Guidelines for Racial Identification

The way journalists use racial identifiers can shape public perception of an entire race or community. Whether to include race in a story depends on context—such as geography, demographics, and how race functions within that local landscape. These guidelines are meant to support journalists in moments of pressure, especially when decisions about race come up during fast-moving or high-stakes coverage.

The types of stories most likely to include a racial identifier could be breaking news, crime, or other public safety concerns—where first responders are tasked with reporting someone’s race. In breaking news, unless law enforcement is speaking directly to a loved one at the scene or referencing official identification, the information they provide may be a best guess. This becomes especially risky in large, diverse cities, where individuals might be grouped by perceived race as part of standard press release. The goal here isn’t to question first responders, but to encourage journalists to approach early details with healthy skepticism.

If there is any uncertainty about a person’s race—whether the description comes from police, witnesses, or even friends—the most reliable source for racial identification is the individual themselves or, if that’s not possible, their family. If the family is unavailable or unable to confirm, consider withholding the racial identifier unless additional reporting can reliably verify the information. Avoid publishing assumptions based on appearance, community, name, or hearsay.

If you feel that a racial identifier is necessary in your reporting in this context, consider verifying whether a person is the race that is designated to them prior to including that aspect in your report.

Take extra care when speaking of groups of people and categorizing them by race. While it is sometimes appropriate to describe “communities” based on race, these descriptors often minimize the vast diversity within these groups (i.e., “the Asian American community”). Be particularly aware not to suggest monolithic thinking, acting or behaving by racial “communities.” It is always best to be as specific as possible when describing groups of people, for instance, the broad phrase “people of color” should not be used if you are just referring to Black and Hispanic people. Similarly, in many communities, all racial groups - including white people - are “minorities,” so take extra caution before using that description. “Person of color” or “minority” should not be used in the singular. Be aware that government - and many other official categorizations by race are very limited to just a few categories and often don’t represent how individuals identify. 

An exception in utilizing racial identifier may be when transmitting emergency alerts provided by law enforcement agencies, such as Amber Alerts, in which information provided by law enforcement should be disseminated as is with the goal of finding the endangered person as quickly as possible. 

For additional information, see The Diversity Style Guide and AP Stylebook’s guidelines for race-related coverage.