Arsenal “reportedly”. How often are those words used together?

By Tony Attwood

In his post this morning Sir Hardly Anyone noted the word “reportedly” and the standard dictionary definition of the word as meaning “according to what some say (used to express the speaker’s belief that the information given is not necessarily true).”

Immediately the discussion broke out: was the word used as much as Sir Hardly suggested?  Does it really crop up all the time?  Is it the modern day scribbler’s go to word of choice?

We started looking at some of the reports in the last day or so to see if this is indeed the word that journalists are now using as a standard.  Here are our findings…

“Fortunately, there are hundreds of more accomplished sportswriters than I …  Every reporter in the room, no matter how experienced, is looking for the same thing: something interesting.”

Well. no, on the basis of my one-off little survey of this morning’s reports, the reporters are not looking for something interesting.  They are making up stories and then writing the word “reportedly” into them as their defence get-out clause.  Anyone challenges what they say, they trot out the standard definition is “according to what some say (used to express the speaker’s belief that the information given is not necessarily true).”

This is exactly like Donald Trump proclaiming that he was being sarcastic when he told people to use disinfectant in order to avoid corona virus.

It is all part of the biggest con-trick in the history of the media.  We are all being conned, every minute of every day by these alleged reporters.  If any of them had a moment’s decency they would admit that their entire work had been to make fools of us and would then at once resign.