| 词源 |
hedge word. A good story about these common disclaimers of responsibility concerns Mark Twain and his first job as a re- porter. Twain was told by his editor never to state anything he couldn’t verify by personal knowledge. After covering a gala social event, he hedged his bets by turning in the following sto- ry: “A woman giving the name of Mrs. James Jones, who is re- ported to be one of the society leaders of the city, is said to have given what purported to be a party yesterday to a number of al- leged ladies. The hostess claims to be the wife of a reputed at- torney.” The use of such disclaimers does not automatically confer immunity from prosecution for libel, as the law punishes publication of a libel, which, legally, means “making public.” |