Editing Incubator escapee wiki:Controversial articles (section)

=== Be careful with weasel words ===
[[Wikipedia:Avoid weasel words|Weasel words]] are a way to give unconfirmable assertions the appearance of fact.  "Houston is considered the friendliest city in the world." Really, now.  Who says so? Do not use expressions like "is claimed", "is thought to be", and "is alleged", without saying specifically who is doing the claiming, thinking or alleging.

Also, beware of using words of attribution that cast aspersions on the source. This is largely an issue of context; for example, 

::''Standing before the ruins of an exploded apartment building, the military spokesman claimed that "only military targets were hit".''

Here, "claimed" suggests the writer's doubt; "said" would have been more neutral. Also, "alleged" often suggests a statement of questionable truth.