Articles by Conscious Style Guide
Picture Book Images and Unconscious Bias
For children’s books, a copyeditor looks at more than words.
How I—a Jewish Writer—Approach Sensitivity Reads for Authors Who Write Jewish Characters
Building trust with readers by providing a clear why.
Are All Grandmothers Amazing Cooks?
The food media’s overglorification of “Grandma’s cooking.”
Rethinking Courtesy Titles in Obituaries
It’s time to show respect by not overemphasizing gender.
Why We Confuse “Race” and “Ethnicity”: A Lexicographer’s Perspective
On our evolving understandings of racial categorization and cultural identity.
Doctor He, She, or They? Changing Gender, and Language, in “Doctor Who”
Celebrating the power of speculative fiction to challenge our preconceptions.
Covering Poverty: What to Avoid and How to Get It Right
A tip sheet from Journalist’s Resource to help journalists think more deeply about how they select and cover stories.
On Calling Little Girls “Princess”
Can this gendered term of endearment be reclaimed as empowering?
You Are Where? The Name Gentrification of Low-Income Neighborhoods
When trendy areas adopt place names with deep roots, like L.A.’s “Eastside.”
“Hapa”: A Unique Case of Cultural Appropriation by Multiracial Asian Americans?
On embracing a Hawaiian identity without the experience of colonization and inequality.
Are “Fetus” and “Unborn Child” Interchangeable?
Guidance from Rewire.News and the 2018 Associated Press Stylebook.
Moving Beyond “Default” Language in Pop-Culture Criticism
On the practice of assuming that straightness and Whiteness are culturally neutral.
Why We Should Examine Our Culinary Vocabulary
On the importance of using conscious language.
Conscious Language in “The American Heritage Dictionary”
Conscious Style Guide speaks with Steve Kleinedler.
Drop the Hyphen in “Asian American”
On the historical divisiveness of an unnecessary punctuation mark.
Young People and Ageist Language
Changing our attitudes toward children.
Beyond Terminology: Zooming Out to Focus on Bias
Remarks from “Is This Racist? How Editors Can Identify Hidden Bias” at the 2017 ACES: The Society for Editing conference.
The False Divide Between “Well Educated” and “Less Educated”
When imprecise language confuses, conflates, and excludes.
From Bias and Blame to Balance: Sensitive Style for Covering Sexual Violence
Basic guidelines for fair and accurate reporting.
“Themself” Is a Perfectly Cromulent Word
Watching language change in action.
Putting Language on a Meat-Free Diet
Carnivorous expressions serve to exclude, not include.
Capitalizing for Equality
When Black and White are used as racial terms.
Making Web Images Accessible to People Who Are Blind
Small touches that help screen-reader users feel included.
Breaking Up With Words
And forming relationships with new ones to make room for more of us.
Euphemism Is Dead
Why inclusive language in the age of Trump means speaking the ugly truth.
How to Speak Up Against Casual Hate
Guidance from the Southern Poverty Law Center.
An American Nowhere
Dealing with discrimination from inside and outside one’s communities.
When Bias-Free Language Excludes
And when biased language promotes visibility.
Make Peace With Words
On borrowing the wisdom of mindfulness meditation to explore the desire for equanimity and emotional liberation.
How Sexist Language Hurts Men
Stereotyping one gender means simultaneously stereotyping another.
When “Coming Out” Puts People in the Closet
The problem with using language shrouded in assumptions.
Disability Style Guide Expands Coverage
Basic guidelines for covering the disability community.
AP and Chicago on Sexist Language
We might not get it right, but we must try. Notes and resources (and tweets!) from Karen Yin’s presentation at the “Sexist Creeps: How to Catch and Fix Sexist Language” panel session at ACES 2016.
Trans Terminology 201
Talking about members of the transgender community with sensitivity and accuracy.
Pruning Hedges: Editing for Confidence
When hedging gets in the way.
What Needs to Change
The consequences for editors of being invisible.
When Bisexual People Marry
How biased language promotes stereotypes and erasure of bisexual people.
Calibrating Terminology
Accepting the challenges inherent in understanding one another.
