Passivity is Boring

   Textbooks emphasize the benefit of using active verbs when writing, yet many government and academic research reports fall into the trap of using the passive voice.
   Those perpetrating such verbosities may think it absolves them of responsibility for what they write -- it implies that "someone else" said it -- but such a technique is boring.
   Oops, there it is again. Rewrite that to "such a technique bores the reader." More important, the reader must work harder to understand the message.
   So if you want to obscure the message and deny responsibility for any conclusion drawn from the information contained in the text, use a passive construction.
   But if you're confident in the veracity (truth) of what you say, then say it and accept responsibility for saying it.
   Otherwise, it's a cop-out.
   Sorry, I just did it again.
   Don't cop out, and don't bore the reader. When you do that, you fail in your mission to communicate.