About the Project
Language, Please is a living resource for all journalists and storytellers seeking to thoughtfully cover evolving social, cultural and identity related topics.
On this site, you will find style guidance spanning six main categories: borders and populations; class and social standing; disabilities, neurodiversity, and chronic illness; gender and sexuality; mental health, trauma, and substance use; and race and ethnicity.
You will also find a directory of independent inclusivity readers who can be hired at any stage in a project and a set of reference tools to spark conversations and thoughtful decision-making around story framing and language usage.
Language, Please is not intended to replace or erase the amazing work so many journalists, academics, activists, and others have done in these spaces, but to build on their incredible work. Please see a few of the resources that informed this project below, and others are linked throughout the style guidance.
Before diving into the style guidance, please read Our Purpose.
Recommended resources
- ACES: AP Stylebook updates race-related terms
- Asian American Journalists Association Guidance on Coverage of Anti-AAPI Violence
- Carter Center Journalism Resource Guide on Behavioral Health
- Conscious Style Guide
- Dart Center Style Guide for Trauma-Informed Journalism
- Disability Is Natural: People-First Language Articles
- The Diversity Style Guide
- Fortune Society: Words Matter — Using Humanizing Language
- GLAAD Media Reference Guide
- Kaiser Family Foundation HIV/AIDS Reporting Manual
- Made of Millions
- The Marshall Project
- Maynard Institute
- National Association of Black Journalists Style Guide
- National Association of Hispanic Journalists Cultural Competence Handbook
- National Center on Disability and Journalism Disability Language Style Guide
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Words Matter — Terms to Use and Avoid When Talking About Addiction
- Native American Journalists Association Reporting Guides
- Native Governance Center Style Guide
- NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists Stylebook
- Poynter: Ethics & Trust
- Racial Equity Tools
- Trans Journalists Association Style Guide