by Araminta Matthews

Created on: August 25, 2008   Last Updated: May 01, 2012

Ah, weasel words. The art of deceptively slipping in words or phrases that lead a reader by the nose through a piece, that subtly set to work on a readers heartstrings jading the way the reader will feel about the written topic until, before s/he knows it, the reader is in complete agreement with the writer. An entire learning unit in College Composition courses across the globe. A mistake even we published writers make.

I recently came across a small town newspaper in Central Maine while waiting for a friend at a coffee house. The title, front page article was about a young elementary school music teacher who had recently been convicted of gross sexual assault on several children from his classes. The very first article read something to this effect: "The jury apparently believed the testimony of the three girls from [school district] today..." I forget exactly how the phrasing went, but I distinctly remember the first part of the sentence, "the jury apparently believed". Consider the tone of this sentence with specific regard to the use of the word "apparently". What opinion do you suppose the author of this story has of the conviction of this music teacher? And, by extension, what opinion does the editor have? The newspaper itself? And, the important question, what makes you think so?

The difficulty here lies in the ethics of a newspaper. We are all taught in grade school that the news is objective. That newspapers, radio news, and news television broadcasts are free of bias and opinion. And yet, the front page article of this newspaper is telling the story of a convicted child molester using the loaded word "apparently" in application to the alleged victims of this crime. Even my own use of the word "alleged" in the preceding sentence could be considered weaselly - at what point does an alleged crime become a confirmed crime if not at the point of conviction? And yet, to remain neutral, we use the word "alleged" or "apparently" to present as objective, when in fact, the process backfires and presents us as either morally bankrupt or, at best, opinionated.

But how can we writers avoid the use of such persuasive tactics in our own works? How can we remain objective? I submit below the methods I teach my college students with regard to voice, tone, and diction in an effort to present information without bias.

• Adverbs

The art of using adverbs in a written piece has long been an effective means of persuading a reader. Adverbs are description words that

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