Savannah Hulsey Pointer, FISM News
The AP Style Guide was castigated by political pundits for a recent update in their guidance and inclusivity language protocols. The news style guide has added “pregnant people” to their language to cover transgender identifying and non-binary identifying people.
According to Fox News coverage of the addition, the media group is attempting to add those who are able to get pregnant but don’t identify as women.
Associated Press reporter Kimberlee Kruesi announced the new guidance via Twitter, posting “New AP style guidance alert” and shared a screenshot of the update.
New AP style guidance alert: pic.twitter.com/bCYr8KExr2
— Kimberlee Kruesi (@kkruesi) May 4, 2022
It stated, “Phrasing like ‘pregnant people’ or ‘people who seek an abortion’ seeks to include people who have those experiences but do not identify as women, such as some transgender men and some nonbinary people.”
The guidance went on to say, “Such phrasing should be confined to stories that specifically address the experiences of people who do not identify as women. See gender, sex and sexual orientation.”
Leaders in conservative media had a range of responses, from amusement to anger to complete confusion.
Political fundraiser Beth Bauman tweeted that she believed the update was “an insult to women,” and Latina conservative influencer Jennifer Barreto-Leyva tweeted, “This is ridiculous. Only women can get pregnant.”
RedState managing editor Jennifer Van Laar also took aim at the entry, tweeting, “This is why I do not have my editors and writers conform to new AP style guidance/manuals.”
This is why I do not have my editors and writers conform to new AP style guidance/manuals https://t.co/SdK9QPd5cm
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) May 5, 2022
Arizona GOP chairwoman Dr. Kelli Ward described the guidance as a “clown show on display,” and Lone Conservative founder Kassy Dillon expressed confusion at the new entry, tweeting, “What in tarnation.”
The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro chimed in saying, “LMAO at the AP trying to explain why, when it’s writing about abortion, the story is about women, but when it’s writing about transgenderism, the story is about pregnant people.”
Washington Free Beacon’s Joe Gabriel Simonson captioned the screenshot of the entry, writing, “New Democratic Party instructions alert,” before offering his opinion on what the purpose of the new entry was. “[T]here is absolutely zero reason to release this clarification other than in service to the democratic party. Elite media and social media platforms just spent the last year or two berating/punishing anyone who said men can’t get pregnant,” he tweeted.
there is absolutely zero reason to release this clarification other than in service to the democratic party. elite media and social media platforms just spent the last year or two berating/punishing anyone who said men can't get pregnant
— Joe Gabriel Simonson (@SaysSimonson) May 5, 2022
“The idiots who run the @AP style guide are anti-human and anti-woman,” tweeted Media Research Center Vice President of Free Speech America and MRC Business Dan Gainor.
YAF National Journalism Center program director Becket Adams questioned the change, asking, “[S]o am [I] allowed to have an opinion on abortion or not? because I’m getting mixed messages this week.”
so am i allowed to have an opinion on abortion or not? because I’m getting mixed messages this week. https://t.co/YVze9HNaso
— Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) May 4, 2022
And Heroes of Liberty editor Bethany Mandel tweeted, “Not great timing for the ‘women’s rights’ crusaders.”