The Loyola University student newspaper has issued an apology for describing the individual who murdered one of the university’s students as an “illegal immigrant.” The paper’s editors also decided to remove an Instagram post that labeled 25-year-old Venezuelan citizen Jose Medina as an “immigrant man.”
“We recognize the impact of our language choices and their significance,” the Loyola Phoenix editors stated in a note published on the paper’s website. “We sincerely regret these mistakes and are committed to maintaining the high standards we set for ourselves as journalists and members of the Loyola, Rogers Park, and Chicago communities.”
Explaining the decision to retract the Instagram headline, “Immigrant Man Charged in Murder of Sheridan Gorman, DHS Involved,” the editors noted that the “headline failed to capture the story’s most important aspects and was removed shortly after to prevent further harm to affected community members.”
The article had described Medina as an “illegal immigrant,” a term the editors said was based on information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which referred to Medina as “a Venezuelan criminal illegal alien.”
“This language is inconsistent with Associated Press style and the values of this newspaper,” the editors commented on the use of “illegal immigrant.” “We believe no person’s existence is illegal, and we promptly adjusted our wording to reflect this view.”
Importantly, in the term “illegal immigrant,” the word “illegal” pertains to the person’s immigration status, rather than the legality of their existence, a nuance that journalists should be adept at conveying.
Nonetheless, the Phoenix‘s editors reiterated their acknowledgment: “We recognize the impact of our language choices and their significance. We sincerely regret these mistakes and are committed to maintaining the high standards we set for ourselves as journalists and members of the Loyola, Rogers Park, and Chicago communities.”
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