As I’ve written previously, illegal aliens are a hot button issue for me. The San Jose Mercury News (unlinkable as always) ran an article today that use this ass kissing phrase. I wrote to the reporter who authored the article and the paper’s reader representative:
I am confused by the use of the phrase “undocumented immigrants” in today’s article “County reconsiders ID policy.” Use of this phrase smacks of political correctness rather than journalistic accuracy since the more precise term would be illegal immigrants. The article itself points out that they do have Mexican documentation and slides around the fact that the people in question are in this country illegally.
Given the recent (and justified) outrage around enforcing other laws, such as those concerning business executives and construction (environmental and “NIMBY” concerns), I have a problem understanding why this group of people should be treated differently. Further, in this time of strained government budgets, why would our governments (local, county, state, or federal) spend any money on them? The United States has legal avenues for migration and if these people choose not to follow them, I see no reason why we should extend them journalistic courtesies much less valuable benefits.
I would appreciate an explanation from the Mercury News of how these individuals are undocumented and why this phrase is used.
The article’s author had the following non-response:
Thank you for your opinion, and for reading the paper so carefully. We stand by our use of the word as appropriate.
There was no response from the Reader Representative.
BillSaysThis 