Mother Jones Style Guide

Mother Jones style guide, published below for the first time in our 44-year history as the longest-running investigative nonprofit newsroom in the country, is a living document thats constantly updated to reflect the choices and changes in language that shape our reporting. Where topics arent covered, we default to the Associated Press Stylebook and Merriam-Webster in that order, but ours takes precedence, so let us know if anything is glaringly missing from ours that doesnt appear in theirs. Hit us up with tips, told-you-sos, copy challenges, and grammatical grievances at styleguide@motherjones.com. Click the highlighted text (like this) throughout to see which entries we most want feedback on.

Tip: Hit the arrow at the right of your screen to return to the table of contents.

Table of Contents

Capitalization, Punctuation, Grammar, General Mother Jones Style
Gender, Sexuality
Race, Ethnicity
Names of People and Places; Languages; Nationalities
Immigration
Mental Health, Physical Health, Ability, Disability
Elections, Information
Scientific Reporting
Religion
Common Legal Distinctions
Attribution, Captions, Credits
Slurs
Print-Specific
Web-Specific
Videos
Podcasts
Social Media
Newsletters, Fundraising Emails
Corrections, Updates, Clarifications
Preferred Spelling
Contact Us

Capitalization, Punctuation, Grammar, General Mother Jones Style

Search our guide first, then AP, then Merriam-Webster.

ampersands
Use ampersands only in names that have them (e.g., Johnson & Johnson; Covington & Burling), common expressions that use them (e.g., Q&A), and social headlines limited by space. Otherwise resist the temptation.

abbreviations, acronyms
Well-known acronyms dont need spelling out, even on first use: ACLU, AIDS, BDSM, CEO, CIA, CPR, CT scan, DIY, FBI, HIV, IQ, IRS, MIT, MRI, NAACP, NASA, NASCAR, Nasdaq, NATO, NBA, NBC, NFL, NHL, NGO, NSFW, PGA, SUV, TSA, UNESCO, UNICEF, YMCA, others as they come up. For less-common ones, spell out on first use and add the acronym in parentheses only if its mentioned again later and may not be clear. If the acronym is mentioned in the same paragraph as the first spelled-out reference, no need to put the acronym in parentheses. Plural acronyms take lowercase s: Shes got three DUIs on her record.

Do not SHOUT IN ALL CAPS for companies or brands unless theyre actual acronyms. Were not their megaphones. Examples: Fox (not FOX), Politico (not POLITICO), Facebook (not FACEBOOK), but C-SPAN is all caps because its Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network. We got you, C-SPAN. In all other cases, stay true to name for accuracy, such as eBay, YouTube, ThinkProgress, BuzzFeed News. (This is called CamelCase capitalization.) Ebay when starting a sentence.

Omit periods in academic/medical degrees: BA, MA, MD, JD, PhD

Use an apostrophe before decade abbreviations like 80s, 90s. The apostrophe is added where characters are left out: 1990s 90s.

awards
Lowercase when abbreviating, like best actor Oscar, but title case for official award names like Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play.

band names
Lowercase the, as in the Rolling Stones, the Beatles.

brands as verbs
Lowercase googled, photoshopped, skyped, snapchatted, maced, tased, etc.

classes
Capitalize academic classes like Class of 2020. Lowercase classes of felonies: class D felony (no hyphen).

colons
Lowercase if the words form a fragment after the colon: like this.
Capitalize if the words form a full sentence after the colon: Heres an example.

commas
Use serial commas: one, two, and three.
Use commas in university names like University of California, Berkeley, on first reference, and UC Berkeley on later references.

ellipses
No space on either sidelike thiswhen omitting words from a quote. Always three periods, not four, even when connecting a complete sentence and a fragment. (Four is technically correct in that case, but three suffices.)

em dash (option+shift+hyphen)
An em dash is the longestlike thiswithout spaces before or after.
Use an em dash to attribute quotes: Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living. Mary Harris Jones

en dash (option+hyphen)
The en dash is longer than a hyphen ( vs. -) because the en dash has more work to do: Its pulling the weight of multiple words before or after it. Use an en dash for open compounds:

San Franciscobased artist
Nobel Prizewinning scientist
postWorld War II novelist

An en dash works like this: If an artist is based in San Francisco, that artist is San Franciscobased because the en dash connects two words, San Francisco, with a modifier after it, based. The linking device is longer because it has more weight to pull. Also use en dashes for ranges, sports scores, voting results, and spans, like the 20202021 school year.

headlines
For headlines in print and on our website, use title case. (For social headlines, use sentence case.) Convert to title case automatically at CapitalizeMyTitle.com, but make sure AP is selected in that converter, and see exceptions below. Title case means this:

Lowercase articles, prepositions, and conjunctions with fewer than four letters: a, an, and, as, at, by, for, if, in, nor, of, on, or, out, per, the, to, up, via, yet. (But is the exception, which gets capitalized.)

Capitalize idioms like Break Up and Put Up With when a preposition is part of the meaning.

Always cap the first and last words in a headline, and always the first word after a colon in headlines.

Cap both words in hyphenated compounds like Government-Linked.

Two-sentence headlines get end punctuation: Heres an Example. Like So. Use double quotes (not single quotes) in headlines as needed.

Web deks always take end punctuation, even if theyre not complete sentences.

Write headlines the way wed speak! The Supreme Court Will Hear is preferred over Supreme Court to Hear We have space, so include articles like the.

hyphens, compounds
If a compound is hyphenless in AP or Webster, do not hyphenate. For example, real estate is open in AP and Webster, so do not hyphenate real estate agent. Similarly, dont hyphenate health care reform, high school student, fossil fuel industry, free trade agreement, public school teacher, special interest group, social media fight, and other compounds where theres no possibility of misreading and a hyphen does not help the reader.

Hyphenate second-biggest, second-largest, etc.

-ly adverbs are never hyphenated: easily remembered rule, irresistibly good cheesecake.

Hyphenate well- compounds before a noun but not after: A well-known fact, she is well known.

interior and paraphrased dialogue
Generally enclose imagined dialogue and thoughts in quotation marks: I had better hurry, thought Carlos. But in all cases, observe a writers preference if the writer has made a clear stylistic choice.

italics
Italicize titles of:
blogs, boats, books (including comic books), dance productions (e.g., Dance of the Seven Veils, but not styles like the waltz), legal cases, magazines and newspapers (but not news services like the Associated Press and Reuters), newsletters, movies, music albums, longer musical compositions (like symphonies), online publications (like Salon and Vice), paintings, plays, podcasts/radio shows, sculptures/installations, series of articles (i.e., column names), and TV shows

Use quotes (no italics) for titles of:
acts within larger productions (like Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker), articles (in magazines and newspapers), cartoons, essays, illustrations, lectures/panel events (e.g., In Conversation series), photos, poems, official titles of reports (but lowercase without quotes for shorthand like the Mueller report), songs, stories or novellas within a collection, and TV episodes (e.g., Breaking Bad, Granite State)

Capitalize (no quotes, no italics) titles of:
board games, book series/reference books/holy books, computer programs, news services, video games, and web addresses, except in directing readers to them (e.g., See motherjones.com/about.)

Italicize names of magazines and newspapers, but lowercase and dont italicize the: the New York Times. The can be capped for publications in rare cases for clarity, like when italics are not possible on social media and the New Yorker could mean a person or the magazine, so cap The New Yorker on social media or say the New Yorker magazine. Exception: The Root keeps The capped and italicized. Note: Times of London, not London Times. (Do not italicize pub names when listing with their postal addresses.)

Italicize online publications like HuffPost andSalon. Also italicize the channels and verticals of online publications, like Motherboard on Vice.

Always italicize Mother Jones, the Mother Jones Podcast, andthe campaign The Moment for Mother Jones. As a shorthand noun: Join The Moment, and help support As an adjective: Well bring the Moment campaign (The goes outside when the title is an adjective.)

Italicize foreign words that dont appear in Webster, on first use. Dont italicize on later uses.

legislative acts and bills
Capitalize when specific: the Violence Against Women Act, the Brady Bill, but the telecommunications bill. For House bills, use HR followed by a space and the number: HR 32. For Senate bills: SB 32. Lowercase legislature except in official names like the New York State Legislature. Always lowercase executive order.

mottos and slogans
Use title case and quotation marks, like Make America Great Again.

movements
Capitalize if the name is a motto or slogan; lowercase otherwise: Occupy Wall Street, the Occupy movement, Black Lives Matter, Black Power, the Black Power movement, civil rights movement, gay rights movement, transgender rights movement, labor movement. Capitalize the Black Arts Movement to distinguish the 1960s movement from other movements of black arts.

numbers
Generally spell out zero through nine and use numerals for 10 and higher.
Exceptions:

ages
Numerals for all ages: 5-year-old boy. 10-year-old girl. Shes in her 20s. The baby is 2 months old. Exception: twentysomething, thirtysomething, fortysomething. Use ages instead of aged (e.g., voters ages 18 to 34, not aged 18 to 34), and -age instead of -aged (e.g., voting-age adults; underage). Exception: Use middle-aged, not middle-age.

beginning a sentence with a number (or range of numbers)
Spell out: Ten thousand students ran 10 miles. Five hundred to six hundred students ran 12 miles.

charts, timelines, graphics, statistical boxes
Always use numerals for integers, and generally spell out fractions,
like one-third, rather than using true fractions, like but this is up
to the art departments and data reporters discretion. X-axis and Y-axis intervals and plot points should be evenly spaced and consistently marked. Use symbols (%, $, C or F).

