One would like to think that by the time people become prominent they would have mastered some of the routine points of English grammar as used in America.
One would like to think that.
However, one would be mistaken.
Here's an example currently in the news: False allegations.
An allegation is just that, and until and unless proven, it remains just that. Granted, the word does have a negative connotation, since a true allegation could well be taken as a compliment. Meanwhile, an allegation is neither true nor false. If the writer shows proof, or the report is provably true, it is no longer an allegation but a statement of fact.
Moreover, it can be a CYA term, especially among broadcasters, who want to make doubly sure that they are not accused of slanting the story in a biased way (there's another redundancy) so as to imply that a suspect is already guilty.
Mark Twain was reprimanded by an editor early his career for making statements about a party or reception that could not be verified because he was not at the party. So he rewrote the report and put "alleged" and its variations into every description of every person or event that occurred at the party.
You can imagine what came out. If you can't, look it up. It's great reading.
Here are two more current examples: A false smear, and false charges. It the statement is true, it's not a smear. And in the case of a current candidate, he has already done enough on his own to smear his reputation, so he needs no help from the news media. As to the term "false charges," put that in the same basket with "allegation." The charge needs some evidence from either side to show that it is either true or false.
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