Why are pro-life groups and individuals always labeled "anti-abortion" or "abortion rights opponent?" To me, the label "anti-abortion" implies something negative, and "abortion rights" is more positive. Why not "pro-life/right-to-life" instead of "anti-abortion"?

Carol Orean

Why conceal the identity of someone wanted by the FBI for violent crimes? What difference does it make if he has not yet been arrested? Is it your intent to obstruct his capture by concealing his identity?

Dave Hartner

The life of a public editor is consumed by questions of language, taste and perception:

How should The Dallas Morning News refer to those who oppose abortion? What's the difference between South Dallas and southern Dallas? When and how should we identify criminal suspects?

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These are not small issues. Readers pay attention to how The News refers to their communities and their causes. Our choices signal how we see those communities and causes -- and our decisions impact how the public sees us.

A couple of times a year, a newsroom group known as the Style Committee convenes to wrestle with the kinds of questions raised by Carol Orean and Dave Hartner. Members come from various departments, and their goal is simple: consistency and clarity.

The committee's choices "are a reflection of The Dallas Morning News' personality and our values," says Carol Taylor, The News' breaking news editor and head of the committee. It aims to "unify our content, not just in print, but across multiple digital platforms. We want to keep things consistent from writer to writer, from editor to editor."

She adds: "It shows readers that we're paying attention to the details, and hopefully that means they'll trust us more."

The committee leans on the Associated Press Stylebook, used by hundreds of newsrooms. The AP Stylebook anchors the committee's deliberations, but Taylor points out that the group occasionally goes against it. Not to mention that the AP does not address local issues.

Take South Dallas and southern Dallas. The former (which includes Fair Park) sits mostly east of downtown and is a distinct community, while the latter denotes an area south of the Trinity River with many neighborhoods.

Abortion is another topic that can rile readers, so much so that Taylor says any style change must be vetted by the executive editor. In this instance, The News follows AP's guidance, which says, "Those who believe women have a right to an abortion are abortion rights advocates, supporters, proponents. Opponents are abortion opponents."

In a couple of thoughtful emails, Orean argued, "The focus of pro-life is not the single issue of abortion. To be pro-life means to respect the dignity and inherent worth of every person at every stage and in every circumstance ... unborn babies, the elderly, the disabled, death row inmates, victims of violence."

For now, Taylor says we still stick with "anti-abortion" because "we need to use language that encompasses most people in a movement, not just a particular person. A lot of people are against abortion, but they're in favor of the death penalty."

The News will also keep employing phrases such as "abortion-rights advocate" in part because "there are people who are anti-abortion who still believe the choice [to have an abortion] should remain with the woman."

All of that makes sense.

Hartner's question touches on another hot-button issue: when to identify criminal suspects. In this case, the reader wondered why The News did not name Benjamin Song, who in early July faced federal charges of attempted murder and firearms crimes in connection with the wounding of an Alvarado police officer at ICE's Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado. That was before his arrest. Authorities deemed him "armed and dangerous."

On one hand, The News usually does not name suspects until they have been arrested, Taylor says. Yet our style guidelines allow us to name suspects who are a danger to the community. And so the reader makes a valid point: If the FBI labeled the suspect a threat, why not identify him? (Song was arrested in mid-July.)

This case reminds us that addressing style questions is more art than science. It's complicated.

To shore up its process, the committee could add a reader or two, who would stand for the audience's voice and views.

Another suggestion: In our news report, explain our choices more often to readers, especially given that new style issues emerge so frequently these days (see Gulf of America, Alligator Alley and Department of War, among others). This kind of transparency would not take much space or time. But it would make a big difference.

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Public Editor: Pro-life or anti-abortion?