Abstract

This essay focuses on ethical issues which arise from the use of terminology regarding ethnic, national and racial identities in newspaper headlines and articles. The description of the identity of members of social minorities involved in criminal acts can be troublesome, and several journalistic codes of conduct deal with this problem. This essay offers a critical discussion of some codes of conduct currently in use, from the perspective of Membership Categorization Analysis. It is argued that the rule of relevance should be the most important criterion to avoid the spread of racist attitudes via the news.