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0 pointsTerretta14y ago0 comments

> "produced some items taken in the alleged theft"

I really dislike the word "alleged" in this sentence.

A person is innocent until proven guilty, so you could say "the alleged thief". But to say "the alleged theft" casts doubt on the victim's complaint, and on a crime having happened at all. Saying "alleged theft" conveys the possibility that the theft itself didn't happen.

We don't have a "presumption of no crime", and the word "alleged" is, at present, inappropriate referencing the fact this woman's possessions were stolen.

EJ is presumed innocent of lying about the theft until proven otherwise, therefore the fact of theft must be stated as though the crime did happen unless proven otherwise.

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sorbus14y ago

My understanding is that if journalists don't say that things are alleged then they open themselves up to lawsuits - or at least that's the rationale I've seen presented for things like this in the past. It fits the meaning of the word, too: "asserted to be true or to exist".

TerrettaOP14y ago

Today's journalists overuse this word. It's only relevant when speaking of the "alleged" suspect or the suspect's "alleged" actions when the person's participation or their actions are not yet proven. Once proven, the word alleged or allegedly is inappropriate, and it's also inappropriate to describe a crime or characteristics of a crime as it wrongly casts doubt on the victim.

See this for a clear explanation of how this term is often used in error:

http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/alleged.html

sorbus14y ago

Thank you for the clarification (and especially that link; it's an amazing clear and concise description of the issue).

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 pointsTerretta14y ago0 comments

> "produced some items taken in the alleged theft"

I really dislike the word "alleged" in this sentence.

We don't have a "presumption of no crime", and the word "alleged" is, at present, inappropriate referencing the fact this woman's possessions were stolen.

EJ is presumed innocent of lying about the theft until proven otherwise, therefore the fact of theft must be stated as though the crime did happen unless proven otherwise.

0 comments

sorbus14y ago

TerrettaOP14y ago

See this for a clear explanation of how this term is often used in error:

http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/alleged.html

sorbus14y ago

Thank you for the clarification (and especially that link; it's an amazing clear and concise description of the issue).

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse