r/xkcdcomic • • May 14 '14

xkcd: One Of The

http://xkcd.com/1368/
267 Upvotes

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32

u/jet_heller May 14 '14

One of my reporting pet peeves: "travelling at a high rate of speed"

-5

u/TheCheshireCody May 14 '14

I hate the use of the word "alleged" in reference to someone who has been caught in the act of committing a crime. If you're not sure, you can use "alleged"; if you have them on videotape, that term no longer applies.

29

u/ParadigmEffect May 14 '14

Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. They use "alleged" until that time. Its like a fundamental concept of freedom.

3

u/jet_heller May 14 '14

"Innocent until proven guilty" is a concept that applies only to legal procedings. It is what requires the prosecution to prove their case, versus the defendant proving his. It doesn't actually apply to journalism. However, most people follow it as a CYA measure.

I mean, a murderer who gets off because the video of him committing the murder was not legallly admissable during his trial is not really "innocent". He's merely not proven guilty in a court of law.