This is a simple post with a simple point. It’s worth highlighting to students that news reports of who said what might appear to be objective, but the words used to describe conversations and disagreements carry a lot of baggage. Consider the nuances of these different verbs:

• acknowledged
• added
• advised
• agreed
• alleged
• answered
• argued
• asserted
• assumed
• assured
• attributed
• believed
• claimed
• confirmed
• contended
• conveyed
• counseled
• denied
• derided
• disagreed
• joked
• lamented
• leaked
• muttered
• noted
• pointed out
• promised
• proved
• purported
• quipped
• reassured
• recounted
• refused
• refuted
• rejected
• responded
• said
• shouted
• stated
• suggested
• theorized
• wrote