WE should be careful about the language we use to discuss poverty, a representative from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has written.

Gary Rae, senior media relations manager at JRF, said some language is guilty of “othering” the poor and said in the current debate of welfare reform, people in poverty are casually labelled as economic burdens, or even bereft of morals.

Mr Rae writes in his blog: “Beware the shorthand, because the facts are often lost in translation and manipulation. As a Mr T. Blair nearly said, I’m not one for soundbites or quote-grabs, but it could appear, through the language we use, that we’re being tough on those in poverty and not looking closely enough at its causes.”

To read the blog, visit http://www.jrf.org.uk/blog/2013/02/language-people-poverty