As journalists we work to be fair and accurate. When dealing with an issue as difficult, divisive and explosive as racism, it’s hard to even find language which is neutral. The very words used to describe the different factions and ideologies are loaded with meaning and bias.

The crux of the division is that while most people see groups like Ku Klux Klans and Aryan Nation as stemming from racism and hate, people within the movement argue that it’s a political movement to keep the white race alive. They say it’s not about hating other races, but about having pride in their own. With no middle ground to be found, deciding which words to use pits a writer between two fiercely competing groups. We have used the phrase “white nationalists” when these groups describe themselves, but have opted to use “supremacist” at other times.

To give you a fuller understanding of the words, here is a brief summary.

White Supremacist:

Who uses it: Anti-racists like the Anti-defamation League, (and hopefully you.)

Implications: These whites think they are better than everyone else. It is about hatred and racism.

Complaints: People in the movement argue they aren’t hating, they just want their own piece of the pie.

White Nationalist:

Who uses it: It is the most common umbrella term used by people in the movement to describe themselves.

Implications: Whites should stick together and have their own nation. Others should go back to where they came from. It’s about pride, not about hate.

Complaints: It erases the racism and hatred that is behind the movement. Clearly white washing.

White Separatists: Who uses it: Mainly people within the movement, but to refer to a specific subgroup of people who want to separate the races instead of eliminating some.

Implications: An extreme version of separate but equal, like Jim Crow law, on a nation wide scale

Complaints: Once again white washes the issue—these groups tend to do more than just move away from other races. There is real violence and hate. Doesn’t apply to all factions.