New Canadian Media released the first edition of the Ethnic media and Diversity Style Guide, which provides terms and definitions meant for widespread use in Canadian newsrooms.

OTTAWA – New Canadian Media (NCM), a national not-for-profit website and portal for news and commentary from an immigrant perspective, released the country's first ever Ethnic Media and Diversity Style Guide Wednesday.

The Style Guide, modelled as an editorial tool similar to the CP Style Guide produced by the Canadian Press for the past several decades, is a 75-page volume that reflects the cultural diversity of Canada. It is available as a free download from the New Canadian Media website.

"Like NCM itself, this style guide has special significance for Canadian journalism. It pays particular attention to language that has the potential to be socially and culturally charged," wrote Paul Knox, chair of NCM's editorial advisory board and Associate Professor Emeritus at Ryerson University's School of Journalism in the Style Guide's introduction.

"[The Style Guide] seeks to provide global context to help contributors choose the right words and avoid incorrect or insensitive terms. And it's a style statement for Canada's most recently established voices, adding a rich new layer to our national discourse. All writers and editors, not only those affiliated with NCM, should find it useful."

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The NCM project to compile the Style Guide was led by journalist and human rights advocate Amira Elghawaby, and writer Marina Giannitsos as lead researcher. The team consulted widely with academics, cultural organizations and community leaders to put together this unique product, as well as referenced existing style guides from within Canada as well as beyond.

"I truly wish that such a guide existed before today," says Elghawaby who has worked in several newsrooms over the years, included at the Toronto Star and at CBC Radio. "While such a guide is long overdue in a country as diverse as Canada, it's been very exciting to work with a dedicated team to make this finally happen. I am confident that newsrooms across the country, from the largest to the smallest, will benefit from having such a resource at their fingertips."

NCM sees the Style Guide as part of its mandate to reflect "the Pulse of Immigrant Canada". NCM launched its full-fledged, responsive news website in 2014 and introduced training workshops and mentorship in 2015 to encourage reporting from within Canada's diverse immigrant communities.

The media organization's founder and publisher, George Abraham, said this Style Guide represents one more way that NCM is pursuing its unique niche.

"It is an honour for me – an immigrant to Canada – to present to Canadians yet another innovative product from New Canadian Media," said Abraham. "Our hope is that this guide will speak to the new Canada that is being shaped by the millions who arrive in this country every decade."

The Style Guide was made possible thanks to funding support from the Government of Canada's Interaction Fund. The NCM hopes to update the Style Guide regularly to keep pace with an ever-evolving cultural landscape with input from the country's diverse communities.