Demonstrably false

From the Washington Times:


“Here, ABC’s Peter Jennings reluctantly agreed. ‘I know we weren’t as on the ball as we should have been’ about the war, Jennings offered by way of apology. Warming up to this theme, Jennings also admitted that ‘we were not quick enough to say [the Swift Boat ads] are demonstrably false.’ In other words, the regular network news divisions are, if anything, too favorably disposed towards George W. Bush. And anybody who tells you different is a crazy, right-wing liar. Lay off my friend Dan Rather, Jennings demanded; ‘I don’t think you ever judge a man by only one event in his career.’

This is an impressively inaccurate use of the word “demonstrably”. I like to use it myself, but I only use it when I am willing and able to demonstrate the truth of what I’m saying. But for all that Jennings is now insistent that the Swift ads are false, he and the rest of the network news have completely failed to demonstrate that they are so.