On 12/5/05, Delirium delirium@hackish.org wrote:
slimvirgin@gmail.com wrote:
Jay, it would be original research to claim that someone is a "criminal" even though they haven't been convicted.
We're not in a position to make the judgment ourselves, but we *are* in a position to summarize judgments other people have made. Courts are one obvious source, but there is no reason they must be the only one ...
Yes, that's true, Mark, but it would be very unusual for a reputable publication to come right out and say someone was guilty of something they had been acquitted of. There have been some high-profile cases where that has happened (or where newspapers have strongly hinted at it), but usually news organizations go along with court rulings to keep themselves safe from legal action. But even so, quoting someone else wouldn't allow us to put someone not convicted of a crime in the "criminals" category, which I think was the point being raised.
Sarah