Weasel Words

As all good journalism students know, bias should be avoided as much as possible. One way writers slip bias into stories is using "weasel words." According to Wikipedia,"Weasel words is an informal term for words that are ambiguous and not supported by facts. They are typically used to create an illusion of clear, direct communication." The term derives from the way weasels suck the yolk out of eggs, but leave the shell intact. Similar to the weasel-eaten eggs, weasel words look plausible, but are empty upon further analysis.

Araminta Matthews presents a good example in her article "What are weasel words?" Matthews describes an article about a elementary school professor convicted of sexual assault on several of his students.

"The very first article read something to this effect: 'The jury apparently believed the testimony of the three girls from [school district] today...' I forget exactly how the phrasing went, but I distinctly remember the first part of the sentence, 'the jury apparently believed.' Consider the tone of this sentence with specific regard to the use of the word 'apparently.' What opinion do you suppose the author of this story has of the conviction of this music teacher?"

In this context "apparently" is a weasel word because it has no basis in fact. It is used to devalue the girl's testimony and the jury's decision.

When writing or editing articles, it is important to watch for weasel words. Not only do they reflected poorly on the writer, but on the entire newspaper and staff. For more examples of weasel words, check out www.weaselwords.com.au