How the AP Slanted Border Coverage to Hide the Crisis

While internal Customs and Border Protection documents repeatedly refer to an immigration "Surge" at the border, according to records reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon, the AP recommends journalists no longer use such descriptions to avoid offense and maintain supposed "Neutrality." Other documents, circulated internally throughout Customs and Border Protection in May, instruct officials on processing "The surge of undocumented individuals as efficiently as possible."

The AP pressed news outlets in March to "Avoid imagery conjuring war or natural disaster, which could portray migrants as a negative, harmful influence. Avoid emotive words like onslaught, tidal wave, flood, inundation, surge, invasion, army, march, sneak, and stealth." But Customs and Border Protection officials told the Free Beacon that they hold weekly meetings they call "Surge meetings" to discuss ways to process the thousands of migrants flooding into the country.

Julio Varela said in his column he complained to the AP about the use of words like "Surge" in its immigration coverage, suggesting news outlets use "Entering," "Crossing the border," and "Increase" instead. The AP told Varela his complaint came at the perfect time: Editors there were already "Discussing word choices internally" and just assembled a memo addressing concerns by Latino activists.

The AP's recommendations were adopted by news organizations such as Politico, which asked its staff, among other things, to no longer describe the unprecedented flood of illegal immigrants to the southern border as a "Crisis."

At the time of the AP's new guidance, the United States saw unaccompanied migrant children cross the border at levels not seen in decades, according to data provided from Customs and Border Protection.

The agency said it saw a more than 70 percent increase in illegal border crossings in March compared with the previous month.

President Joe Biden called the situation on the border a "Crisis" on April 17, although the White House backtracked two days later with an unnamed official telling CNN "There is no change in position" and that "Children coming to our border is not a crisis."

https://freebeacon.com/media/how-the-ap-slanted-border-coverage-to-hide-the-crisis/