Prejudicial Words We Refuse to Print

Our living list of slanted language, and the neutral words we use instead.

Most newsrooms have a style guide they never show you. This is ours.

Loaded language is how a story takes a side without ever saying so, a single adjective, a sly verb, a label that pre-convicts. So we keep a list of the words we refuse to print in our own voice, and the neutral words we use instead. We proofread every article, every poll question, and every script against it.

The one rule that governs this list: these words are banned in our voice, the narration, the headline, the poll question. They are allowed, and often necessary, when we are quoting a side using its own framing, because naming loaded language out loud is exactly how we expose it. The sin isn’t the word existing. It’s letting it quietly push you.

1 · Opinions disguised as adverbs

obviously, clearly, sadly, tragically, fortunately, shockingly, alarmingly → delete the word; let the fact stand. They announce the writer’s conclusion before you reach your own.

2 · Loaded verbs for what people said

slammed, blasted, ripped, admitted, conceded, claimed, bragged, refused → said, stated, argued, according to, declined. The verb shouldn’t decide who’s guilty or who lost.

3 · Drama in place of facts

soaring, skyrocketing, plummeting, crisis, devastating, unprecedented, controversial → give the actual number (“rose 12%”) or describe it plainly.

4 · Labels that pre-convict

regime, mob, thugs, scheme, agenda, zealot, extremist, shill, elites, the swamp → government, crowd, plan, supporter, officialsname the actual thing, not the slur.

5 · Unearned praise (it cuts both ways)

world-class, visionary, iconic, revolutionary, brave, principled, common-sense → show the evidence, or cut it.

6 · Weasel words

“some say, ” “critics argue, ” “experts agree, ” “studies show” (uncited), “people are saying” → name and cite the actual source, or don’t make the claim.

7 · Smuggled assumptions

still, even, finally, admittedly, “to be fair, ” “make no mistake, ” “despite…” → drop the framing word; give both sides equal weight.

8 · The contested political words

This is the hardest category. On charged debates, each side has its own slanted vocabulary. Our rule: use the neutral, descriptive term in our voice; put each side’s preferred term in quotation marks when we report their framing, and give both sides’ terms equal treatment. We never adopt one tribe’s words as if they were neutral.

Topic	One side says	The other side says	Our neutral term
Immigration	“illegal alien, ” “invasion”	“undocumented, ” “newcomer”	“illegal immigration” / “undocumented immigrant” (the precise legal fact)
Abortion	“pro-life, ” “unborn baby”	“pro-choice, ” “clump of cells”	“anti-abortion” / “abortion-rights”; “fetus” (medical)
Estate tax	“death tax”	“the Paris Hilton tax cut”	“estate tax”
Guns	“gun rights, ” “law-abiding owners”	“gun lobby, ” “weapons of war”	“gun rights” vs “gun control”; “semi-automatic rifle”
Healthcare	“government takeover, ” “socialized medicine”	“Medicare for All, ” “guaranteed coverage”	“single-payer” / “public option” (the mechanism)
Climate	“climate crisis, ” “denier”	“climate alarmism, ” “hoax”	“climate change”; “skeptic” not “denier”
Voting	“election integrity, ” “rigged”	“voter suppression, ” “the Big Lie”	“voter-ID law, ” “mail-in voting” (the specific rule)
Welfare	“handouts, ” “dependency”	“the safety net, ” “earned benefits”	name the program (“SNAP, ” “Social Security”)

The test: if only one political side would comfortably use a word as plain description, it isn’t neutral, so we find the term both sides would accept as factual, or we quote and attribute each.

Why we publish this

Anyone can claim to be fair. This is us showing our work. The list is alive, every time we catch a new slanted word, it goes here. Hold us to it: if you ever catch one of these in our own voice, email corrections@trujournalism.com and we’ll fix it in the open.

We’d rather earn your trust slowly than demand it.

You decide. We never will.

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