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Your English language lesson for today

Use the language correctly, damn it.

Hollywood actor Charlie Sheen is refuting a report that he allegedly hired the same call girl involved in the Eliot Spitzer scandal for a fantasy-themed threesome.

No, damn it Fox News, he is not refuting the report; he's denying it (as your inside headline says). There's a difference. "Deny" and "refute" are not synonyms. To deny something is to claim it isn't true. To refute something is to prove it isn't true.

"There was a report out of the U.K. that linked Charlie with 'Kristen' as part of a threesome where 'Kristen' was asked to be a cheerleader," a publicist for the actor told FOXNews.com. "Problem with the report was the alleged cheerleader incident, if it ever even happened, was 15 years ago. So the story is not true."

There's absolutely nothing in that statement that refutes the allegation. It's nothing but a denial. (Not that I give a damn about the content, BTW -- for all I care, Charlie Sheen can spend his money any way he wants.)

What are they teaching in J-school these days?

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