How can, or do you, treat minorities with respect in the media?

How do you make everyone happy when writing a news article? Yes, the PC terms are always acceptable, but they're the most vanilla as well. And what of certain races who use their own defamatory descriptions as a warm greeting? Where does a journalist draw the line? I find the only way to stay neutral in such an article is to use as much vanilla as possible, and ask. Ask the people you interviewed: what do they prefer to be called? Ask the internet. Ask the editor. Blacks no longer want to be 'African Americans'. Just 'Blacks'. But since my education stressed the use of the latter term, this is like nails on a chalkboard. However, chances are a writer doesn't need a racial slur to make their story interesting. If they do, then they're not effective writers.