Finally, AP no longer is 'innocent'

AP, catching up with what's happened throughout much of the rest of the newspaper world, updated its style entry today to replace innocent with not guilty because it is "more precise legally." (In the latest stylebook, AP had ducked the issue entirely, dropping the "innocent" entry.) There is the requisite warning to be especially careful not to drop the "not" -- which was the rationale for using "innocent" in the first place. But so many papers have ignored the innocent rule, it's best changed.

AP also updated to add the term illegal immigrant as preferred to "illegal alien" or "undocumented worker."