By Liz Rodriguez
I’m sick and tired of the AP Stylebook and its rules. The AP Stylebook is used by most newspapers. It provides “guidelines” to journalists on how stories should be written. The book literally tells journalists what they can and cannot say. It has a lot of bias sprinkled throughout it. I believe journalism would be more truthful and less biased without this book. A past boss of mine told me it is the bible of journalism. The headline I saw that sparked this blog is from the Flint Journal. It is titled: Anti-abortion activist shot in front of Owosso High School
I grabbed a few more headlines about this story.
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Anti-Abortion Activist Gunned Down Outside Michigan High School
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Police: Shooting Suspect Offended By Anti-Abortion Material
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Anti-Abortion Activist Killed Near School
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Police Ready To Search Home Of Suspect In Shooting Death Of Anti-Abortion Activist
The first sentence in the Journal’s article is, “State police at the Corunna post have confirmed a well-known anti-abortion activist was shot multiple times and killed this morning in front of Owosso High School.” Every single time the Journal referred to the person killed they said anti-abortion activist. By the time you got done reading the article you’d think the person deserved it. Anti is such a negative word and that is exactly why the AP Stylebook uses it instead of Pro-Life.
Imagine if they used these headlines instead.
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Pro-Life Activist Gunned Down Outside Michigan High School
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Police: Shooting Suspect Offended By Pro-Life Material
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Pro-Life Activist Killed Near School
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Police Ready To Search Home Of Suspect In Shooting Death Of Pro-Life Activist
According to the AP Stylebook you must refer to pro-life as anti-abortion. There is nothing objective about this word. Any journalist who uses the word anti-abortion to refer to the Pro-Life movement is either bias or brainwashed by the AP Stylebook.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
“Anyone who uses the word anti-abortion is either biased or just plain stupid, and I wouldn’t trust the news source.”
You have used it multiple times.
Good one. But how do you expect me to expose bias without using their words?
I admit, I may have been a little harsh calling them stupid. I apologize. You see, I can’t comprehend how a free press can allow their words to be dictated to them.
What I should have written is—Any journalist who uses the word anti-abortion to refer to the Pro-Life movement is either bias or brainwashed by the AP Stylebook.
Thank you for your comment.
nice post, thanks, appreciated.