WaPo Editorial Board Bans Use of the Word 'Redskins' in Reference to DC NFL Team
The Washington Post’s editorial board Friday announced that it will stop writing the word ‘Redskins’ in reference to the Washington NFL football team. “Except when it is essential for clarity or effect, we will no longer use the slur ourselves,” the board wrote.
In May, 50 Senators signed a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in support of a name change for the team as many consider it disparaging to Native Americans.
“While we wait for the National Football League to catch up with thoughtful opinion and common decency, we have decided that, except when it is essential for clarity or effect, we will no longer use the slur ourselves,” the board declared Friday. “That’s the standard we apply to all offensive vocabulary, and the team name unquestionably offends not only many Native Americans but many other Americans, too.”
While the word won’t be referenced in the editorial section of the Post, it’s not off limits for reporting in other sections of the paper and online.
“The Post’s newsroom and the editorial page operate independently of each other,” WaPo executive editor Marton Baron said. “Standard operating policy in the newsroom has been to use the names that established institutions choose for themselves. That remains our policy, as we continue to vigorously cover controversy over the team’s name and avoid any advocacy role on this subject.”