Constitutional amendments
Spell out zero through nine and use numerals for 10 and higher:
First Amendment, Second Amendment, 14th Amendment

dates
November
November 2020
November 3, 2020
the November 3, 2020, election (use all those commas!)
Always spell out months. No comma if theres no specific day: May/June 2019 issue.

decades
Always numerals: 1960s, the 60s (okay to use interchangeably).
For 20002009, use early 2000s or specify the years. Avoid the 00s, the aughts (facetious is okay!), and the teens. Only use mid-2000s to mean midcentury; it does not mean mid-decade.

decimals
Use plural nouns with numbers less than 1: 0.7 pounds, 0.2 meters.

distance, height, temperature, other measurements
Always numerals: 5 feet 8 inches, 12-inch pizza, 3 miles, 75 mph, 7-inch record, 8 degrees

districts
Always numerals: 4th District

Celsius, Fahrenheit
Spelled out in body copy, but in videos, charts, timelines, and statistical boxes, use C or F.

fractions
Spell out and hyphenate: Two-thirds of registered voters didnt vote. Exception: Use fractions like 2/3 for charts and stat boxes. For combinations of whole numbers and fractions, use decimals like 8.5-by-11-inch paper.

headline numbers
Always numerals, as in Top 5 Reasons to Vote, with the exception that one/first is always spelled out in headlines, as in First Lady rather than 1st Lady. Use the most common style in cases like Central Park Five.

millions, billions
Always numerals: 4 million people, 10 billion cars. M and B are optional in headlines, videos, social copy, graphs, print sidebars, and wherever space is tight (e.g., $70M or $70 million).

money
Always numerals after a currency sign: $7 billion, $33.90, $80
Always numerals with the word cent: 2 cents, 8 cents
Use an en dash (option+hyphen) for a range: $64$72 million
Do not hyphenate if used adjectivally: $150 billion market

odds, margins, ratios, vote results
Always numerals: Her chance of winning is 3-to-1; a 31 chance (en dash).
Vote totals: The measure passed the Senate, 6634 (en dash).

percent
Always numerals: 3 percent, 10 percent, the 1 percenters
For ranges of percentages: 2 to 3 percent; 9 to 10 percent
Spell out percent everywhere but videos, charts, data sidebars, and some social headlines, which use % (when space is tight).
Use percentage only without a number: What percentage of voters agree? The poll says 40 percent.
Do not hyphenate as a modifier: Its 80 percent chance, not 80-percent chance.

ranges
Always numerals when a range involves a number below 10 and a number above nine:
It took 8 to 10 weeks to complete the project. A 7- to 14-day period.

ranks
Abbreviate and use numerals: Her album reached No. 1 on the charts. But number one for steps in a process: Number one, wash your hands.

series
The Warriors won Game 7 (not Game Seven) of the NBA finals.
The Eagles won Super Bowl 52 (not Super Bowl LII).

time
Use numerals with a.m. and p.m.: 4 a.m., 6 p.m., with a space.
Use ET and PT, not EST/EDT/PST/PDT, but time zones are not needed if the setting is clear; only useful in listings of broadcasts or event times. When including both, lead with the time zone most relevant in context; for example: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

Spell out numbers less than 10 when combined with morning, evening, and oclock, like six in the evening, but lean toward 6 p.m. instead.

parentheses
(A period goes inside parentheses if they contain a complete sentence.)
A period goes outside parens if theyre contained by a sentence (like this).

possessive
Only add an apostrophe, not an extra s, for names and singular proper nouns ending in s: Mother Jones, not Mother Joness; Chris, not Chriss; Congress, not Congresss. Exceptions: acronyms ending in s like CBSs and PBSs (add apostrophes).

prefixes

anti-
Hyphenate: anti-abortion, anti-aircraft, anti-vax, anti-war, anti-labor, anti-tank, and whenever a hyphen helps clarify.
Close: antibiotic, antibody, anticlimax, anticoagulant, antidepressant, antidote, antifa, antifreeze, antigen, antihistamine, antiknock, antimatter, antimony, antioxidant, antiparticle, antipasta, antiperspirant, antiphony, antipollution, antiproton, antipsychotic, antiseptic, antiserum, antithesis, antitoxin, antitrust, antitussive, antisocial

co-
Hyphenate: co-author, co-chair, co-found, co-defendant, co-host, co-owner, co-partner, co-pilot, co-respondent (in a divorce suit), co-signer, co-sponsor, co-star, co-worker, co-writer
Close: coequal, coexist, cooperate, coordinate, copay

half-
Hyphenate: half-baked, half-cocked, half-dozen, half-hour, half-life, half-mile, half-moon, half-truth
Close: halfback, halfhearted, halftime, halftone, halftrack
Two words: half dollar, half sibling, half size
(Hyphenate if not listed here.)

mega-
Close.

mid-
Hyphenate if its followed by a number, like mid-1960s, or a proper noun, like mid-Atlantic.
Otherwise close, like midair, midcentury, midday, midsemester, midterm

multi-
Hyphenate if its followed by an i word, like multi-instrumentalist.
Otherwise close, like multicolored, multilateral, multimillion

neo-
Hyphenate if its followed by an o word like neo-orthodoxy, or a proper noun like neo-Nazi.
Otherwise close, like neoliberal, neoclassical, neoconservative

non-
Hyphenate if its followed by a proper noun like non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Otherwise close, like nonbinary, nonprofit

post-
Hyphenate: post-bellum, post-convention, post-mortem
Close: postdate, postdoctoral, postelection, postgame, postgraduate, postnuptial, postscript, postwar
(Follow Webster for post- if not listed here.)

pre-
Generally close, like preelection, preeminent, preempt, preexisting, and anything closed in Webster.
Hyphenate pre-convention, pre-noon, and pre-[ProperNoun].

pro-
Hyphenate to mean support for something, like pro-business, pro-labor, pro-peace, pro-war.
Close otherwise: proactive, produce, profile, pronoun

re-
Hyphenate homographs like re-create and re-cover, or possibly misleading words.
Close otherwise: reelect, reenter, reoffend

scholarships and grants
Capitalize the name but lowercase grant, loan, or scholarship: Pell grant, Stafford loan, Plus loan.

super-
Close except for super-PAC.

techno-
Close unless confusion would result (then hyphenate).

then-
Hyphenate if modifying a noun, like then-Mayor Gavin Newsom.

pronunciation
Guides to pronunciation should be spelled phonetically, and the syllable to be stressed should be capped: Latinx (pronounced la-TEEN-exorlatin-EX), italicized like so.

pull quotes
In pull quotes, use ellipses for omitted words from a direct quote, but its okay to paraphrase the writers own text. Check the PQs wording against the original, allowing for minor changes because of space limits.

Q&As, dialogue
Bold the questions, and dont include the interviewers name or sources name in each line (theyre already established in your introduction):

Why did you throw your shoes at George W. Bush?

George Bush lied to the people. He said the Iraqis would welcome him with flowers

Did you have a plan?

I had been planning to do that for years

Exception: When two or more sources are interviewed, use names first (and then initials) to clarify:

Interviewer Name: Hello, presidents.
Vladimir Putin: Hi.
Donald Trump: Hi.

IN: Did you do that grave thing?
VP: Do what?
DT: Yeah do what?

Before or at the end of Q&As, use a note like this if applicable: This interview has been edited and condensed.

quotes
Quotes said directly to our reporters can be lightly edited for clarity without adding ellipses for omitted words unless the meaning would be changed. But in legally sensitive quotes, no words can be removed without the inclusion of ellipses.

Do not use (sic) for misspellingsjust fixunless youre facetiously using (sic) to ridicule a public figures typos. Paraphrase instead if possible.

No brackets are needed when youre capitalizing an excerpts first word. With that exception, when quoting printed material, the quote should otherwise match the original exactly (wording, style, punctuation, etc.).

For spoken quotes, apply our house style for spelling, and minor editing is allowed for grammatical fixes. If inserting an editors or authors note: [Editors note: like this.]

