"The AP Stylebook is considered “the foremost arbiter of grammar and word choice” for serious news and opinion writers, and it has sold more than 2.5 million copies since it was first published in 1953. It’s a basic resource in college journalism and editing courses, too, where students can be docked points on their assignments for failing to follow its guidelines. Simply put, it’s the industry standard—and that fact gives the people who write and edit the Stylebook a lot of power to shape both news coverage and the political narratives around it.
The Associated Press, of course, denies that it’s a political institution. Like many professional organizations, it claims that its decisions are “factual and nonpartisan” and that its Stylebook “doesn’t align with any particular agenda.” But we should always be wary of people and groups who loudly proclaim themselves neutral—because they rarely are. Instead, they usually have unspoken biases and ideologies that shape their work, whether the people involved realize it or not. The Associated Press is no different. When we dig into the latest edition of the Stylebook, we can find all kinds of material that expresses a political viewpoint—or suppresses one. From the environment, to immigration, to policing, to Palestine, the AP Stylebook serves to reinforce the status quo and prevent writers from telling the truth about today’s most important issues."
https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/how-the-ap-stylebook-warps-reality-to-serve-power
