1. Home
  2. AP Style Blog

AP Style Blog

‘Illegal immigrant’ no more

by Paul Colford. former vice president of media relations on April 2, 2013

The AP Stylebook today is making some changes in how we describe people living in a country illegally. Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll explains the thinking behind the decision: The Stylebook no longer sanctions the term 「illegal immigrant」 or the use of 「illegal」 to describe a person. Instead, it tells users that 「illegal」 should describe only an action, such as living in or immigrating to a country illegally. Why did we make the change? The discussions on this topic have been wide-ranging and include many people [more...]

SUBSCRIBE TO AP STYLEBOOK ONLINE

Comprehensive AP style guidance on your computer, tablet and phone

This searchable, customizable, regularly updated version of AP Stylebook offers bonus features including Ask the Editor and Topical Guides. Add Merriam-Webster Dictionary for a more comprehensive resource.

Your subscription includes the popular Ask the Editor feature, where you can ask your own questions and search thousands of past answers, and Topical Guides, offering guidance to help you write about events in the news.


Sign Up for our Newsletter

Keep up to date on style news. Sign up for our stylish monthly e-newsletter by submitting your email address below.

Sign Up

Request your free 14-day trial

Try AP Stylebook Online for yourself

We offer free trials of individual subscriptions and 10-user site licenses for AP Stylebook Online.

We will include access to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the official dictionary of the AP Stylebook.

At the end of your free trial, we will ask you if you would like to continue your service so you can keep any of the custom entries you created on Stylebook Online.

I want AP Stylebook Online: