely to the color of one’s skin,” said AP’s vice president for standards, John Daniszewski, at the time.
AP’s style is now to capitalize Black in a racial, ethnic or cultural sense, conveying an essential and shared sense of history, identity and community among people who identify as Black, including those in the African diaspora and within Africa.
— APStylebook (@APStylebook) June 19, 2020
AP, which was launched at a time when information moved from city to city by telegraph wire, also has urged journalists to avoid casting Antifa and Black Lives Matter violence as “riots” and use the term “unrest” instead.
It also, responding to President Trump’s portrayal of the people arrested nationwide in protests as violent, left-wing radicals, advises casting them as “regular citizens,” drawing a loud guffaw on Twitter.
“I hate when I get caught up in the moment and starting [sic] lighting buildings on fire and robbing target,” wrote Twitter user Reginald Trollington.
The AP said the Department of Justice “is using aggressive tactics against those it has charged in the civil unrest over systemic racism.”
“Those people have been portrayed by President Donald Trump as violent left-wing radicals. The Republican president has used the protests to try to scare white, suburban voters into reelecting him. But an Associated Press review of thousands of pages of court documents from the more than 300 federal arrests made nationwide shows most are just regular citizens caught up in the moment. Very few of those charged appear to be affiliated with any highly organized extremist groups. Many are young suburban adults with little criminal history, from the very neighborhoods Trump vows to protect.”
They’ve been portrayed by the president as violent left-wing radicals and used to scare suburban voters. But an @AP review found most of those arrested in U.S. protests look like regular citizens caught up in the moment — many are young suburban adults. https://t.co/TP3LyuFLme
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 20, 2020
Former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell tweeted, “The @AP is giving aid and comfort to rioters and looters.”
Another media commenter quipped, “John Wilkes Booth: ‘I was caught up in the moment.'”
Other establishment media outlets similarly have run interference for the rioters.
CNN portrayed rioting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as “fiery but mostly peaceful” in a chyron with businesses burning in the background.
This is what a Biden Presidency will bring to your city.
Hats off to CNN for having the stamina to continue to carry water for democrats.
“Fiery but mostly peaceful protests” pic.twitter.com/hlnVX0dCZ9
— Senator Melissa Melendez (@senatormelendez) August 27, 2020
Daily Caller investigative editor Peter J. Hasson deadpanned: “reporting to you live from Pearl Harbor, where America suffered a mostly peaceful surprise attack by the Japanese empire.”
Steve Guest recalled MSNBC’s Ali Velshi in May reporting from in front of a burning building in Minneapolis.
“I want to be clear on how I characterize this,” Velshi said. “This is mostly a protest. It is not generally speaking unruly but fires have been started.”
MSNBC’s Ali Velshi now has competition for the most ridiculous riot “reporting.”
Back in May, Velshi said, “I want to be clear on how I characterize this. This is mostly a protest. It is not generally speaking unruly but fires have been started.”pic.twitter.com/6K72kHHno1
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) August 27, 2020
The AP also banned the use of “Islamist” as a synonym for “fighters” and/or “militants.”
Politico’s Dylan Byers noted that the change by AP was made “after much prodding from the Council on American-Islamic Relations.”
“CAIR had complained late last year that the AP’s old definition of ‘Islamist’ – ‘a supporter of government in accord with the laws of Islam [and] who views the Quran as a political model’ – had become a pejorative shorthand for extremist Muslims,” Byers wrote.
The AP stylebook’s entry for Islamist now reads: “An advocate or supporter of a political movement that favors reordering government and society in accordance with laws prescribed by Islam. Do not use as a synonym for Islamic fighters, militants, extremists or radicals, who may or may not be Islamists.”
That move followed the AP’s decision to discontinue references to “illegal immigrants.”
At the time, “Tonight” show host Jay Leno joked that the term was being replaced with “undocumented Democrat.”
