USA Today 'Will No Longer Use the Term Illegal Immigrant'

ColorLines

USA Today announced on Wednesday the newspaper "will no longer use the term illegal immigrant outside of direct quotes." The decision by the newspaper with the largest print circulation in the U.S. comes a week after the Associated Press dropped the i-word from their Stylebook.

The full memo was obtained by Romanesko and is published in its entirety below:

From: Coon, William

Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 6:16 PM 

To: USAT ED Virginia Staff; USAT ED Field Staff

Subject: Change in USA TODAY style on illegal immigration

You probably have heard that the Associated Press recently changed its style on the term illegal immigrant. Starting tonight, USA TODAY is also changing its style. It is not exactly the same as AP's, but the upshot is that we will no longer use the term illegal immigrant outside of direct quotes. Here's the new style:

illegal immigration

The term illegal immigration is acceptable, but do not label people as illegal immigrants, except in direct quotes. Undocumented immigrant, undocumented worker and unauthorized immigrant are acceptable terms -- depending on accuracy, clarity and context -- for foreign nationals who are in the country illegally. An alternative is to use a phrase such as "people who entered the U.S. illegally" or "living in the country without legal permission."

Avoid using the word alien to refer to immigrants, except in quoted matter or official government designations. Do not use illegal or illegals as a noun. It is considered pejorative by most immigrants. Migrant can be used instead of immigrant in a tight space.

USA Today is the widest circulated print newspaper in the United States, according to the Alliance for Audited Media, which audits U.S. newspapers' circulations. The newspaper is also the leader in single-copy newsstand volume, selling more than 425,000 copies per day.