For a persons reaction in a quote, capitalize the first letter and use italics in brackets: [Laughs.] When the bracketed phrase is outside a sentence, add a period after the phrase within brackets:
My father is not a schemer. [Laughs.] Well, [laughs], he schemes, but

series
Lowercase season and episode: season 1, episode 3 (numerals, no hyphens), for TV/television, podcast, and other series.

slashes
Use slashes to separate lyrics or lines of poetry, with no space on either side of the slash. The only punctuation at the end of a line (and before a slash) should be a question mark. Capitalize the first word in each line: Weve got to find some time to get together / Hows never?

suffixes

-esque
Closed unless the letter e would be doubled or tripled (Abramoffesque, office-esque, melee-esque)

-like
Closed unless the letter l would be doubled or tripled (catlike, sail-like)

-plus
Hyphenated as compound: 100-plus people; 20 percent-plus increase.

websites
Capitalize websites like MotherJones.com (cap initials) but lowercase URLs that run longer: motherjones.com/this-story-is-great.

Always omit www. unless the result opens the wrong site.

Follow the sites style for caps (but never all caps): MoveOn.org, MoveOn. Online publications are italicized: Jezebel, Salon.

Add hyphens between end words of all Mother Jones URLs for online features teased in the magazine. Use periods normally at the end of sentences. No end slashes at the end of web addresses.

Gender, Sexuality

Ask sources how to identify their gender and sexual identities if its relevant to the story and appropriate to ask. Below are some recommended words and definitions.

LGBTQ
LGBTQ is Mother Jones preferred stylethe most encompassing and still concise acronymbut LGBT is accepted if a source prefers it. Avoid LGBTQ+ (unless a source uses it) because the + symbols meaning is already embodied in the acronyms letters. Avoid GLBT except in formal titles like San Franciscos GLBT History Museum; otherwise it can look like our typo.

gender-inclusive, gender-neutral
In general, use gender-inclusive or gender-neutral language unless you have reason not to. For example, instead of policeman, fireman, and mailman, use police officer, firefighter, and mail carrier. Instead of manmade, use manufactured, artificial, or synthetic. Instead of mankind, use humanity or humankind. The legacy of male-centered language continues to shape style guides, but Mother Jones takes a more inclusive stance. Try to avoid strongman because it doesnt have a corresponding title for women who can run countries corruptly and forcefully. Oilman similarly. Journeyman similarly. Fisherman similarly. National Guardsman similarly; the Guards first all-women command formed in March 2019. Many titles like TKman dont have parallel nouns for women because barriers to entry in professions and public life have been exclusionary and engineered in mens favor, reflected in the job titles. Jobs can (or should) be open to people of any gender.

Unless a source prefers gendered titles, or gender is relevant, lean toward:

band leader instead of frontman/frontwoman
chair or chairperson instead of chairman/chairwoman
crewed instead of manned, unless a crew is all men and youre pointing that out
firefighter instead of fireman/firewoman
fisher instead of fisherman/fisherwoman
heir instead of heiress
host instead of hostess
humanity or humankind instead of mankind
mail carrier instead of mailman
manufactured, artificial, or synthetic instead of manmade
police officer instead of policeman/policewoman
spokesperson or representative instead of spokesman/spokeswoman
sales rep or salesperson instead of salesman/saleswoman
server instead of waitress/waiter
Congress member, member of Congress, the representative, the
lawmaker, Rep. [Name], instead of congressman/woman (at your discretion)

Actor is Mother Jones house style except when someone identifies as actress or its important to signal gender (e.g., award ceremonies), or in social headlines when relevant.

gender pronouns and singular they/them/their
Singular they/them/their is accepted for someone who doesnt use he or she; when its necessary to shield an anonymous sources gender; or to move beyond the he or she binary. Avoid both genders for the same reason; use all genders. If youre using singular they, make sure it agrees in number with the antecedent or, if it doesnt, its clear in context.

gender transition, gender-affirming surgery, sex-reassignment surgery
Distinguish between these terms. A gender transition involves changing someones gender presentation, which could mean new names, clothes, hormones, and pronouns. Gender-affirming surgery is accepted for anyone going through sex-reassignment surgery (both terms accepted), which implies surgery or other medical means (e.g., facial feminization).

Latinx
The word Latinx (pronounced la-TEEN-ex or latin-EX), without quotation marks except when referring to the word itself, is a gender-inclusive description for people of Latin American descent who live in the United States. Use it for any source who prefers it, and, if you like, as an all-gender adjective in cases like Latinx voters. (Optional.)

Dont stop using Latina or Latino for someone who identifies as Latina or Latino, or when you want to specify gender, and dont take for granted that Latinx is widely understood. This is a rapidly evolving area of language. For that reason Latino is still accepted as an all-gender plural; consistency is not necessary, because some people do not want Latinx assigned to them. Its celebrated for including all genders but its criticized as an Anglicized bulldozing of the Spanish language, which, like all romance languages, assigns a gender to each noun. And just 2 percent of respondents to a nationwide poll said they prefer the term Latinx.

Historically, the word Latinx originated to avoid defaulting to the masculine plural Latinos. More recently, Latinx has been used as an LGBTQ identifier, especially in the aftermath of Orlandos Pulse nightclub shooting, most of whose victims were gay or bisexual and widely reported as Latinx.

Except as described above, use Latinx on a case-by-case basis at your discretion. In reference to polls and surveys, use the same words used in the studies.

nonbinary
Genders that dont conform to male and female can be called nonbinary. Also accepted are genderqueer (one word), genderfluid (one word), and gender nonconforming (no hyphen).

Pride
Capitalize as Pride Day, Pride Month, pride events, pride flag.

reproductive rights, abortion
Mother Jones preferred terms are pro-choice and anti-choice or anti-abortion rightsnot pro-life unless attributed or important in context. There may be times you want to use pro-life to allow each side to define itself, even though pro-life is a fundamentally misleading term because it implies some advocates are not for life. In all cases, avoid scare quotes, which can read as facetious (unless facetious is what youre going for).

Woman/women is acceptable as the default gender to describe people who get abortions, even though some transgender people can get abortions. For example, use Roe v. Wade affirmed a womans right to choose rather than a persons right to choose. Woman is preferred in this context because women are the group most targeted and affected by anti-abortion legislation. Degendering abortion language is a misleading move that obscures the impact of abortion restrictions on womens lives.

Avoid females as a noun. Even though females accurately refers to people biologically capable of getting abortions, females is commonly used as a pejorative again women, reducing women to anatomy in contexts when anatomy is not the core focus. Instead of females who get abortions, use women who get abortions.

sex work, sex worker, prostitute, prostitution
Use sex work and sex worker rather than prostitution and prostitute when meanings overlap. But note that prostitution still fits in police and court references when attributed. If minors (who by definition cannot consent) are coerced into sex work, avoid child prostitution and instead use child sexual exploitation, sex trafficking victims, or child sexual abuse.

sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
STIs is preferred over STDs. STIs emphasizes that anyone can be infected even without symptoms of disease.

transgender, trans
Use transgender instead of transgendered. Shorthand trans is accepted. Try to use transgender on first reference, except when essayists want to start with trans on first mention. Examples: trans woman (not transwoman); trans rights.

See Legal Reporting for distinctions between assault, harassment, misconduct, and wrongdoing.

Race, Ethnicity

Ask sources how to identify their racial and ethnic identities if its relevant to the story and appropriate to ask. Below are some recommended words and definitions.

African American, black/Black
Always follow a persons preference. If a persons preference is not known, lean toward black/Black but keep in mind that the terms African American and black/Black are not interchangeable: African American refers to an American black/Black person of African descent, while Americans of Caribbean heritage generally identify as Caribbean American. Capitalization: Whether black/Black and brown/Brown are always capitalized is up to writers and sources discretion, but its an active conversation in search of consistency. Some publications lowercase (e.g., The Root) and some capitalize (e.g., Seattle Times). Let us know what you think at styleguide@motherjones.com or here:

Asian, Asian American
Asian fits the diaspora or a community of people who identify as Asians, but be specific if you mean Asian Americans, and even more specific if you mean Japanese Americans, Chinese Americans, Cambodian Americans, Filipino Americans, Indonesian Americans, and so on.

blacks/Blacks, whites
Instead of blacks/Blacks and whites as nouns, which define people by race, use black/Black and white as adjectives, which describe (instead of define) people by race: black/Black people, white people, black/Black voters, white voters, black/Black communities, white communities.

community vs. communities
Use the plural communities rather than singular the black/Black/white community to avoid implying a monolith. Similarly use experiences rather than theexperience.

dual heritage, compound nationalities/ethnicities
Do not use a hyphen unless a source prefers it. Mother Jones style (consistent with AP): African American, Caribbean American, Irish American, Latvian American

Hispanic
Hispanic is not interchangeable with Latino, Latina, and Latinx, but overlaps to some extent. Defer to individual preference. It often depends on geographical region; people in the Southwest tend to use Hispanic and only recently have started replacing it with Latino. When preference isnt known, use Latino/a/x instead of Hispanic, unless Hispanic is attributed to polls, census reports, or studies.

