I find this whole line of reasoning to be dubious, unimaginative, and sad. Few people would call me a drab or unopinionated writer. Yet I write in a way that I

I find this whole line of reasoning to be dubious, unimaginative, and sad. Few people would call me a drab or unopinionated writer. Yet I write in a way that I believe protects me from those who would seize on any misstep to disparage me or even to sue for libel. And I've only slightly relaxed the safeguards I used in my earliest business writing, when I was a stock analyst subject to SEC regulation. The keys to safe and ethical writing are: 1. Don't lie or deliberately mislead. 2. Be clear about the support for your stated opinions -- including doubts or lack of support. Or, equivalently, adhere as best you can to The Golden Rule of Opinionated Non-Fiction Writing: Give readers the tools to make informed decisions as to whether they should or shouldn't accept what you say. Beyond that, I'd say -- and this is something else that goes back to my experience a stock analyst: A. Your job isn't to tell readers what to decide. B. Rather, your job is to make the best contribution you can to your readers' decision processes. Ultimately, their decisions are their own responsibility -- and if they forget that fact, then bad on them.