US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Tuesday ordered diplomats to return to using Times New Roman font in official communications, calling his predecessor Antony Blinken’s decision to adopt Calibri a “wasteful” diversity move, according to an internal department cable seen by Reuters.
The department under Mr Blinken in early January 2023 had switched to Calibri, a modern sans-serif font, saying this was a more accessible font for people with disabilities because it did not have the decorative angular features and was the default in Microsoft products.
A cable dated December 9th sent to all US diplomatic posts said that typography shapes the professionalism of an official document and Calibri is informal compared to serif typefaces.
“To restore decorum and professionalism to the Department’s written work products and abolish yet another wasteful DEIA [diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility] program, the Department is returning to Times New Roman as its standard typeface,” the cable said.
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“This formatting standard aligns with the President’s One Voice for America’s Foreign Relations directive, underscoring the Department’s responsibility to present a unified, professional voice in all communications,” it added.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Some studies suggest that sans-serif fonts, such as Calibri, are easier to read for those with certain visual disabilities.
Donald Trump moved quickly after taking office in January to eradicate federal DEI programmes and discourage them in the private sector and education, including by directing the firing of diversity officers at federal agencies and pulling grant funding for a wide range of programmes.
DEI policies became more widespread after nationwide protests in 2020 against police killings of unarmed black people, spurring a conservative backlash.
Mr Trump and other critics of diversity initiatives say they are discriminatory against white people and men and have eroded merit-based decision making. – Reuters
