This front-page headline in the Sunday edition of The News & Observer surprised me for a couple of reasons:
- The newspaper had landed an interview with Jan Boxill, one of the people connected to the scandal involving bogus classes at UNC-Chapel Hill.
- The headline used the word “refuted,” which indicated to me that Boxill had argued successfully against the many accusations (such as these from the NCAA) against her.
Our friends at Merriam-Webster list two definitions for the word:
- to prove wrong by argument or evidence
- to deny the truth or accuracy of
The use of “refute” in the Boxill headline matches the second definition well enough. But it’s unclear in the story whether she has proven the accusations to be false. That conclusion lies in the mind of the reader.
The Associated Press Stylebook advises against this use of “refute” because it “almost always implies editorial judgment.” With that in mind, I would suggest other verbs for the Boxill headline: challenge, dispute or deny. Each of those would reflect the tone and content of the story without overselling it.
I’m open to rebuttals.
The Editor's Desk 
I read the article. I wasn’t convinced she “refuted.”