Each term refers to people from Spanish-speaking countries or cultures, but people from Spain are generally not Latino/a/x. Portuguese-speaking Brazilians are less likely to identify as Hispanic but sometimes do.

Be as specific as possible: Honduran, Guatemalan, Nicaraguan, Colombian, and so on.

multiracial
Instead of mixed, lean toward multiracial, biracial, or interracial, unless a person prefers mixed, in which case attribute it, like TK, who refers to herself as mixed.

people of color
Unless a source prefers minorities, lean toward people of color instead of racial minorities in the United States, except in statistical references to majority/minority. Always defer to individual preference.

voters
Be cautious about crutch terms like the black/Black vote, the Latino vote, and the Asian American vote, which imply that a groups individuals vote as a bloc with a monolithic voice and interests. Use plural black/Black voters, Latino/Latina/Latinx voters, and Asian American voters.

white supremacy, white nationalism
These terms overlap, and whether theres a distinction at all is a point of dispute between the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center, which disagree on whether white nationalism is just a euphemism for white supremacy. ADL says its a marketing trick by white supremacists to rebrand themselves. SPLC says theres an ideological differencewhite supremacy is the belief that white people are superior, whereas white nationalism posits that white people should have separate territory and legal rights.

Decide which term to use based on the beliefs or actions of the person or group in your story. Lean toward white supremacy if the focus is on ideology. White nationalism requires white supremacy to exist, but dont gloss over important differences: Use specific modifiers to differentiate, for example, between overt white supremacists and people who enable them in thinly coded ways.

Names of People and Places; Languages; Nationalities

Names of people
Always include accents like , , , , and in peoples names (e.g., Rigoberta Mench, Roque Senz Pea, Beyonc).

For names deriving from Arabic, see AP; Chinese here; Korean here; Portuguese here; Russian here; Spanish here. But first check our Preferred Spelling list below.

All names constructed as Firstname al-Lastname should follow that style for full names, but drop al- when using only Lastname. For example, Muqtada al-Sadr, but Sadr on subsequence references.

For peoples initials, use periods and no space: J.K. Rowling, R.L. Burnside, e.e. cummings. But: MLK Jr., JFK (no periods).

Use parentheses to set off state and political party affiliation: Sen. Hubert Humphrey (D-Minn.). Use old-style state abbreviations, not two-letter zip code style:

Alabama: Ala.
Alaska: Alaska
Arizona: Ariz.
Arkansas: Ark.
California: Calif.
Colorado: Colo.
Connecticut: Conn.
Delaware: Del.
Florida: Fla.
Georgia: Ga.
Illinois: Ill.
Indiana: Ind.
Iowa: Iowa
Kansas: Kan.
Kentucky: Ky.
Louisiana: La.
Maine: Maine
Maryland: Md.
Massachusetts: Mass.
Michigan: Mich.
Minnesota: Minn.
Mississippi: Miss.
Missouri: Mo.
Montana: Mont.
Nebraska: Neb.
Nevada: Nev.
New Hampshire: N.H.
New Jersey: N.J.
New Mexico: N.M.
New York: N.Y.
North Carolina: N.C.
North Dakota: N.D.
Ohio: Ohio
Oklahoma: Okla.
Oregon: Ore.
Pennsylvania: Pa.
Rhode Island: R.I.
South Carolina: S.C.
South Dakota: S.D.
Tennessee: Tenn.
Vermont: Vt.
Virginia: Va.
Washington: Wash.
West Virginia: W.Va.
Wisconsin: Wis.
Wyoming: Wyo.

Party and state affiliation can be omitted on a case-by-case basis for some well-known politicians.

Occupational titles
Capitalize formal titles only when they precede a persons name: President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Theresa May. Lowercase informal titles (e.g., special counsel Robert Mueller)

Academic titles: Do not capitalize professor before a persons name. Cap named professorships and fellowships: Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at Syracuse University.
Military titles: Spell out General, Colonel, Major, Lieutenant preceding a name. For compound titles, abbreviate first word, spell out second word: Brig. General and Lt. Colonel.
Plural titles: Lowercase: presidents Obama and Clinton, senators Warren and Sanders.
Police titles: Spell out Sergeant, Captain, preceding a name; spell out and cap Detective if its a formal title preceding name.
Political titles: Cap and abbreviate Sen. (for Senator), Gov. (for Governor), and Rep. (for Representative) preceding the name. For state officials: state Rep. TK, state Sen. TK
Religious titles: Spell out the Reverend preceding a name.

Names of places
Spell out states in most cases, including in captions: Wildfires in Paradise, California, destroyed thousands of homes. Exceptions: Abbreviate places with party affiliations like (R-Minn.). State abbreviations are okay in charts and graphs. (Do not use two-letter postal code abbreviations except for mailing addresses.)

Do not use accents in a place name.

The following US cities stand alone in copy, without needing state locators:

Austin, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle

The following international cities also stand alone:

Amsterdam, Baghdad, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, Cairo, Dublin, Guatemala City, Hong Kong, Jerusalem, Johannesburg, Kuwait City, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Montreal, Moscow, Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Nairobi, Paris, Quebec City, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, Toronto, Vancouver, Vatican City

Avoid datelines in articles.

Afghan
Refers to the people and culture of Afghanistan. Afghani is the Afghan unit of currency.

Argentine
The preferred term, rather than Argentinian, for the people and culture of Argentina.

China
The countrys official language is Mandarin, and Mandarin refers to a spoken language: One speaks Mandarin but writes Chinese. Use Pinyin (not Zhuyin) transliteration if given a choice.

Congo
Not the Congo. The refers to the Congo River, which gave the country its name, but the has fallen out of use in the countrys name, which AP shortens to Congo (not Democratic Republic of Congo and not DRC). Distinct from Republic of Congo (neighboring country).

Gaza
Not Gaza City; see AP for more.

Iranian, Persian
Follow an individuals preference. Iranian tends to emphasize nationality; Persian tends to emphasize history and the cultural diaspora. Theres plenty of overlap. Farsi (also called Persian) is Irans official language.

Japanese American, internment
The United States incarcerated more than 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, two-thirds of them US citizens, during World War II. Call these events what they were: incarceration, not internment. The US government uses the word internment to distinguish many detainees from the few convicted as spies and sent to prison. But make no mistake: Internment is a euphemism for incarceration. Use incarceration whenever possible.

Hfu (accented ; not haafu)
Refers to someone with one Japanese parent. Hfu means half. Use only when someone identifies this way.

Kazakhstan (with the h)

Korea
Use the new spelling adopted by Koreas Ministry of Culture:

The letters k, t, p, and ch have been changed to g, d, b, and j
k, t, p, and ch have been changed to k, t, p, and ch
sh has been changed to s

Examples: Choson is now spelled Joseon; Inchon is now spelled Incheon; Pusan is now spelled Busan.

Myanmar
Use Myanmar for this countrys current name (formerly Burma) except when a source prefers Burma. Historically, many news outlets and exile organizations continued to use Burma even after the 1989 official name change because the name Myanmar was preferred by the junta, whereas Burma was preferred by pro-democracy activists. But in recent years, more people and organizations are calling it Myanmar.

The language spoken in this country is called Myanmar. Refer to people as the people of Myanmar or the Myanmar people.

Native American
Follow a sources preference for description, and specify nation if known (e.g., Navajo, Hopi, Cherokee). Indigenous is accepted. Native people and shorthand Native are also accepted. Some younger Natives still prefer Indian, and a lot of groups and reservations have Indian in their names (i.e., American Indian Movement, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation), so Indian is okay if its attributed. In Canadian contexts, use Indigenous or Native or First Peoples, although First Peoples is more formal (encompassing Inuit, Mtis, and First Nations); specify nation if known (e.g. Sagamok Anishnawbek). Do not use the Natives, but Native alone is fine as an adjective: Native communities, Native activists, Native populations.

Capitalize Indigenous and Native in proper names or identifiers like Indigenous/Native rights, but lowercase in descriptive terms like people indigenous to and people native to. Indigenous (capped) refers to identities of original inhabitants of a place, with historical ties to pre-colonial or pre-settler times.

Nepal
People from Nepal are known as Nepali or Nepalese. Mother Jones default is Nepali, the way many people from Nepal tend to refer to themselvesdeparting from APunless a source prefers otherwise.

Swaziland
Until the government gets back to the Associated Press with guidance and AP takes a stance, use some form of Eswatini, the country formerly known as Swaziland, or Swaziland, now known as/whose king wants to rename the country Eswatini, with initial-cap Es rather than sE.

Taiwan
Taiwan has been governed separately from China since 1949. When precision is needed, call it an island, and its government the Republic of China. In all other cases, call it Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, but some countries recognize Taiwans sovereignty. (The United States officially does not.) Mainland China is okay to distinguish China from the island of Taiwan.

Third World
Avoid, unless its in a direct quote. Instead try developing nations or emerging economies. Also avoid First World; use industrialized instead of developed because countries and regions are never fully developed but they can be fully industrialized.

