Updated October 18, 2025 This guide lays out the AllSides content team’s standards for our original writing. Exceptions are unacceptable, unless the writing is explicitly someone’s point of view, either in the form of a quote or written by an AllSides team member in a properly-labeled Perspectives Blog.
Using Neutral Terminology
Immigration
We refer to people who move to the U.S. illegally as unauthorized immigrants.
Race
We don’t capitalize “black” “brown” or “white” when used in a racial or ethnic sense.
LGBTQ+ Issues
We refer to transgender individuals by their stated name and chosen pronouns. In coverage immediately following someone’s coming-out, we include their former name on first reference to minimize confusion.
When describing a transgender individual’s transition process, we use “gender transition procedures”, “gender transition treatments,” or “transgender treatments” instead of more polarized terms like “gender-affirming care” or “reassignment surgery”.
Violence
“Violent protests" is poor and misleading terminology. Either a legally protected "protest" is occurring, or illicit "violence" is occurring. It can't be both, so we have to be extra specific!
If a peaceful protest somehow descends into violence, we make that distinction also. If peaceful protests are happening in one part of a city while violence is also happening elsewhere, that's worth noting too. But our writing separates peaceful demonstrations and 1st Amendment-protected protesting from the violence, arson and other crime taking place.
Religious Issues
We use “antisemitism,” not “anti-Semitism.”
Jan. 6 Capitol riot
We refer to the “Capitol riot” and to participants as rioters. We do not use the terms “protest” unless mentioning the protest that took place before the riot. We never use “demonstration” or “insurrection.”
Pregnancy
Refer to “pregnant women/woman”, rather than “pregnant people.”
WHY? This is the most commonly-accepted social standard, which we often defer to in cases of polarized semantics.
Avoiding Types of Bias
In our own work, we avoid replicating the many different forms of media bias, namely bias by omission, slant, and unsubstantiated claims.
Refer to our Types of Media Bias guide for examples and more.
Vulgarity
We do not use curse words. When using a quote that includes a curse, we style it as follows:
President Joe Biden called a reporter “a stupid son of a b****” Tuesday at a press briefing.
President Donald Trump referred to Haiti and African nations as "s***hole countries" during a meeting with a bipartisan group of senators at the White House.
Political Qualifiers and Subjective Adjectives
We avoid referring to a group or media outlet as “far-left” or “far-right.” We describe their positions and beliefs instead.
INCORRECT: The far-left activists attended the rally.
CORRECT: The activists, who advocate for all corporations to be nationalized, attended the rally.
We avoid subjective qualifiers that are disputed in nature.
INCORRECT: Following the NCAA’s decision to allow a transgender swimmer to compete on the women's team, far-right social media users engaged in hateful and transphobic speech.
CORRECT: Some social media users posted the meme, “What is a woman?” to signal their opposition to the NCAA’s decision to allow a transgender swimmer to compete on the women's team.
INCORRECT: The politicians sought to roll back COVID-19 protections.
CORRECT: The politicians sought to roll back federal vaccine and mask mandates.
INCORRECT: The Senators blocked the legislation, which eroded Second Amendment rights.
CORRECT: The Senators blocked the legislation, which would have required a 30-day wait period for all gun sales nationwide.
INCORRECT: The politician attended an event spearheaded by a socialist extremist group.
CORRECT: The politician attended an event organized by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a legal advocacy nonprofit.
INCORRECT: The politician spread COVID-19 misinformation.
CORRECT: The politician said, “People are dying from the COVID-19 vaccine,” which some critics, such as Sen. Brown (D-NY), said constituted misinformation.
Fair Terminology for Controversial Groups
For controversial events, groups, and legislation, always use fair terminology and avoid characterizing them subjectively.
INCORRECT: The COVID-19 protestors blocked a major highway.
CORRECT: The protesters, who oppose COVID-19 restrictions and call themselves the Freedom Convoy, blocked a major highway.
INCORRECT: The Don’t Say Gay bill passed the Senate.
CORRECT: The Parental Rights in Education Bill, dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics, passed the Senate.
