Editing The New York Times (section)

===Style guide===
{{Main|The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage{{!}}''The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage''}}
Since 1895, ''The New York Times'' has maintained a [[The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage|manual of style]] in several forms. ''The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage'' was published on the ''Times''{{'}}s [[intranet]] in 1999.{{Sfn|Kallaur|2016}}

''The New York Times'' uses [[honorific]]s when referring to individuals. With the ''[[AP Stylebook]]''{{'}}s removal of honorifics in 2000 and ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''{{'}}s omission of courtesy titles in May 2023, the ''Times'' is the only national newspaper that continues to use honorifics. According to former copy editor Merrill Perlman, ''The New York Times'' continues to use honorifics as a "sign of civility".{{Sfn|Branigin|2023}} The ''Times''{{'}}s use of courtesy titles led to an apocryphal rumor that the paper had referred to singer [[Meat Loaf]] as "Mr. Loaf".{{Sfn|Stevens|2022}} Several exceptions have been made; the former sports section and ''[[The New York Times Book Review]]'' do not use honorifics.{{Sfn|Padnani|Chambers|2020}} A leaked memo following the [[killing of Osama bin Laden]] in May 2011 revealed that editors were given a last-minute instruction to omit the honorific from [[Osama bin Laden]]'s name, consistent with deceased figures of historic significance, such as [[Adolf Hitler]], [[Napoleon]], and [[Vladimir Lenin]].{{Sfn|Bonner|2011}} ''The New York Times'' uses academic and military titles for individuals prominently serving in that position.{{Sfn|Corbett|2017}} In 1986, the ''Times'' began to use [[Ms.]],{{Sfn|Padnani|Chambers|2020}} and introduced the gender-neutral title [[Mx.]] in 2015.{{Sfn|Corbett|2015}} ''The New York Times'' uses initials when a subject has expressed a preference, such as [[Donald Trump]].{{Sfn|Bagli|2016}}

''The New York Times'' maintains a strict but not absolute obscenity policy, including phrases. In a review of the Canadian [[hardcore punk]] band [[Fucked Up]], music critic [[Kelefa Sanneh]] wrote that the band's name—entirely rendered in asterisks—would not be printed in the ''Times'' "unless an American president, or someone similar, says it by mistake";{{Sfn|Sanneh|2007}} ''The New York Times'' did not repeat then-vice president [[Dick Cheney]]'s use of "fuck" against then-senator [[Patrick Leahy]] in 2004{{Sfn|Stolberg|2004}} or then-vice president [[Joe Biden]]'s remarks that the passage of the [[Affordable Care Act]] in 2010 was a "big fucking deal".{{Sfn|Herszenhorn|2010}} The ''Times''{{'}}s profanity policy has been tested by former president Donald Trump. ''The New York Times'' published Trump's [[Donald Trump Access Hollywood tape|''Access Hollywood'' tape]] in October 2016, containing the words "fuck", "pussy", "bitch", and "tits", the first time the publication had published an expletive on its front page,{{Sfn|Eskin|2016}} and repeated an explicit phrase for fellatio stated by then-[[White House]] communications director [[Anthony Scaramucci]] in July 2017.{{Sfn|LaFrance|2017}} ''The New York Times'' omitted Trump's use of the phrase "[[shithole countries]]" from its headline in favor of "vulgar language" in January 2018.{{Sfn|Grynbaum|2018}} The ''Times'' banned certain words, such as "bitch", "whore", and "sluts", from ''[[Wordle]]'' in 2022.{{Sfn|Diaz|2022a}}