Posts Tagged associated press

Associated Press headline erases partner rape

“Study: 1 in 10 men in parts of Asia have raped”

That’s the original Associated Press headline for an article about a study that found that about 1 in 4 men in Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Papua New Guinea committed rape, as Slate reports. The 1 in 10 number refers specifically to stranger rape. So that headline’s wrong. And it suggests the AP doesn’t consider rape by an intimate partner to be rape.

The original article does mention the actual stats, but frames them in a way that advances the notion that partner rape numbers are in addition to actual rape statistics:

About 1 in 10 men in some parts of Asia admitted raping a woman who was not their ...

“Study: 1 in 10 men in parts of Asia have raped”

That’s the original Associated Press headline for an article about a study that found that about 1 in 4 men in Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and ...

Quick hit: Nathaniel Frank on the AP’s misguided ‘homophobia’ ban

Yesterday the Associated Press announced that it will drop the term “homophobia” along with “Islamophobia” and “ethnic cleansing” from its Style Book.  Politico reports that the reasoning behind dropping the term is largely semantic, citing AP Deputy Standards Editor Dave Minthorn’s rationale that a phobia, or “an irrational, uncontrollable fear, often a form of mental illness” should not be used “in political or social contexts,” including “homophobia” and “Islamophobia.” It also calls “ethnic cleansing” a “euphemism,” and says the AP “does not use ‘ethnic cleansing’ on its own. It must be enclosed in quotes, attributed and explained.”

This is a big deal because the AP Style Book is very influential and could impact journalistic standards across the field.

While I ...

Yesterday the Associated Press announced that it will drop the term “homophobia” along with “Islamophobia” and “ethnic cleansing” from its Style Book.  Politico reports that the reasoning behind dropping the term is largely semantic, ...