#4101: voodoo journalism (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Janet Higbie <higbie@bellatlantic.net>

This is the entry on "voodoo'' from the recently published  new edition of
The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage ("the Stylebook"):

voodoo is a religion with many followers in Africa and the West Indies, not
to mention the United States.  They are offended by disparaging uses of
voodoo to mean irrational beliefs.


Keep in mind I'm not endorsing the spelling or the lack of capitalization --
I'm just reporting the policy.  The committee that revised the stylebook did
read copies of much of the vigorous discussion of the spelling of
Vodou/voodoo on the Corbettlist a year or two ago.


Janet