Guidelines for journalists and broadcasters on how to talk about disfigurement in the media.

1. How to talk about disfigurement in the media
Changing Faces is the UK’s leading charity for people and families who are living with conditions, marks or scars that affect the appearance of their face or body – we use ‘disfigurement’ as a collective term for all those conditions.
We are working towards Face Equality, where everyone is treated fairly and equally, regardless of their appearance. The media has a vital role to play in helping us to combat prejudice and discrimination, and to achieve Face Equality.
FACT should be favoured over sensationalism. Use ‘burns survivor’ (not victim) or ‘a person with a cranio-facial condition’ or ‘a Bell’s palsy’.
APPEARANCE should only be mentioned if it’s relevant. If you wouldn’t refer to someone’s race, why would you mention their face?
CORRECTION shouldn’t be the focus. Don’t assume a scar or visible difference is something that needs fixing or removing via surgery.
EVIL behaviour is commonly linked with scarring. Don’t use a scar or condition as a short-hand to portray someone as a villain, bad or ‘dodgy’. Scars are caused by accident and medical treatments; they can happen to anyone. People should be defined by actions, not appearance.
EQUALITY isn’t just an idea, it’s the law. ‘Different’ doesn’t mean ‘ugly’: every face is different and they’re all equal. The Equality Act 2010 established legal protection for people with ‘severe disfigurement’, and responsible journalism reflects this.
QUESTION the use of terms such as ‘brave’ or ‘heroic’. Being heroic is a choice; having a visible difference isn’t. Can you justify the adjective?
USING phrases such as ‘hideously scarred’ is offensive and suggests scars have made that person hideous: they have not. Scars are a fact of life, they may tell a story and be more or less visible, but that is all they are.
AVOID ‘horrible’, ‘horrific’ or ‘bad’ to describe the extent of injuries. Use neutral terms: ‘severe’ is a perfectly good non-judgmental description.
LET disfigurement be part of everyday life and report it accurately. It doesn’t need to be a barrier to friends, relationships or a career, but poor reporting can perpetuate these assumptions.
INDIVIDUALS may have a disfigurement, but it’s not WHO they are. Use ‘a woman with a disfigurement/scar/condition’ rather than ‘a disfigured woman’. Ask the subject of your story how they’d like to refer to it, and use their language.
TREAT headlines and titles with the same care as other text; don’t default to offensive words like ‘Elephant man’, victim or ‘body shock’.
YOU can’t be an expert on everything, so don’t hesitate to contact us if you think we can help!
Press Office telephone 020 7391 9276 or 07823 348125 / Email press@changingfaces.org.uk / Website changingfaces.org.uk