Ukraine
Not the Ukraine, which refers to the Soviet era.

Western
Capitalize for the film or book genre, but lowercase country western music. Capitalize the West and the South in reference to US regions. For directions: west and western.

slavery
Lean toward the following terms:
enslaved people rather than slaves
enslavers rather than masters, slaveholders, or slave owners
fugitives from slavery or self-emancipated people rather than runaway slaves
born with slave status or born into slavery rather than born a slave
forced-labor camp rather than plantation

Make exceptions as context or clarity calls for it.

(Hat tips: P. Gabrielle Foreman, et al. Writing about Slavery/Teaching About Slavery: This Might Help community-sourced document, and Nikole Hannah-Jones 1619 Project, New York Times Magazine)

tribalism
Use partisanship or provincialism rather than tribalism to describe extreme group loyalty. Use of tribalism in politics is misleading, a pejorative that does not resemble how tribes actually behave and interact.

Immigration

Dreamers
Dreamers refers to young immigrants without legal status in the United States, but unless someone prefers the label or its relevant historically, avoid it. The label referred to the DREAM Act proposal, which excluded millions of immigrants who didnt fit the storyline of high-achieving youth, and the act did not pass. DACA recipient (if accurate) is more specific.

If using Dreamer, style it this way, avoiding the clunkier DREAMer (even though DREAMer is technically correct, rooted in the acronym).

legal status
Use legal and illegal only to describe an action, not a person. Instead of illegal immigrant or illegals, alternatives include undocumented immigrant, unauthorized immigrant, and people without legal immigration status.

refugee, asylum seeker, immigrant, migrant, displaced person, internally displaced person
Refugees are forced to flee home countries by violence, persecution, or natural disaster.

Internally displaced people are forced to flee but not across national borders.

Displaced refers to anyone who matches either of the above.

Migrants are in the process of moving, commonly for economic reasons but not always.

Immigrants have moved permanently (changed countries of residence) for any number of reasons.

Asylum seekers seek official government protection.

Asylees seek or have already secured official government protection.

Mental Health, Physical Health, Ability, Disability

Labels should describe people, not define them, unless people define themselves by labels. Rule of thumb: Use people with, also known as people-first language, like people with disabilities instead of the disabled or disabled people. People with physical/mental limitations is also useful. Not everyone with a limitation is disabled.

autism
Lean toward autistic person instead of person with autism. This is an exception to people-first language. Opinions vary on this, but many advocacy groups opt for autistic person on the view that autism is part of an identity, not just a condition. Defer to personal preference.

deaf
Deaf is widely preferred for people with complete or severe hearing loss. Milder hearing loss is hard of hearing. Avoid hearing-impaired, which overemphasizes impairment, according to the World Federation of the Deaf. But always defer to a sources preference.

disorders
Distinguish between disorders and conditions. Disorders fits when disorders are diagnosed by the American Psychiatric Association; when military benefits depend on the distinction; or when a source or medical expert uses it.

drug use, addiction
See AP, which advises against calling someone an addict unless the person calls themself an addict. In addition to APs advice, avoid got clean, which implies the person had been dirty, unless the person sees it that way.

suicide reporting
Do not use commit suicide, per AP and mental health researchers who report a spread of suicide (a contagion) from the terms use, and because the verb commit can imply a criminal act, but laws against suicide have been widely repealed. Preferred: killed [oneself], took [ones] own life, or died by suicide. If suicide is a storys main focus, link to prevention sites and add this note at the bottom:

If you or someone you care about may be at risk of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a free 24/7 service that offers support, information, and local resources: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Use the term wheelchair user, and avoid wheelchair-bound; wheelchairs enable more than they limit.

For additional guidelines, consider the National Center on Disability and Journalisms style guide.

Elections, Information

disinformation vs. misinformation
Disinformation is deliberately false or designed to mislead; misinformation is false regardless of intent.

suppression vs. depression of voter turnout
Suppression is the preventing or discouraging of voters from casting a ballot, and making it broadly difficult to participate in the political process. The depression of voter turnout is the reduction of turnout from previously higher levels.

Scientific Reporting

artificial intelligence
Distinguish between AI and robots: AI is a machines ability to simulate intelligent human behavior. Robots can be AI-driven, but robots can also move physically, whereas AI can be purely software that does not move physically, like game engines and GPS.

bacteria
Bacteria is plural: Bacteria were clogging his lungs. Bacterium is singular: This bacterium is quite deadly.

citation
Link to the published study on first reference.

climate
The following are all accepted (a non-exhaustive list): climate change, climate science, climate crisis, climate emergency, climate breakdown, climate catastrophe, global warming; depending on context. (Editors discretion.)

Avoid the language of skeptic/skepticism about settled scientific facts. Just as its unscientific and misleading to say someone is a gravity skeptic, its unscientific and misleading to say someone is a climate change skeptic. Skeptic implies that someone intelligently doubts something. Instead use terms like denial/denier (facts can be denied) or spell out exactly what you mean. For anyone who is truly skeptical of unsettled claims, spell that out.

On first reference, use Celsius (and Fahrenheit in parentheses) for global
warming averages and targets. On later references, stick with Fahrenheit. Examples:
The Earth has already warmed 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) since the 19th century.
Governments are not on track to meet a goal of capping temperatures well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) before the end of the century.

correlation vs. causation
Correlation means two variables are related to each other, and when one changes, the other appears to change, but not necessarily as a result. Causation means one variables change causes the others change.

data
Data takes singular verbs: The data is sound.

doctor
Only refer to researchers as Dr. if they have medical degrees.

genus and species names
Per AP, capitalize the first, or generic, Latin name for the class of plant or animal and lowercase the species that follows: Homo sapiens, Tyrannosaurus rex. In second references, use the abbreviated form: P. borealis, T. rex. Dont italicize if Webster has it; otherwise italicize, like Asparagopsis armata.

statistical significance
Statistically significant generally means theres a less than 5 percent chance that the observed effect would have occurred at random.

For more distinctions and definitions, see AP.

Religion

God
Capitalize for the deities of monotheistic religions. Lowercase for the deities of polytheistic religions. Lowercase all other references except when the meaning is specifically religious.

anti-, bigotry, phobia
Bigotry is hate and prejudice against a group. Words ending in phobia, like Islamophobia, are gaining wider use to mean hateful fear of faith, but Islamophobia should not be used when what you mean is anti-Muslim bigotry. The distinction matterspeople too often call nonbigoted critics of religion phobics, which broad-brushes all critics as bigoted against believers. Its crucial to distinguish between bigotry against people and criticism of beliefs. If you mean fear of Muslims as people, for example, go with anti-Muslim bigotry, not unlike the parallel construction of a term like anti-Semitism.

Dont mistake criticism of beliefs as phobia of people. This holds for criticism of any ideas and institutionsin Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and so on. Distinguish between phobia and anti-.

Islam

As-salaam alaikum and Wa alaikum as-salaam are Mother Jones preferred spelling and hyphenation, closest to Arabic pronunciation. Allow variation if a source prefers.

burqa: the all-body covering worn by some Muslim women.

chador: a large cloak that covers the hair, neck, and shoulders, but
not the face, worn by some Muslim women, mainly in Iran.

hajj (not the hajj) is the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, the
birthplace of Prophet Muhammad.

hijab: the headscarf worn by some Muslim women.

Muhammad is the preferred spelling for the prophet of Islam.

niqab: the face veil worn by some Muslim women.

Quran (not Koran or Quran)

Shariah (not Sharia) means Islamic law, so Shariah law is redundant unless youre referring to a specific provision under a Shariah framework.

Sunni, Shiite: See AP.

Christianity

Bible, biblical: See AP, and use the Revised Standard Version for
quotes, not the King James Version.

Christian Coalition: On second reference, okay to use coalition

Christian fundamentalists and evangelicals should not be conflated. Both believe that the Bible is inerrant, but evangelizing is the further effort to spread that belief and convert others. Fundamentalists focus on foundational theology of scripture. Christian right is an umbrella term for a politically conservative Christian movement.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: Capitalize -Day. Mormon Church is also accepted. Church members have moved away from the term Mormon Church, but its still widely in use.

Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, Holy Trinity: See AP.

Pope: Only capitalized as a title before a name.

Judaism

Jew, Jewish person
When choosing between Jew and Jewish person as nouns, defer to a persons preference. Both are accepted. If preference isnt known, lean toward Jewish person if the noun Jew could be perceived to have pejorative connotations in context, in light of some historical uses. For example, Jews are migrating works fine, and Jews are diverse works fine, but My neighbor is a Jew could be rewritten as My neighbor is Jewish.

Grammatically, the noun Jew fits in comparative lists like Jews, Christians, and Muslims, all parallel nouns. Keep in mind that many Jews do not hear the noun Jew as pejorative and object to the idea that it is. Defer to personal preference.

