There lots of politically correct rules in journalism.
For example, the MSM always refer to the Founding Fathers as the “Founders” or the “Framers” of the Constitution. They do this because the term “Founding Fathers” is allegedly offensive to feminists. In that case, it doesn’t matter that they were all men, we can’t use a term that would offend liberal females.
Anyone in a criminal case is said to be an “alleged” criminal in the media. Major Hassan “allegedly” killed those people in Ft. Hood. The people aren’t “allegedly” dead, they are actually dead, but the media always says that some crime “allegedly” happened when a trial is pending.
If I recall correctly, there have been efforts to make pronouns gender neutral.
Homosexual activists have brought pressures to use the term “gay” rather than “homosexual” in any news stories dealing with homosexuality.
After Jesse Jackson made a speech saying that blacks should be known as “African-American”, that term became standard in the MSM, though black is still used. Years ago, the term Negro fell into disuse and was replaced by black.
I’m sure there are other examples of MSM framing discussions by the words they use.
The fun begins when black Africans are described as “African American Africans.” I have actually seen this in print...
It has nothing to do with political correctness and everything to do with avoiding being sued for libel. There is a presumption of innocence for anyone charged with a crime, even if they're caught with the victim's blood dripping from their hands, until a court actually pronounces them guilty. At that moment the word "alleged" vanishes.
My favorite was when prostitutes (aka whores) became “sex workers.”