The Conscious Language Newsletter

Focus on fiction: body positivity, describing women, and not making Whiteness the default.

Respecting Muxe, a third gender in Zapotec cultures in Oaxaca.

The harm in overstating harm.

The term “BIPOC,” Orientalism in food writing, and racist mascots.

Updating the definition of “racism” in Merriam-Webster.

Language that empowers communities in times of crisis.

Gender-inclusive labels, categories, and courtesy titles.

Covering the coronavirus responsibly.

Why newsrooms are rethinking mugshots, “crazy” isn’t always ableist, and gaming needs gender-neutral pronouns.

Why the Los Angeles Times stopped italicizing “foreign” foods, Merriam-Webster is reviewing an entry in its dictionary, and compliments can be racist.

Reclaiming the “OK” gesture, designing better algorithms, and the potential of “y’all.”

Tips on writing about students experiencing homelessness.

Examining Brexitspeak, rape tropes, and the dehumanizing language of mass incarceration.

From reclaiming a slur to questioning default language.

Reporting on mass shootings, the erasure of Latinx people, and not using “shooter” interchangeably with “photojournalist.”