Tell AP: Stop Calling Animals ‘It’

The words we use matter. They shape how we see the world — and how we treat the beings who share it with us. 

Right now, one of the most influential journalism guides in the world, the Associated Press Stylebook, still encourages writers to refer to animals as “it” unless their sex is known or they have been given a name. But animals are not objects. They are living, feeling individuals with emotions, relationships, and the capacity to suffer and feel joy. They are a “who,” not a “what.”

In Defense of Animals and Animals & Media are leading an important effort calling on the Associated Press to modernize its language guidelines and stop objectifying animals through outdated pronouns. 

Tell the Associated Press: Update the AP Stylebook so animals are no longer treated as objects in news coverage.

More than 80 respected scientists, conservationists, scholars, and animal advocates — including renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall, who supported this push before her passing — have backed this call for change.

Scientific understanding of animal sentience has evolved dramatically over the past several decades. We know animals grieve, bond with family members, experience fear and affection, and have distinct personalities. Yet media language still too often reduces them to things rather than individuals. Referring to animals as “it” reinforces the harmful idea that they exist merely for human use and exploitation.

Language influences culture. The AP Stylebook shapes newspapers, websites, broadcasters, and classrooms across the globe. A simple change in pronoun guidance could help foster greater compassion and respect for animals everywhere.

The Associated Press has the opportunity to lead with accuracy, empathy, and modern understanding. Animals deserve language that reflects who they truly are: sentient beings, not objects.

Please sign our petition urging the Associated Press to update its stylebook and recognize that animals are a “who,” not a “what.”

The petition to the AP reads: We urge the Associated Press to stop referring to animals as ‘it’ in the AP Stylebook and instead recognize animals as sentient individuals deserving of respectful language. Animals are living beings with emotions, personalities, relationships, and intrinsic value — not objects. Updating this guidance would help promote more accurate, compassionate, and modern reporting.

Learn more about this campaign at In Defense of Animals, which works to protect the rights and well-being of animals through advocacy and education:
https://www.idausa.org/campaign/guardian/

You can also learn more from Animals & Media, an organization dedicated to improving how animals are represented in journalism and entertainment media:
https://www.animalsandmedia.org/
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Sources:

In Defense of Animals | Jane Goodall Joins In Defense of Animals’ Call for AP Stylebook Update | https://www.idausa.org/campaign/guardian/latest-news/jane-goodall-joins-in-defense-of-animals-call-for-ap-stylebook-update/

UnchainedTV | Jane Goodall Tells AP: Stop Calling Animals “It” | https://unchainedtv.com/2021/04/05/jane-goodall-tells-ap-stop-calling-animals-it/