Have you ever heard or read a news report speaking about a person who "allegedly" committed a crime? That wording is a staple of crime reports across America. The insertion of alleged came into use mainly so that the reporter and the paper or station could avoid being sued for defamation. After all, the only thing that was being reported is what was alleged in the indictment in court, a true statement. The phraseology is now so common that most people no longer even hear the word "alleged". The problem, however, is that many in the media seem not to understand the proper use of the word.
This morning, I heard a report on CBS News discussing the "alleged" use of chemical weapons in Syria. It was a moment of idiocy. There is no allegation about Assad using sarin gas on folks in Damascus. There is now unquestionable proof now that this happened assuming that John Kerry is telling us the truth about what the UN investigators found. Sample taken from victims of the attack which test positive for sarin exposure are not subject to interpretation; they are total proof that the attack happened in the way shown on all those videos. Indeed, when CBS calls the attack "alleged", it is indicating that maybe it did not happen. Of course, there is no court pleading or even a court proceeding in which such an allegation might have been made, but that does not stop the reporters at CBS from calling this an "alleged" attack.
I think it would be better to start calling CBS an alleged part of the alleged news media.
This morning, I heard a report on CBS News discussing the "alleged" use of chemical weapons in Syria. It was a moment of idiocy. There is no allegation about Assad using sarin gas on folks in Damascus. There is now unquestionable proof now that this happened assuming that John Kerry is telling us the truth about what the UN investigators found. Sample taken from victims of the attack which test positive for sarin exposure are not subject to interpretation; they are total proof that the attack happened in the way shown on all those videos. Indeed, when CBS calls the attack "alleged", it is indicating that maybe it did not happen. Of course, there is no court pleading or even a court proceeding in which such an allegation might have been made, but that does not stop the reporters at CBS from calling this an "alleged" attack.
I think it would be better to start calling CBS an alleged part of the alleged news media.
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