this post was submitted on 23 May 2024
8 points (56.7% liked)

World News

39041 readers
2317 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

On Day 7 of the pro-Palestinian protests on the Columbia University campus, Osama Abuirshaid stopped by the student encampment.

The executive director of American Muslims for Palestine walked through the tent city, then made a fiery speech to the gathered crowd. 

“This is not only a genocide that is being committed in Gaza,” Abuirshaid said. “This is also a war on us here in America.” 

Forty-eight hours later, Abuirshaid appeared at another campus — George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he delivered another speech.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] PRUSSIA_x86@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

That is indeed the kind of thing one could make inferences from.

[–] SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Exactly. Those are weasel words, designed to lead the reader to infer things, warranted or not.

[–] DolphinMath -3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Definitely can’t write things where the reader might infer things. That would be outrageous and uncouth!

[–] SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Correct. If journalists know something as a fact, they should state it, and share the source of that fact. If they don't know something, but have a guess, they can say that it's their own inference.

But to use weasel words to lead the reader to infer things that are not factually supported is, well, not a good look.

[–] DolphinMath 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

If the reader is inferring things, that is a good thing.

Infer

  1. To introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence.

That said, if the article itself is inferring things, one could argue that is a use of weasel words by the publication. However, this is not the case when they give specifics, explaining their qualified statement(s). A qualified statement in and of itself is not “weasel words.”

Infer

  1. To lead to (something) as a consequence; to imply.