新闻英语词汇: plausible deniability_北京外宾旅游指南

新闻英语词汇 Journalism Vocabulary

plausible deniability 貌似合理的否认

plausible deniability是指由于事先不知道某件事情，事后就能否认跟这件事有任何关系。这种否认听起来可信，或至少貌似合理。使用这个策略意味着要事先考虑周全，设置一些条件，为将来貌似合理逃避责任做好准备。

该术语是CIA在1960年代创造的，用于说明CIA对一些高级官员故意隐瞒一些CIA行动信息，以便在CIA的某些活动暴露或公开后，保护这些高官不受牵连，合理逃避责。

Arguably, the key concept of plausible deniability is plausibility. It is relatively easy for a government official to issue a blanket denial of an action, and it is possible to destroy or cover up evidence after the fact, and this might be sufficient to avoid a criminal prosecution, for instance. However, the public might well disbelieve the denial, particularly if there is strong circumstantial evidence, or if the action is believed to be so unlikely that the only logical explanation is that the denial is false. （wikipedia.org/wiki/Plausible_deniability）

Citations
Plausible deniability is a politician’s best friend. It’s something politicians seek to maintain in all circumstances by giving vanilla statements that offer future wiggle room.

For President Trump, though, plausible deniability is a way of life. The ability to pretend he didn’t actually say what he seems to have just said is something Trump has weaponized and exploited. It’s something he wields against his opponents in an effort to constantly muddy the waters and rally his supporters against a common enemy.

-- The Washington Post by Aaron Blake July 4, 2017