‘Unconfirmed Reports’ and the Weasel Words That Accelerate Misinformation

Phrases once used by responsible journalists to highlight gaps in their knowledge, are now being used to spread misinformation for clicks, writes The Bear

There was a time when phrases like "sources say," "allegedly," and "unconfirmed reports" served a clear purpose. They signalled caution, a recognition that claims required verification before they could be treated as fact. They were once the markers of responsible journalism – reminders that accuracy mattered, and sometimes sources needed to remain protected.

But in the age of social media, these same phrases have been repurposed into tools of reckless speculation and plausible deniability. Instead of acting as warnings, they’ve become disclaimers, allowing users to spread misinformation without accountability.

Scroll through any breaking news event on X/Twitter, and you’ll see it in action: baseless claims spreading like wildfire, prefixed with "Huge if true…", or "I’m just asking questions…", or the ever-popular "My sources tell me…".

And when these claims turn out to be nonsense?

The response is always the same: "I never said it was true; I was just passing it on."

The use of these terms have gone well past the point of informing people of the truth and now serve purely to give misinformation a head start.