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Racially charged descriptives have no place in a news story, unless done so in a completely tasteful manner. Ethnicity plays a factor in a news story only if it is a direct piece of the story. It is difficult to tastefully use any racial or ethnic descriptions, so one must be extremely careful to not offend anyone.

News stories sometimes need to use descriptions, and they may need to be race or ethnicity specific. In these instances, word choice becomes crucially important. A news story cannot reflect any bias, and some descriptions carry with them negative connotations. Finding out the proper word choice can be rather involved. Consulting with members of the local Embassy may steer you in the right direction.

A racial or ethnic description in a news story should be used tastefully, which means that it does not conjure up any negative thoughts, nor does it leave a feeling of ignorance and fear in the mind of the reader. The descriptions should be positive and helpful to the news story.

The times reflect appropriate language and terminology. Society is comprised of many different people, all of whom are unique, yet we are all the same in our desire to be respected, and to be judged on our character, not the racial or ethnic composition of our ancestors.

Social values and ethical guidelines enable a fair and unbiased notion of people in the journalism field. News stories can be told without generalizations, racial undertones, or stereotypical descriptions. Once a story has been written, an esteemed journalist will scour through, and replace questionable language with less invasive wording. If a racial or ethnic description is warranted, it should be done so in a respectable manner.

Many people, not necessarily groups of people, feel underappreciated and devalued by society as it currently stands. They do not need any fuel in their fires, so they do not need to feel as though they have been demeaned in a news story. Video footage of a news story will tell enough for the viewing audience, negative connotations can be left out of the story.

Weaving a tapestry of questionable descriptions warrants dismissal from journalism. Tastefully describing people is an art form that needs to be mastered. There is a fine line that should not be crossed. By saying that a person is suffering from diabetes is more tasteful than referring to someone as diabetic. My uncle has cancer, he isn't cancer. We have become lazy with our conversational skills, and most tasteless comments

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