The Washington Post announced on Wednesday that it will capitalize the word “Black” when used “to identify the many groups that make up the African diaspora,” but the paper’s decision regarding the word “White” has come under fire.
“Stories involving race show that White also represents a distinct cultural identity in the United States. In American history, many White Europeans who entered the country during times of mass migration were the targets of racial and ethnic discrimination,” the Washington Post's public relations department wrote.
The Washington Post took heat on Wednesday for its explanation on why “White” would be capitalized. (Eric BARADAT / AFP)
FOX NEWS MEDIA TO CAPITALIZE 'BLACK'
“These diverse ethnicities were eventually assimilated into the collective group that has had its own cultural and historical impact on the nation. As such, White should be represented with a capital W,” the Post added.
Post Global Opinions editor Karen Attiah shared the news with her followers on Twitter, but many condemned the Post’s explanation for capitalizing the word “White.”
After the backlash, Attiah took to Twitter again and asked if capitalizing "White" made her followers uncomfortable.
Throughout the day, Attiah sent several other tweets about the decision.
“A white person doesn't have to be a *literal Nazi* or KKK to benefit from the power gained from 400 years of violence, racist laws,” she wrote. “White (American) institutions and values are also upheld by everyday preferences to live with other whites, work with whites, vote for whites...”
Earlier this month, Fox News announced it would capitalize “Black” when it is used as an adjective to describe people, a community or culture, after consulting with its diversity team and researching the history of language, culture and customs.
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Other colors that are commonly used to describe a race, such as “White and “Brown,” will also be capitalized by Fox News when used as adjectives, coinciding with the recommendation by the National Association of Black Journalists.
Last week, the Associated Press announced it would continue to lowercase the word “White” – partially because the newsgathering service felt that capitalizing it could subtly legitimize white supremacy beliefs.
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