Hanukkah (not Chanukkah), per Webster

High Holy Days, capitalized

Rosh Hashanah (not Rosh Hashana), closest to Hebrew, departing from AP

Buddhism
Buddhism can refer to a philosophy or religion. Specify which you mean, if not both.

atheism, humanism
Atheism is the lack of a belief that theres sufficient evidence for the existence of a god. (A means without, and theism is belief in the existence of a god.) Atheism is not a belief system; its the rejection of belief systems unsupported by evidence or reasoning that meets a certain mark. Distinguish from humanism; a humanist goes a step further and affirms that people are capable of morality, flourishing, and well-being without relying on supernatural claims.

Common Legal Distinctions

accused of, arrested for, suspected of, allegedly, reportedly
Each withholds a presumption of legal guilt. Arrested for murder can imply guilt. Avoid arrested for murder if what we mean is arrested on murder charges or arrested in connection with the murder of. We cant call or imply someone is a criminal unless the person has been convicted or has confessed, or its framed as an allegation. For minors, avoid assuming that juvenile confessions mean guilt, because minors are more likely to give false confessions than adults.

We dont have to overuse the word allegedly, but make clear that guilt has not been formally found.

assault, harassment, misconduct, wrongdoing
Assault is physical. Harassment may not be physical; it may be verbal, written, or insinuated through gesture, action, or deliberate inaction. Misconduct is the wider category of improper behavior, legal or illegal. If youre looking for a broader word, wrongdoing works, but wrongdoing can trivialize serious charges, so misconduct is sometimes a closer fit.

In reports on sexual violence, use the same words used by the victim/survivor as long as the words are accurate. For example, definitions of assault and rape vary by jurisdiction, so if youre using a sources words that disagree with legal definitions, make that clear.

Dont confuse categories of crimes like child molestation and acts of pedophilia. Definitions tend to vary by state.

attorney vs. lawyer: See AP.

burglary, robbery, larceny, theft: See AP.

civil, criminal
Dont mistake civil suits for criminal matters. In civil suits, parties can be found liable (instead of guilty), whereas in criminal suits, parties can be found guilty. Criminal courts in the United States do not find people innocent; they find people not guilty.

convicts, felons
Instead of convicts, use a workaround like people convicted of a crime. Instead of felons, use alternatives like people convicted of felonies or people with a felony record. Shes a felon can be recast as She was convicted of a felony. If using felon, note that the designation survives a prison sentence: After leaving prison, a person is still a felon (not an ex-felon) but is now an ex-inmate or ex-prisoner. A felon does not become an ex-felon unless the conviction is overturned or the person is pardoned. If you want to avoid branding someone a felon for life, go with convicted of a felony or with a felony record.

detainee vs. prisoner
For prolonged detention, like in cases of extended military or CIA detention, drop detainee and use straight-to-the-point words like prisoner, de facto prisoner, prison-like conditions, and incarcerated. Detainees in Guantanamo, for example, could just be called prisoners.

jail vs. prison
Prisons generally confine people serving sentences for felonies, according to AP, whereas jails confine people serving sentences for misdemeanors or who are awaiting trial or sentencing on charges (or confined for violations like contempt of court).

mass shooting
Since 2012, Mother Jones has maintained a first-of-its-kind database documenting mass shootings in the United States, which is continually updated. Our current definition of mass shooting: an indiscriminate shooting rampage in a public place resulting in three or more victims killed (not just wounded) by the perpetrator, and not including the perpetrator. By Mother Jones current criteria:

The shooter took the lives of at least three people (excluding the perpetrator).
The killings were carried out by a lone shooter (except in the case of the Columbine massacre and the Westside Middle School killings, which each involved two shooters).
The shootings occurred in a public place.
Shootings primarily related to gang activity or armed robbery are not included in our database; neither are mass killings that take place in private homes.

police report, incident report, arrest report, crime report
Police report can mean incident report, arrest report, crime report, or another report. Specify which if its relevant.

reporting on sex and minors
Had sex with implies consent, but an adult does not have sex with a minor; an adult rapes a minor. Call it that. Child prostitution is also misleading because it implies consent, but minors cant consent. Instead, use terms like child sex trafficking, child sexual exploitation, child sexual abuse, or child rape. If some jurisdictions use the term child prostitution, attribute it.

survivors, victims
Defer to a sources words, but if preference is not known, go with survivors unless youre emphasizing victimization purposefully.

pleaded
Past tense is pleaded, not pled.

v., vs.
Roe v. Wade is court case style: italicize, lowercase v. In all other uses, vs. (Never spell out versus.)

Attribution, Captions, Credits

attribution
Whether you use told me or told Mother Jones is up to you and depends on the needs of your story. Told me is a good default for more casual pieces, but told Mother Jones can fit a more traditional tone or on social media and other places where bylines arent possible, or for stories with joint bylines.

Whether an interview takes place by email, phone, or in person, only say so in the attribution if its relevant.

Whether you use says or said is up to you, but be consistent within a story. Use present tense for a books author: Barack Obama writes in his book TK. But use past tense for reporting that has already appeared: She reported in the New York Times. He told the Washington Post.

book excerpts
Book excerpts are not italicized. Dont edit for style, punctuation, or grammar; just fix typos and formatting, which dont have to be bracketed. Include an editors note:

Editors note: The following is an excerpt from [Book Title], reprinted with permission. Copyright [Publishing Company]

captions and credits
Use final punctuation only if a caption is a complete sentence or preceded by another sentence.

directionals: Use parentheses for (left), (right), (top), and (bottom) unless the caption begins with a direction; then omit parentheses. Top: Visitors to Alcatraz listen to inmates recordings.

photos from services: Photographer/Agency Name
(Drop Press, Images, etc., from names like Getty Images; just say Getty. If a service credits a username, drop the username; just credit the service.)

Wikimedia Commons image: Original source/Wikimedia Commons
(Add a link to the photographers page in the Credit URL field. Make sure to use the photographer/source, not the Wikipedia uploader.)

Noun Project icon: Designer Name/Noun Project
(Add a link to the designers page in the Credit URL field.)

YouTube screenshot: Uploader/YouTube
(Add a link to the video in the Credit URL field.)

screenshot of another publications video: Screenshot/Publication name
(Add a link to the video in the Credit URL field.)

screenshot of a TV show or movie: Screenshot: Network (or movie distribution company, ie: Universal Pictures)

screenshot somebody else took: Screenshot: Publication that took screenshot/Original Source
(Add a link to the page where the screenshot appears in the Credit URL field.)

promotional image: Courtesy Company Name

image provided by a source or sources family: Courtesy Source Name
(You can hyperlink the sources name to their website/social media profile when applicable.)

multiple images: Use examples above; separate with semicolon.

photo or illustration that appeared in the magazine or is commissioned for the website: Photo: Photographer name
Illustration: Illustrator name

illustrations and art from Mother Jones staff
Chart by Mother Jones
Illustration by Mother Jones
Photoillustration by Mother Jones

pseudonyms
When a pseudonym is used, explain it as early in the story as it makes sense to do so, in running text, rather than an asterisk/footnote.

syndicated articles
Syndicated articles cross-posted to our site should follow Mother Jones style if allowed by the syndication source. If not allowed, edit only for typos, broken links, and formatting. Include a top note like: This story was originally published by Grist and is shared here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

Slurs

Slurs should be handled situationally: You can spell them out if its crucial to the story (e.g., part of a quote that must be included; used in a first-person narrative; or central to a critique of the slur itself), unless you have reason not to in context. This guideline is deliberately loose, giving discretion to the editor and writer on a case-by-case basis. When in doubt, email styleguide@motherjones.com. If you do conceal a slur, use one hyphen per each letter omitted (e.g., ct, nr, ft).

The phrase n-word takes lowercase n unless starting a sentence. It refers to the er word and not nigga, which has different connotations and intentions (depending on the speaker). Specify the latter if thats the reference.

Slurs in headlines: Do not use slurs in headlines (with or without hyphens replacing letters). If a slur is important in a headline, use terms like a racial slur and name the slur in body copy. (Among other reasons not to, headline slurs can set off filters.)

In videos, theres no need to bleep audio if the slur is newsworthy. For consistency, dont censor the subtitle either.

