• PriorityMotif@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    That’s standard practice as you can’t say that the guard killed him until he’s actually been convicted.

    • SeaJ@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      Using an active voice is perfectly fine. The standard practice is to use the term alleged if there is a possible crime. Saying “Security guard pins black man and man dies” is absolutely fine.

    • Katana314@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Hence why it was so incredibly satisfying to get the ruling on George Floyd, and henceforth officially refer to it as “the police murder of George Floyd” - a lot of people will even forcefully correct anyone that tries to refer to it as ‘tragic death’ or ‘accidental death’.

    • Todd Bonzalez@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      Killing isn’t a legal designation. You can factually say that someone killed a another person without calling what they did murder or manslaughter.

      • prole@sh.itjust.works
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        5 months ago

        I was thinking along the same lines… but I don’t think I’d want anyone to be able to publicly label me a killer if it hasn’t been proven yet that I actually killed a person. Maybe there was a second person who actually did it and bailed before the cops showed up and this person was wrong place, wrong time. Not even saying that’s the case in this example (probably isn’t), but we still need to treat it the same as any other.

        Manslaughter hasn’t been proven yet either; until they’re convicted, it’s all “alleged.”