The Associated Press Stylebook's Twitter account has deleted a tweet that used the term "the French."
The post suggested that writers should avoid using "the" in front of words describing groups of people, advising against phrases such as "the French."
"We recommend avoiding general and often dehumanizing 'the' labels such as the poor, the mentally ill, the French, the disabled, the college-educated. Instead, use wording such as people with mental illnesses. And use these descriptions only when clearly relevant," the now-deleted post read.
\u201cThe AP is sticking to telling reporters not to write THE French. \n\nAP deleted tweet on left\u201d— Emily Miller (@Emily Miller) 1674835649
But the Associated Press has said that including the phrase "the French" was not appropriate — ironically, while issuing the mea culpa, the AP still included the supposedly unacceptable phrase: "The use of 'the French' in this tweet by @AP was inappropriate and has caused unintended offense. An updated tweet is upcoming."
\u201c@APStylebook The use of \u201cthe French\u201d in this tweet by @AP was inappropriate and has caused unintended offense. An updated tweet is upcoming.\u201d— The Associated Press (@The Associated Press) 1674807503
"We deleted an earlier tweet because of an inappropriate reference to French people. We did not intend to offend," the APStylebook account tweeted. "Writing French people, French citizens, etc., is good. But 'the' terms for any people can sound dehumanizing and imply a monolith rather than diverse individuals."
The now-deleted post caught the attention of the French Embassy in the U.S., which posted a screenshot in which it had typed "Embassy of Frenchness in the US" into the name form on its Twitter profile editing box.
\u201cI guess this is us now...\u201d— French Embassy U.S. (@French Embassy U.S.) 1674771552
Wealthy business tycoon Elon Musk wrote, "So then why do call yourself 'The' Associated Press.'"
"I agree, these days we probably should label 'the college-educated' people with mental illnesses instead," Ben Shapiro tweeted.
"The AP has declared the word 'the' offensive. I thought this was a @TheBabylonBee story for a second - and I run The Babylon Bee," the satire website's editor-in-chief Kyle Mann tweeted.
\u201cThe AP has declared the word "the" offensive. I thought this was a @TheBabylonBee story for a second - and I run The Babylon Bee.\u201d— Kyle Mann (@Kyle Mann) 1674830226
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The Associated Press Stylebook tweeted an admonishment to stop using the word "riot" to describe political protests and instead use the milder "unrest" to avoid stigmatizing protesters.
The guidance was tweeted on Tuesday amid numerous protests, riots and looting across the country.
"Use care in deciding which term best applies: A riot is a wild or violent disturbance of the peace involving a group of people. The term riot suggests uncontrolled chaos and pandemonium," the official AP Stylebook Twitter account said.
New guidance on AP Stylebook Online:Use care in deciding which term best applies:A riot is a wild or violent dis… https://t.co/JgoCLzat38— APStylebook (@APStylebook)1601487064.0
"Focusing on rioting and property destruction rather than underlying grievance has been used in the past to stigmatize broad swaths of people protesting against lynching, police brutality or for racial justice, going back to the urban uprisings of the 1960s," the AP Stylebook explained.
Rioting and looting erupted in the wake of the death of George Floyd while in custody of Minneapolis police officers. Many on the left have bristled at headlines that focused on the destruction caused by the rioting instead of the stated purpose of the protests.
The Associated Press recommended using more mild terms when referring to property destruction from the rioting.
"Unrest is a vaguer, milder and less emotional term for a condition of angry discontent and protest verging on revolt," the AP continued.
"Protest and demonstration refer to specific actions such as marches, sit-ins, rallies or other actions meant to register dissent. They can be legal or illegal, organized or spontaneous, peaceful or violent, and involve any number of people," the AP said in a further tweet. "Revolt and uprising both suggest a broader political dimension or civil upheavals, a sustained period of protests or unrest against powerful groups or governing systems."
Revolt and uprising both suggest a broader political dimension or civil upheavals, a sustained period of protests o… https://t.co/Di1zFUXLnn— APStylebook (@APStylebook)1601487065.0
The stylebook has been criticized in the past for seeming to bow to left-wing pressure to redefine words and phrases.
In May, critics on Twitter had a field day mocking the stylebook for banning the use of the word "mistress" as archaic and sexist. In 2013, the stylebook banned the use of the word "illegal immigrant" and recommended instead the use of the term "undocumented" when referring to illegal aliens.
Black-Owned Businesses Among Those Damaged By Vandals During Protestswww.youtube.com
By describing woke ideologies and their fruits at face value, conservatives felled the left’s self-conferred monopoly on how, when, and where the term could be used.
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