Well, howdy there internet people, it's Bow again. So today we are going to talk about the language

of journalism and why some words get used a whole bunch, some would say overused, and why some words are completely avoided and

almost never get used. And we're going to do this because there have been a couple

of questions about it, but I feel like this is going to become this because there have been a couple of questions about it but I feel like

this is going to become really important as a story out of Memphis. It really enters the

new cycle because you're going to see a lot of this.

So the first word we're going to talk about is the word alleged.

It shows up a lot and sometimes it doesn't even make sense. You get

weird sentences, the alleged shooting. Now I mean somebody's got a bullet in

them. We know there was a shooting. But if somewhere else in that

passage of that article, whatever, blame seems to be implied, oh that's alleged, it's alleged, it's a legal thing, protects the

outlet from getting sued. Now we are talking about straight reporting right now. We're not talking about commentators. In fact when you don't

hear these words that that's a clear indication that you are listening to a commentator, an opinion piece, and something

that should be treated as opinion rather than fact. Those words are really

important. When I was a baby journalist first starting out. I wound up having one of those sentences, the alleged

shooting. And I had a back and forth with my editor about it. And I'm like, it's not alleged. It's on film and I'm like it's not alleged it's on film and they went through

and explained the whole thing to me and the part that will always stick in my mind

is something to the effect of I don't care if the person is robbing

a bank on film without a mask holding their driver's license and then signs a

confession until they're convicted driver's license and then signs a confession.

Until they're convicted, they're an alleged armed robber.

And that's pretty much the standard.

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