We deleted an earlier tweet because of an inappropriate reference to French people. We did not intend to offend.

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. That is why we recommend avoiding general “the” labels such as the poor, the mentally ill, the wealthy, the disabled, the college-educated.

New on AP Stylebook Online today: Many deaf people who use sign language have a deeply ingrained sense of culture and community built around the experience of deafness and sign language, and use the uppercase form Deaf to signify that culture. (1/4) The uppercase is acceptable, if used by the person or group, in descriptions such as the cultural Deaf community, Deaf education, Deaf culture, etc. (2/4)

John Daniszewski, AP's standards editor, issued detailed guidance this evening to help AP journalists choose words carefully and wisely around events at the Capitol:
/1 AP style in the event of civil disturbances allows editors and journalists to choose the term that in their judgment best applies.
/2

New guidance on AP Stylebook Online:

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. (1/5) 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. (2/5)

The term misinformation refers to false information that could be mistaken as truth. It can include honest mistakes, exaggerations, and misunderstandings of facts, as well as disinformation, which is misinformation spread intentionally to mislead or confuse. #APStyleChat (1/5) Misinformation can be transmitted in any medium, including social media, websites, printed materials and broadcast. It includes photography or video and audio recordings that have been created, manipulated or selectively edited. #APStyleChat (2/5)

Election returns are usually outdated as soon as they are published and should therefore be used sparingly in stories/scripts — especially shortly after polls close and the vote count is beginning. #APStyleChat (1/4) Early returns often do not provide an accurate reflection of the ultimate outcome, especially in states that take days or weeks to count votes cast in advance and provisional ballots. #APStyleChat (2/4)

Systems that allow voters to cast ballots before the day of an election are broadly known as advance voting. Each state has its own procedures for advance voting, which may include voting by mail, voting absentee or voting in person before Election Day. #APStyleChat (1/6) In the past, some states required absentee voters to provide proof that they are unable to cast a vote on Election Day. #APStyleChat (2/6)

AP style: The term people of color is acceptable when necessary in broad references to multiple races other than white: We will hire more people of color. Nine playwrights of color collaborated on the script. (1/7) Be aware, however, that many people of various races object to the term people of color for various reasons, including that it lumps together into one monolithic group anyone who isn’t white. (2/7)

Think about what data is stored and where — especially if it’s in the cloud. #APStyleChat (1/5) Many programs make automatic copies. How many copies of sensitive chat logs, photographs and private messages are floating around on your laptop? On your phone? Any copies in the cloud? You should know the answers if you need to protect sensitive material. #APStyleChat (2/5)

Let’s start with passwords. Many experts say the safest option is passwords made from random strings of letters, numbers and symbols — a different one for every account. #APStyleChat (1/4) Such random passwords are almost impossible to remember, so give serious consideration to an online password manager. #APStyleChat (2/4)

We consulted with a diverse group of people internally and externally around the globe and considered a variety of commentary in making the decisions on capitalization. #APStyleChat (1/4) We found deeply varying views among both white people and people of color, and a variety of arguments, about whether the term white should be capitalized or kept lowercase. #APStyleChat (2/4)

The AP decision to continue lowercasing the term white in racial, ethnic and cultural senses was more complicated than last month’s decision to capitalize Black. #APStyleChat (1/5) We heard many reasons to capitalize Black. Arguments include: People who are Black have strong historical and cultural commonalities (and differences, of course). In many places, that includes the shared experience of discrimination due solely to skin color. #APStyleChat (2/5)

AP style will continue to lowercase the term white in racial, ethnic and cultural senses. (1/8) This decision follows our move last month to capitalize Black in such uses. We consulted with a wide group of people internally and externally around the globe and considered a variety of commentary in making these decisions. (2/8)

The terms American Indians and Native Americans are both acceptable in general references for those in the U.S. when referring to two or more people of different tribal affiliations. #APStyleChat (1/4) For individuals, use the name of the tribe; if that information is not immediately available, try to obtain it. He is a Navajo commissioner. She is a member of the Nisqually Indian Tribe. He is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. #APStyleChat (2/4)

Capitalize the term Black as an adjective in a racial, ethnic or cultural sense: Black people, Black culture, Black literature, Black studies, Black colleges. #APStyleChat (1/4) African American is also acceptable for those in the U.S. The terms are not necessarily interchangeable. Americans of Caribbean heritage, for example, generally refer to themselves as Caribbean American. #APStyleChat (2/4)

Last year, we added a new entry discussing use of the term “racist.” The next eight tweets contain some details. #APStyleChat (1/9) Deciding whether a specific statement, action, policy, etc., should be termed racist often is not clear-cut. Such decisions should include discussion with colleagues and/or others from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. #APStyleChat (2/9)

The AP Stylebook has an entry called "race-related coverage." It includes style and guidance on terms including racist, racially charged, racially motivated, racially tinged. There’s also some introductory guidance, included in the next tweets. #APStyleChat (1/5) Reporting and writing about issues involving race calls for thoughtful consideration, precise language, and an openness to discussions with others of diverse backgrounds about how to frame coverage or what language is most appropriate, accurate and fair. #APStyleChat (2/5)

AP’s style is now to capitalize Black in a racial, ethnic or cultural sense, conveying an essential and shared sense of history, identity and community among people who identify as Black, including those in the African diaspora and within Africa. We also now capitalize Indigenous in reference to original inhabitants of a place.

The term autonomous vehicles describes vehicles that can monitor the road and surroundings and drive for all or part of a trip without human supervision. They also can be called self-driving vehicles. #APStyleChat (1/4) The term driverless should not be used unless there is no human backup driver. As of now, there are no autonomous vehicles for sale to the public, although many are being tested on public roads. #APStyleChat (2/4)

A family of viruses, some coronaviruses cause disease in people and animals.
They are named for crownlike spikes on their surfaces.
#APStyleChat (1/7) The viruses can cause the common cold or more severe diseases such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) and COVID-19, the latter of which first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. #APStyleChat (2/7)

We have added style guidance on coronaviruses, a family of viruses, some of which can infect people and animals. As the situation evolves, our guidance may also evolve. (1/4) Coronaviruses are named for crown-like spikes on their surfaces. The viruses can cause the common cold, or more severe diseases such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome). (2/4)