24.09.2012. Jose Antonio Vargas is a man on a mission. The journalist turned immigration activist wants news organizations to stop using the term “illegal immigrants,” which he finds disparaging and inaccurate. He’s particularly focusing on The Times and The Associated Press to change their policies.
Mr. Vargas has approached me about it by e-mail, and I’ve said I would be happy to hear him out. I should note that, as public editor, I don’t make Times policy on such things. However, I could, at some point, take a stand.
At this point, I don’t know enough.
I do know what Mr. Vargas — who revealed that he is an ‘undocumented immigrant’ in a Times Magazine piece last year — told the Online News Assocation in a speech there last Friday.
And I talked about it Monday morning with Philip B. Corbett, the associate managing editor for standards at The Times. “We do think about this, and we talk about it all the time,” he said.
