News agencies want to report in a more discrimination-sensitive way

This is according to a statement, the agencies AFP, APA, dpa, epd, Keystone-SDA, KNA, Reuters and SID published on Monday. The agencies see the action now agreed upon as the first step in a multi-year process. They want to "jointly monitor the development of the language over the next few years and regularly re-evaluate it in close consultation with their media customers".

For example, personal designations that are grammatically masculine but have so far been able to designate people with any biological gender - such as "the tenant" - are to be gradually pushed back. Whether news agencies will be able to dispense entirely with this so-called generic masculine in a few years "depends on the further development of the language," the statement continues.

Gender-neutral plural forms

It is also unclear whether and which special characters (gender star, underscore, colon), which are also intended to represent non-binary gender identities, will become established in general language use. "Until further notice, therefore, news agencies will refrain from using these characters," the agencies continue. A majority of media clients also do not use special characters such as gender star or underscore, they added.

So far, these special characters do not comply with the official rules of German spelling or with the general understanding or practice of the language. However, the agencies want to use a number of other options to avoid discriminatory language and make diversity visible. These include double forms - such as "students" - and gender-neutral plural forms such as "firefighters" and "professionals."

The agencies that supply their customers with multimedia as service providers want to continue to coordinate closely with their customers in the coming years. (SDA)