What Recent AP Style Changes Mean for Criminal Justice Reform
By: Famm Foundation
Tags: Famm, Police, Criminal Justice Reform, Ap Stylebook, Officer Involved

By Rabiah Alicia Burks

The Associated Press Stylebook editors have done a tremendous job of recognizing the unintended consequences of adopting law enforcement language, such as the term “officer-involved,” in crime reporting. In a tweet posted late last month, the AP Stylebook announced an update that advises reporters to avoid using the term “officer-involved” because it is vague, and instead reporters should ask law enforcement for details such as “How was the officer involved? Who did the shooting? If the information is not available, spell that out.”

This change may seem small, but marks a significant change in crime reporting. The AP Stylebook is universally recognized as the rulebook that provides consistency in language and grammar used in news coverage. The stylebook’s editors also do the hard work of analyzing controversial language or new terminology in an effort to provide journalists with the least biased way of communicating an issue. While some newsrooms and news organizations create their own internal guides, the AP Stylebook remains king in the media industry, meaning this change will be in effect in news organizations large and small across the country.

For far too long, newsrooms have allowed law enforcement to control the narrative around crime. Obviously, journalists cannot write a crime story without leaning on police: Police are courageously the first to respond, resolve, report, and investigate incidents and emergencies. They are often the only people who can provide up-to-the-minute information about a case.

In addition, a person accused of a crime and their lawyers are normally unavailable to reporters in an effort to not compromise their case. However, in the absence of opposing voices or sources, police are allowed to shape public opinion through media, because crime reporters are often limited in their ability to report the story from both sides. The stories must still be written, as it is a journalist’s job is to provide the public with as much information as possible — and the AP changes mark a significant step to improving crime reporting.

It’s important to note that police also have their own language, and “officer-involved” is a unified standard term used by most law enforcement departments. It’s intentionally vague, as it is a blanket phrase intended to describe myriad situations — including when police need to explain an incident where an officer is involved but the details are unknown.

So, what happens when an officer is involved in a shooting? Well, the term helps police shape the narrative around the incident. Law enforcement and police public affairs officers know they are a reporter’s main source of information, and that whatever they say or write in a report can and will be used in a court of law. It is advantageous to them to use this language as it allows them to both control public perception of an incident and to ensure that officers have some cover when incidents arise.

Furthermore, it is easy for editors and journalists to adopt the language used by police, or any government agency, when that’s the dominant language used by your “objective” sources. It is even easier when the AP Stylebook does not provide guidance around the use of police language. That is why the introduction of this entry in the AP Stylebook is a critical step in the right direction toward less biased coverage of policing and crime.

Over time, I hope that the AP Stylebook editors will tackle more terminology in crime reporting, including the use of the word “inmate” to describe people in prison. It’s important to humanize people in reporting, as it helps create a fair and balanced justice system.

Rabiah Alicia Burks is FAMM’s Vice President of Communications.