Report suggests avoiding age-old bias
’Codger’ is out, and don’t even think about using ’fogey’, ’fossil’ or ’elderly’, ageism activists in the US have warned.
In fact, ’senior’ and ’of a certain age’ are also no--nos on a list of dos and don’ts of reporting people of a certain age.
The advice is included in a media guide on reporting issued by the International Longevity Centre and Ageing Services of California.
In it, the campaign groups attempt to help journalists and advertisers represent ’older people’ – its preferred term – in a “fair contemporary and unbiased” manner.
The authors of the report state that 80% of older Americans have been subjected to ageist stereotypes.
“While names and characterisations may vary, the message is the same: older men and women are incompetent and lack sufficiency,” the guide states.
To redress the bias, the pressure groups have listed a lexicon of unacceptable terms for older adults.
It includes ’biddy’, ’old goat’ and ’prune’ – all of which should not be used.
’Old ladies’ of both the ’little’ and ’sweet’ variety are also to be avoided.
Gone too should be ’old fart’ and ’miserly old man’, the report states
Indeed the list of acceptable terms is far shorter than those that can’t be used.
Journalists are advised: “If you need to identify individuals over the age of 50, ’older adults’ is preferred over ”senior“ and ”elderly“, which can be discriminatory in nature.
“After all, we don’t refer to people under 50 as ’junior citizens’.
“Instead, say ’man’ and ’woman’, and give the age, if relevant to the story,” the guide states.
Euphemisms are also not the best way forward, according to the guide.
So out goes ’golden years’ as a description of an individual’s period of life relating to the years after being deemed to be an older adult.
The guide is likely to provoke comment by the ’anti-political correct’ brigade.
But in a preface to the report, Robert Butler, president of the International Longevity Centre, described the guide as “an important step in overcoming ageist language and beliefs”.
