Terminology and the Election

The Washington Times, a newspaper recognized for its political conservatism, recently had a shakeup in newsroom protocol thanks to the installation of John Solomon, a former editor with the Associated Press and The Washington Post.  The Washington City Paper reports that Solomon has instructed his staff to refer to presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as 'Clinton' rather than 'Hillary' in headlines in order to identify her in the same way that they identify other candidates.

Solomon’s recommendation is especially significant in light of the other changes he has proposed – he has also instructed his staff to prefer the term 'gay' over 'homosexual' and to stop using quotation marks, also known as "scare quotes," around the term gay marriage. According to the City Paper, Solomon is immediately instituting these much needed style changes.

These terminology changes are significant, since they impact the way that readers perceive candidates and issues based on the connotations of the words. For example, because the term 'homosexual' carries pejorative connotations, the style guides of The Washington Post and The New York Times already instruct reporters to prefer the term 'gay' over it in most contexts.  In 2005, we held meetings with the AP to make recommendations about LGBT related terminology in their stylebook.

The changes at The Washington Times highlight the ways that terminology and language can play a role in shaping the discussion of candidates and LGBT issues in 2008.

Cindi Creager is the Director of National News