What is happening to our journalists? They seem a little confused these days.
A man was “allegedly” stabbed in a department store.
Well, he was either stabbed or he wasn’t. (And it either occured in the department store, or it didn’t.) “Allegedly” is a legal term required when the perpetrator of an action hasn’t been formally convicted. So, “The man was stabbed, allegedly by his brother” is correct, but you cannot logically use the word without indicating a perpetrator.
Three police officers ”lost their lives” attempting to rescue a family held hostage by a mass murderer.
Not only is “losing a life” a stupid term (no one is that careless), when used in a situation describing an heroic act it is downright insulting. In the example above, it insinuates that the police officers were to blame for “losing” their own lives, not the murderer.
A man was “bashed” leaving a nightclub.
This is a favourite here in Australia. “Bashed” is slang, and has no place in formal journalism. The correct term is “assaulted”.