Words matter.

And as scrutiny increases over what language is appropriate and inappropriate to use, it can be harder to find the right ones.

To navigate this, Oxfam released an ‘inclusive language guide’ to help staff talk about its work.

Among the recommendations is that parent replaces mother and father. Humankind is suggested in place of mankind.

And “is affected by” should be used when describing someone with a health condition. But the guidance saw the charity face a ferocious backlash. 

To read the original article this audio blog was created from click here.

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We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers.

Media First are media and communications training specialists with more than 35 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers.