Would a truly reputable national newspaper use the N-word to describe African-Americans and say it is just "company policy?"

I doubt it. But that the USA Today has done something similar.

On December 15, USA Today ran an article titled “Groups try to delay deportations of illegal students," ((http://j.mp/5S9wMe) in which they called young immigrant students in the United States “illegal students.”

USA Today reporter, Emily Bazar ([email protected]), says she is just following company policy when she labels young immigrants without papers as “illegal students." See the email where she justifies her actions: http://www.dreamactivist.org/wp-cont...milyisdumb.png

Appalling, isn't it? But she blatantly avoids the issue at hand. I get the “illegal immigrant” euphemism because that slur is familiar. But just what exactly is an "illegal student?"

No human being can be illegal. Click on the link below to tell USA Today to stop competing with the archaic immigration system and drop the use of the word ‘illegal’ http://www.change.org/actions/view/a...legal_students

After Emily Bazar implicated that the use of "illegal immigrant" came from a webcast with representatives from NumbersUSA and National Council of La Raza, Lisa Navarette from NCLR came on record within a few hours to say that "'Illegal student" is not only wrong on substance and grammar grounds, it is just plain laziness on the part of people who purport to adhere to journalistic standards [...] We would never purport to tell anyone what to call themselves or define their identity for them."

I am asking you to stand up with me. Don't be afraid and do not let anyone label you, your family, friends, students and an entire community of disenfranchised people as "illegal."

Sign the petition directed at USA Today and spread the word
http://www.change.org/actions/view/a...legal_students

If you need more details, our blog post on this issue is here: http://dreamactivist.org/usatodayfail



If you can write about this on your own blog, copy-paste this to your contacts or make calls to the following people, that would be great as well:

Heidi Zimmerman
Director/Communications
7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22108
(703) 854-5304
[email protected]

Alex Nicholson
Manager/Communications
7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22108
703-854-5872
[email protected]