Revisiting Allege, Alleged, Allegedly

Other than a rude waiter, an occasional inept wine steward, or a proctologist with cold hands, nothing irritates the Maven more than the improper use of the word "alleged" in a news story.

The purveyors of awful prose at Indiana NewsCeneter, WPTA, WISE, et al. are at it again with this ditty, which seems to contradict itself.

The first paragraph alleges credit card theft, while the second paragraph identifies the crime as credit card theft, citing the Warsaw Police as a source. So, which is it?

Media outlets routinely fall all over themselves using the word "alleged" and it's cousins, mainly to protect themselves against nuisance lawsuits brought by people accused of crimes. In this case, the use of the word is merely clutter, making an unattractive news story even more mundane. 

The AP Style Book is quite clear on the use of the "A" word as seen on the right hand side of the graphic. 

AND ANOTHER THING:

One word of compliment, for INC, WPTA, WISE, et al. Thank you for correcting your online story this morning mentioning Dana "AXEL". Most 4th graders, even in the Fort Wayne Community Schools, know that it's "AXLE". The Maven wonders if the word was misspelled on the press release from DANA or the City.