This report explores a small, yet impactful, way that journalists can connect with misrepresented or stigmatized audiences: using person-centered language, as opposed to stereotypical labels, to describe communities in news articles.

The Center for Media Engagement partnered with Resolve Philly, an organization that promotes best practices for equitable and community-based journalism, to survey three often stigmatized groups: people who have experienced homelessness, people with disabilities, and people in recovery from substance use disorder. We found that people who read an article that used person-centered terms for their group (e.g., person with substance use disorder) felt more humanized and trusted the article more than people who read a story with stigmatizing labels (e.g., drug abuser). Based on this work, we recommend that journalists use person-centered language in their reporting.