Print-Specific

bad breaks
A bad break happens when a word that runs over one line and onto another is split incorrectly. Avoid bad breaks, with these pointers:

Two-letter breaks are okay.
Do not break proper nouns unless necessary for fit.
Bad breaks that cause spacing issues (in short paragraphs or short line lengths) are up to designer discretion.
Allow no more than two consecutive hyphenated line endings.
Breaks that form two discrete words are unacceptable in most cases, as in read-just.
If a URL breaks at the end of a line, dont hyphenate the break.
For example, this is okay: Reach her at better
campaigns.org/money. Whenever possible, break the URL at the punctuation and carry punctuation to the next line: bettercampaigns
.org/money. Also okay: Reach her at bettercampaigns.org
/money.

bylines
Capitalize the By: By Mary Harris Jones (font, italicization, etc., are at the discretion of the art department).

endboxes
The endbox looks like this . Separate the endbox with an option-space (slightly more than one space; slightly less than two) between the final punctuation and the box.

jumps
Add (continued on page xx) at the end of the page before the jump, and (continued from page xx) at the beginning of the first line of the page following the jump.

page numbers
Lowercase the word page in all references (e.g., on the Contributors page). En dash for page ranges: pages 3234.

read-throughs
When possible, avoid pages ending with a period or hyphen. Decide on a case-by-case basis.

signoffs
The signoff should have a space between the final punctuation and the em dash. Use bold and italics. Mary Harris Jones
For sidebars by the same author who wrote the feature use initials with periods: M.J.
For additional research or reporting: Mary Harris Jones, with additional research by the Daniels King, Moattar, Friedman, Spinelli, and Schulman
Fit signoffs into text lines; if one must be on its own line, justify it to the left.

small caps
Use small caps for acronyms and abbreviations and all-capped words that are three letters or more in the print magazine, including radio station call signs. Exceptions:
Use regular caps for postal addresses/acronyms such as PMB.
Use regular caps for a persons initials like JFK and MLK unless the initials are part of an airport, organization, site, or street name (then use small caps).

widows
A widow happens when the last line in a paragraph is noticeably shorter than the text column, leaving a large white space after the text. Widows are okay only if they are longer than one-third of the text column. If theyre shorter, point them out to art or editorial.

Web-Specific

deks
Web deks always end with punctuation, even if theyre not complete sentences.

headlines
Web headlines should not exceed 100 characters or three lines. One or two lines is ideal.
Use sentence case for onsite headlines, social headlines, and deks. Only add a period when its a full sentence.

quotation marks, apostrophes
WordPress mistakenly reverses quotation marks and apostrophes after italicized words and em dashes. To fix, replace with this code in the Text tab:

= open single quote:
= closed single quote:
= open double quote:
= closed double quote:

Videos

Terms to know

Bumper:

Locator:

Bug and lower third:

Thumbnail:

Lower-third style:

Delete filler words in subtitles like um, uh, er, like unless they add value. Sometimes they do! (Usually they dont.)

Subs should match what the speaker actually says: its or it is? gonna or going to? were or we are?

SOT means sound on tape, referring to anyone speaking (other than our presenter or voiceover host).

B-roll means secondary footage.

Resist ellipses as a placeholder to mean Hold onmore words are coming! If youre punctuating a speakers midsentence stumble, use an em dash(shift+option+hyphen).

Use serial commas: one, two, and three

Use numerals for 3 and above. (Soft rulebreak this rule if it looks awful in rare cases. But always numerals for ages and measurements.)

Distribute subtitles evenly on top and bottom lines.

Use an en dash (option+hyphen) to indicate an offscreen speaker switch:

Oh really?
Yes really.

Example:

(laughs), (coughs), (cheering) is our style for videos.

If a video has graphic violence, excessive blood, or death, include a graphic warning card in the beginning.

Use English subtitles even if language switches midvideo. Dont specify (in Spanish), (in Arabic), etc., unless its relevant.

[Wolf Blitzer]: speakers name in brackets only when necessary for clarity (e.g., offscreen). Colon goes outside.

Include fact credits in corners for allegations, data, scientific findings, police encounters, and exclusive news first reported by another organization. No credit is needed for widely accepted or self-evident facts.

Music/movie clips: Credit the studio/production/record company, whichever or whomever owns the rights.

TV shows: Credit the network.

In city/state locators, abbreviate states using postal codes, like Sacramento, CA.

Some well-known cities do not need state locators in videos:

Austin, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle

If adding date in videos, abbreviate as follows: Jan., Feb., March, April, May, June, July, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. Example: Sept. 8, 2019

Podcasts

Our podcasts are Bite and the Mother Jones Podcast, with the lowercase and not italicized. A series within Biteis Eating in Climate Chaos.

Example of embedding a podcast in web stories (italicized lead, with a colon):

Social Media

@
at @ is one too many. Just @handle.

hashtags
Capitalize each words first letter: #MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter.

Italics
Wherever italics are not possible for titles, like on Facebook and Twitter, use double quotes instead: Pixars Bao.

Newsletters, Fundraising Emails

Our newsletters are Econundrums (health and environment), Food for Thought (food), Political MoJo (news from our DC bureau), In the Mix (arts and culture), and Recharge (inspiring news).

For all email subject lines and newsletter headlines, use sentence case (not Title Case), and no period at the end unless its the second of two sentences.

For fundraising emails specifically:
Subject lines: [Sentence case]
Pre-header: [Appears in inbox preview] Needs a period at end so it doesnt run into opening line of content in preview mode.
FirstName/Mother Jones Reader, (with comma)
P.S. (no colon)

Bold the first sentences in newsletters:

Link the words, not the final punctuation: Like this. Not like this. Exception: Call-to-action fundraisers can link everything for emphasis, including punctuation: Lets pull together and take action!

Corrections, Updates, Clarifications

corrections
All errors of fact must be corrected, and a correction note added at the end of the post in italics. Example: Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated TK. In fact, TK. Correction notes should avoid restating the error unless restating the error is helpful for clarity or transparency.

All corrections should be flagged for our research editor or managing editor or your point editor. A corrections tone should match the storys tone: serious or funny, but not defensive or dismissive.

For most typos and inconsequential misspellings, just fix and move on, but if a name is misspelled throughout a story, a correction note is needed: Correction: TKs name was misspelled in an earlier version of this article.

If a correction is so massive that it changes the story, let social editors know; they might want to tweet a correction or share it on Facebook if the correction calls for it.

If a headline is changed for substantive reasons, add a note at the bottom of the story: Editors note: This storys headline has been updated. [TK reason if needed.]

updates
We have several formatting options for updates:

Breaking News
Add an update at the top of the post:

12:30 p.m. PT / ET: President Donald Trump announced
(Use the time zone youre in or the one most relevant to the story.)

If the story is still developing (e.g., active shooter), add this note at the bottom:

This is a developing story. Check back for updates and follow us on Twitter.

Same Day, Not Critical
Add the update at the bottom:

12:30 p.m. PT / ET: President Donald Trump announced

Later-Date Update
Add the update at the top, with date but no time:

April 15: President Barack Obama announced

(Only include the year if the update is in a different year from the original post.)

If the update is not critical, add it at the bottom.

Live Election Results
Add the first update at the bottom of the original post, and successive updates above it:

7:25 p.m. ET: Candidate TK has likely won

7:05 p.m. ET: Results were barely in Tuesday night, but

7:02 p.m. ET: As polls closed on the East Coast, the networks immediately predicted

If updates roll onto the next day, mention the new date once:

10:30 a.m. ET: TK made a speech

March 2, 9:15 a.m. ET: TK made a speech

7:05 p.m. ET: Results were barely in Tuesday night

6:50 p.m. ET: As polls closed on the East Coast

If so many updates are needed that its cluttered, write it through. Add a note at bottom: This story has been updated.

clarifications
If youre adding context that doesnt change the meaning, add Clarification: Its worth noting that some TK were larger in scale.

video corrections
All videos with substantial factual errors should be deleted from all platforms, and a correction note added to the description on YouTube/Facebook: Correction: An earlier version of this video misstated TK. If youre keeping up the flawed video because the error is minor, just add a correction in the description: Correction: At minute 3:55, TK fact instead. (Our correction policy for videos is stricter than for online articles because incorrect videos cant be fixed after publication without deletion, whereas web articles can be fixed after publication.)

Preferred Spelling

Search our list first, then AP, then Webster. If youre using Webster, go with Websters first or more common spelling (e.g., labeled is preferred to its variant labelled).

