On Sat, 15 Oct 2011 15:20:15 -0400, Home Guy wrote:

Malcom \"Mal\" Reynolds wrote:

Man electrocuted while allegedly stealing wiring

Everyone here that was posted in defense of the use of the word
"allegedly" was saying that it was done to protect the newspaper
or newswire company from a lawsuit that could or would be launched
by the dead criminal's family or estate.

how is "investigators believe he was trying to steal." any different
from "allegedly"?

Who's saying that it is different? Or the same?

If it walks like a duck and squawks like a duck, you don't say that a
duck alledgedly walked and sqawked. You say that a duck walked and
squawked.

But being a duck and walking and squawking aren't bad things.

If you find some dead boob on the ground beside some cut power cables
and cutting tools nearby in a facility that he had to break into, you
don't be a namby pamby and say he was "allegedly" trying to steal the
power cable. You say that he died while trying to steal the cable.

Whether it's libel or not, newspapers shouldn't say what they don't
know. You think stealing is the only explanation, but there are
always other ones. Maybe he was delusional and thought the
electricty was being used by mind control experts who could listen to
what was said in every home and business that the power line supplied,
and could insert ideas in the heads of those who lived and worked
there, and he was protecting them.

Or he was doing vandalism for political reasons, a miniature version
of bombing a power plant.

Have you noticed that the TV, and even the radio often now use
"believe" where they should be using "say"?

George Bush believes, Barak Obama beliieves. Probably not even their
wives actually know what they believe, only what they say. Yesterday
on NPR they interviewd a guy who uses freezing peoiple for a ver short
time as a way to increase their stamina and the interviewer said he
believes in it. He makes and sells the equipment, so oif course he
*says* it works. She should of just said "he said it works".

Reporters and people in general shouldn't say things they don't know.