We are involved in the European Year of Older People and Solidarity between Generations. One of the most relevant aspects is to notice how we use the language in order to depict older people -such an important collective in our society and growing by leaps and bounds-. Style guides or guidelines for journalists (even for those who are not) are a valuable tool that may help us to report better a reality which is surrounding us. The European Commission, in collaboration with Red Europea de Lucha contra la Pobreza (EAPN), presented in the frame of the Europena Year 2012, a style guide for journalists who are reporting about older people. During the event, Carlos Susías, president of EAPN in Spain, stressed the responsability acquired by the media for years to rail against sterotypes related to older people.
This style guide shows relevant data and vocabulary proposals that might be useful for journalists. Moreover, this document tries to raise awareness of the language used when specilists of communication report about older people or broadcast materials linked to this reality. What is the intention of these documents? On the one hand, it pretends to clarify any doubt with regard to reporting about such collective; no matter if it is a question of vocabulary or which expression the most adecuate is. On the other hand, fostering the visibility of older people. To sum up, linguistic correction and help collectives that are ver stereotyped in the news are two of the axis collected in all the information provided in style guides