A
Abdullah, King
AI for artificial intelligence, no periods
afterparty
al-Assad, Bashar
alt-right
A.D. is preferred for clarity, despite its specific religious roots (short for anno domini, in the year of the Lord). Its generally not needed except to clarify when a date isnt B.C. When using it, put it after the year or time period: 15 A.D. Note that this is the opposite of the APs rule for using A.D. Stick to this house guideline.
adviser (not advisor)
advocate As a noun, advocate can be followed by for, as in: Hes an advocate for sustainable building. It can also stand as a verb without the for: He advocates sustainable building. But it never takes for as a verb: He advocates for sustainable building is wrong.
agrichemical not agrochemical
Aita al Shaab
a.k.a.
Al Jazeera
al-Qaeda
al-Bashir, Omar
al-Sadr (with full name), Sadr (when only last name is used); al-Shadri, Shadri. Follow this style for all names constructed Name al-Othername, unless theres a different established spelling.
al-Shabaab
airstrike
a.m., p.m.
American Dream
Amtrak Joe Biden
antifa
Arafat, Yasser
archaeologist
Arco okay on first reference for Atlantic Richfield Co.
Associated PressSpell out on first reference (no italics), and abbreviate as the AP (including the) on later references.
asylum seeker no hyphen
author okay to stet as verb

B
Baath Party
badmouth verb
babysitter
back seat (noun), backseat (adj.), as in backseat driver
Beltwayas in inside-the-Beltway critics
Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program
bestseller, bestselling
Beverly Hills, 90210 with comma
Big Four
Big Oil
Big Pharma
Big Tobacco
binge-watch, bingeing
birthrate
Black Hawk helicopter
Black Twitter
blood-red adj.
bodycam
border crosser no hyphen
Boy Scoutsacceptable on second reference as the Scouts. As an adjective, drop the s: Boy Scout camp. When the word scout stands alone, lowercase: scout leaders, a scout camp. Also lowercase scouts (plural) when referring to a group of boys, as opposed to the organization. Example: The scouts sang campfire songs. The Scouts have continued to discriminate.
Brady Bill
brand new never hyphenate
breakdancing
BS for bullshit
burqa

C
cafe, cafes
carpool
changemaker
chaperone
chatroom
cheatsheet
checkboxes
child care never hyphenate
chile (not chili) for the pepper; chili for the stew
clearcut, clearcutting (referring to trees); but hyphenate clear-cut when meaning is unambiguous: clear-cut case; the case isnt clear-cut.
Co., Corp.abbreviate per AP
commander in chief
Contract With Americashorthand Contract is okay after first reference.
copy edit (verb), copy editor, copy-edit process, copy-edited version
crowdsource
cueing not cuing

D
data (takes singular verbs): data is
Dakota Access pipeline, Keystone XL pipeline lowercase pipeline
Dawa
day one, day two lowercase, contra AP
decision making (noun), decision maker, decision-making authority
deep state lowercase, but Deep State if used facetiously
Deir Ezzor
Democrat, Democraticcap in reference to Democratic Party, but not when
used generically (a democratic society)
Democratic National Convention, Democratic convention
Democratic Republic of Congo: no The to start it; Congo on second
reference.
Department of Defense, Defense Departmentboth accepted. DOD (in
small caps in print) on second reference, not DoD.
diehard in all cases
direct-mailhyphenate as a compound: direct-mail campaign
disrupter
doggie
doughnut not donut
dos and donts
Dont Ask, Dont Tell
drop out (verb), dropout (adj., noun)
du-rag not do-rag or dorag or durag

E
Earned Income Tax Credit
earth lowercase when referring to soil; capitalize for the planet
eco-fascism
editor-in-chiefcap Editor-in-Chief on Mother Jones masthead or when preceding a name.
e.g., with periods and always followed by comma
Erbil not Irbil; a northern Iraqi/Kurdish city
etc., followed by a comma when occurring in the middle of a sentence:
Several chickens, cows, horses, etc., were spotted on the road.
excessive force (shorthand), use of excessive force (in full)

F
fact-check verb, noun, adjective
Fallujah
far-right-wingers
farmers market
fedayeen
firmIgnore APs distinction between a company and a firm. Use of firm
okay in all instances.
flyeradvertising circular; flier: one who flies
Forbes 400, Fortune 500
fortuneteller, fortunetelling
fossil fuel never hyphenate
frontrunner
fundraiser, fundraising

G
Gamergate
G7 not G-7
Generation X, Gen X, Gen Xer
Geneva Conventionsbut Article 3 of the Geneva Convention
GEO Group no the before it
germline
GIF, GIFs
goddamn, goddamnit, goddamned
goodbye
gradesA+, B-, C+, etc.
guestworker
Gulf War, first Gulf War
gun control never hyphenate

H
half-dozen
handpick, handpicked
hardline, hardliner
Head Start
health care never hyphenate; day care, skin care
hellraiser
high schoolopen as an adjective (unless confusing; then hyphenate)
Highway See Interstate.
hip-hop noun, adj.
homepage, homescreen
homeowners association
hotdish
hot button (noun); hyphenate when used as a compound modifier: hot-button issues.
human rights never hyphenate
Hussein, Uday

I
ice cream noun, adj., never hyphenated
iced coffee not ice coffee
IDd, ODd, ODing
i.e., with periods and always followed by comma
Ihor Kolomoisky rather than Igor
Infowars
Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI)
Interstate I-95 or Interstate 95either can be used on first reference
Intifada to refer to Palestinian uprising; intifada in general
Iran-Contra
Iraq War
ISISstands for the Islamic State of (not in) Iraq and Syria

J
Jell-O trademark, jello generic
jihadist not jihadi
JLo for Jennifer Lopez
Johnson & Johnson on first reference; J&J optional on later reference
judgment
Juul, Juul Labs

K
kaffeeklatsch, kaffeeklatsches, kaffeeklatschers
Keystone XL pipeline, Dakota Access pipeline lowercase pipeline
kick-ass
King Abdullah
Kislyak, Sergey

L
left, left wing (noun), left-wing (adj.), left-winger
lifespan
like button no quotes around the first word
liveblog in all cases
livestream in all cases
longform adj.
long-term adj.
longtime adj.
long-standing adj.
long shot (noun), long-shot (adj.)

M
mac n cheese
madrassa
Mafia, mafioso, mafiosi, mafiya (Russian mafia), the Mobuse lowercase
mafia when it doesnt refer to the Italian or American crime organizations.
Marshall Project, the not italicized
MC for emcee
Medvedev, Dmitri
means-testing verb, noun
media when referring to news media; media takes a singular verb if
preceded by the. Example: The media is obsessed with Donald Trump. If not preceded by the and if referring to multiple news organizations, use a plural verb. Example: We uncover stories that big, corporate-driven media ignore.
megachurch
#MeToo
mic or microphone
Mideast
M.O. as in modus operandi
Mohammed bin Salman
Mother Jones, MotherJones.com, motherjones.com/this-story-is-great
Muqtada al-Sadr
mugshot
Muhammad for the prophet of Islam
mujahideen

N
naivete
Nasdaq
New York magazine
New York Times Magazine, the
nonprofit, 501(c)(3)
nonfiction
nonviolent
Northern California

O
Obamacare
Obiang, Teodoro
okay do not abbreviateunless you really want to. But dont.
on-again, off-again
onscreen, offscreen, onstage, offstage
over generally refers to spatial relationships. Use more than with numerals, but over is fine if it sounds better in context or space is tight.
Overton Window

P
PAC, super-PAC
pageview
Paris agreement, Paris climate agreement, Paris climate accord
passerby
Patriot Act
per capita always follows a noun, so never hyphenate
photo essay
Pill lowercase if used with a modifier: birth control pill; cap if used alone: the Pill
Pozner, Vladimir
primetime
ProPublica not italicized
protester not protestor

Q
Q&A
Qaddafi, Moammar
Quran not Quran or Koran

R
rainforest
R&B
Reddit, subreddit, /r/The_Donald
real estate never hyphenate, even when it modifies a noun
realpolitik
recordkeeping
Red cap when it refers to communism
Red Scare refers to public fear of communism in the mid-1900s
Redskins Refer to the NFL team in DC as Washington, Washingtons NFL team, or the Washington [Redacted].
red-light district
reelection
Republican National Convention, Republican convention
resume not rsum
right, right wing (noun), right-wing (adj.), right-winger
R.I.P.
rock n roll
runup

S
satphone
Sears Holding Corp. 2005 merger of Kmart and Sears, Roebuck and Co.
seatbelt
Sergey Lavrov
service members
Shah before or after name
Shariah not Sharia
sheikh
shit ton no hyphen
shitshow
shitstorm
Shiite not Shia
shockwaves
soft money open as a compound
Soho (London), SoHo (NYC)
Soleimani, Gen. Qassem
soundbite
soundtrack
Southern California
spartan not Spartan, unless referring to something from Sparta
spear-phishing
spray-paint, spray-painted
squad lowercase as informal name for the group consisting of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar
startup
storytime
Sunni
Swift Boating

T
taekwondo
tax-exempt, tax-deductible
taxpayer, taxpaying
tea party
teachers union
teenage, teenageruse the adjective teenage instead of teenaged
telephone numbers take hyphens, no parentheses: 415-665-6637
throughline
timeline
Times of London
the Today show not The Today Show
touchscreen
Tourette syndrome
toward not towards
Treasurys not Treasuries
Trumpworld

U
ultra-right-wingers
underwater
unfriend not de-friend
United Kingdom noun, UK adj.
United Nations noun, UN adj.
United States noun, US adj., but US is also okay as a noun when it avoids repetition or saves space in sidebars, stat boxes, etc.; the same goes for UK and UN
US Central Command

V
voiceover

W
Walmart
war on terror
Washington, DC, with commas and no periods
wifi
winner-takes-all
wiseguy
WMD not WMDs
wordsuse quotes (e.g., the word color has two syllables)

X
X-ray

Y
YouTubecapital T

Z
zip code not ZIP code

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