[WikiEN-l] Viajero/Zero and Lance6 - POV terms

[Ray Saintonge]

Geoffrey Burling wrote:

>On Wed, 28 Jul 2004, Ray Saintonge wrote:
>  
>
>>Perhaps we need to change the definition to add something like, "as
>>determined by a duly constituted tribunal."  The facts outlined above
>>could very well result in a determination that there was a murder, but
>>neither we nor our contributors are in a position to make the needed
>>interrogations that will lead to the truth.  It's not for us to decide.
>>    
>>
>
>Many years ago, I took a couple of journalism classes in college. One of the
>few things I remember is that when writing about unlawful activities, one
>must carefully use specific words to qualify the charge, such as "accused",
>"alleged", "indicted", & "convicted". For example:
>
>*President Bush, alleged cocaine abuser
>
>*The CIA allegedly sold drugs in Los Angeles to fund the Contras in Nicaraugua
>
>*Kenneth Lay, indicted for corporate fraud
>
>*Martha Stewart, convicted of insider trading
>
People could have fun with, "acquitted murderer, O. J. Simpson."??? :-$


>Note carefully that what is being asserted is not whether or not any of the
>people mentioned _actually_ committed the crimes, merely the opinions of
>a large number of people, or the official verdicts of the American legal
>system. And it has been documented that individuals are occasionally
>arrested, tried & convicted for crimes that they are later shown not to have
>committed -- thus we cannot assert that conviction for a crime means that it
>was an NPOV fact that they actualy committed that specific crime.
>
For now I would be happy to see resolution on the mainstream of these 
issues.  There will also be cases of exoneration, as with the boxer 
Hurricane Carter, but these are the exceptions that merit special attention.

>Also note that these phrases are based on Anglo-American law, where people
>are arrested, indicted by a grand jury, then found innocent or guilty by a
>court. I'm not sure just what the equivalent terminology in Civil Law would
>be. If a prosecuting judge charges someone with a crime, would it be correct
>to say that the person charged is indicted?
>
The terms need to be kept simple and generic.  "Accused" and "alleged" 
can probably be merged.  "Indicted" may be a term that depends on the 
nature of the legal system, but where applicable lends itself well to 
precise definition.  "Convicted" is easily understood.

>I think is a solution that would nicely fit with the rules of NPOV.
>  
>
Ec