AP apologises and deletes widely mocked tweet about ‘the French’

Organisation clarifies initial advice, which included term in list of phrases it thought could be dehumanising

The Associated Press Stylebook, considered one of the most reliable guides to correct use of the English language for journalists, has apologised after producing a list of terms it thought could be dehumanising that included the French".

The organisation tweeted advice not to use generic labels for groups of people who share a single common trait, giving as examples the poor, the mentally ill and the college-educated. It also included grouping together everyone from the European nation under the same banner.