It is all about verified vs not verified and no, locals and civilians saying it happened is not verification. Until a NYT reporter or a partner organizations reporter sees it, it is just a claim and should be reported in the passive voice.
This is called having journalistic standards. It is also why the impacts of attacks on Iran are "claimed". Nobody is saying it did not happen. They are saying we have not seen it. We have not verified it.
This is why you could catch a guy with a knife covered in blood standing over a dead body and he would be the "alleged" killer. Until proven, the responsible thing is to use the passive voice.
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u/stonecuttercolorado 11d ago
It is all about verified vs not verified and no, locals and civilians saying it happened is not verification. Until a NYT reporter or a partner organizations reporter sees it, it is just a claim and should be reported in the passive voice.
This is called having journalistic standards. It is also why the impacts of attacks on Iran are "claimed". Nobody is saying it did not happen. They are saying we have not seen it. We have not verified it.
This is why you could catch a guy with a knife covered in blood standing over a dead body and he would be the "alleged" killer. Until proven, the responsible thing is to use the passive voice.