- The Associated Press Stylebook has added more than 20 entries related to climate change and revised its entry on LGBTQ+ to add the + symbol, editor Paula Froke announced Thursday.
At a time when many newsrooms — including the AP — are investing in climate coverage, the Stylebook is expanding its guidance on the issue. The new entries, which Froke revealed at the annual ACES: The Society for Editing conference, include the terms carbon dioxide, desertification, fossil fuels and greenwashing.
The section advises reporters to be specific in their reporting. They should describe which gas is being emitted when discussing polluting activities, for example, and avoid using the term weather event when referencing a certain flood, hurricane, landslide, etc. Journalists should also specify which goals they are referring to when they write about how a policy will affect climate goals.
An entry on carbon footprint notes that companies claiming that they have reduced emissions should be able to provide year-to-year comparisons. Reporters should be skeptical of unsubstantiated claims.
“Organizers of a sporting event may say the event is ‘environmentally friendly’ or ‘green,’” the entry reads. “But if they can’t give details about the event’s carbon footprint, be skeptical of the claim.”
The Stylebook has also added a plus symbol to its entry on LGTBQ+ to make the abbreviation more inclusive. Journalists can use variations of the acronym (e.g. LGBT or LGBTQIA) when referencing names of certain organizations or to be more comprehensive. While reporters can use LGBTQ+ as a collective adjective, they should avoid using it to describe individual people or specific populations, such as an advocacy group for bisexual people or a law that targets transgender children.
The change comes just a month after NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists added a plus symbol to its own name to better reflect the different identities of its membership.
Other entries and changes to the Stylebook include:
- When writing about artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, journalists should avoid language that attributes human characteristics to these programs.
- Civil Rights Movement should be capitalized when referring to the specific American historical period that took place during the 1950s and ’60s.
- B.C.E. and C.E. are now both acceptable.
