Hispanic vs. Latino We've been using these terms interchangeably. A staff member has asked for clarification. Here is the rule of thumb: Use "Hispanic" to refer to people of Mexican, Central American, South American or Caribbean origin who live in the United States. However, "Hispanic" is too broad to use for individuals. If it is important to your story, you should find out the national origin of the individuals you are writing about and put that in the story. You may use "Latino" if the group you are reporting on refers to itself that way. Here is my explanation: "Hispanic" refers to Spanish-surnamed or Spanish-speaking people living in the United States. It is a term used by the U.S. Census. The people labeled Hispanic are from Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. This is the best term to use if you are speaking very broadly of the immigrant and native (people who were born in the United States but who have roots in Latin America) population. "Latino" is preferred by some people who have moved to the United States from Latin America, particularly from Central and South America. Some people consider it a narrower term because it sometimes is understood to exclude people from Mexico or the Caribbean. On the West Coast, people of Mexican birth or ancestry prefer to be called "Chicano," not "Latino." "Chicano" refers only to people of Mexican origin living in the United States. We will not use "Chicano" routinely. We will use "Mexican" (citizens of Mexico) or "Mexican-American" (U.S. citizens of Mexican heritage). Often, there is no reason at all to note a person's national origin, nationality or citizenship status. Be especially wary of doing so in crime reports. That is not to say that reporting someone's national origin is never relevant, but take a critical look before you decide to include such information. We should avoid stereotypes about people whose first language is Spanish, who were born in other countries or who have Spanish surnames. We should also be careful about benign generalizations because Hispanic people are as varied as any other population group in the United States. From 12/4/97: ** Addendum on the note about "Hispanic": "Hispanic" is not a racial or skin-color designation. Some people who are Hispanic might also claim African heritage.