Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?
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Notes -
I wonder if there's a kind of euphemism treadmill.
If a writer wants to claim something that is doubleplus true established Scientific Fact, then they can probably cite it as promoted by so and so many experts and journals.
If there's something that an editor wishes had expert support, then they probably won't brazenly lie, and they will have to use some verbiage for. Obligatory mention: "A source familiar with CNN says...".
If there's something an editor absolutely disagrees with, the verbiage must be different than (2)
If something is actually a debunked myth that experts condemn, the author will happily cite it (if it follows the narrative).
Note that criteria of (1) and (4) involves the availability of reliable sources and (2) and (3) are based merely on author attitude. This would mean items in bucket (2) and (3) are basically equally believable, but we still talk about them differently. (Propaganda, etc.)
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