Unprofessional journalism and 'conspiracy'
Editors and reporters for prestigious news origanizations seem to have flunked their college logic courses in their use and misuse of the terms "conspiracy theory" and "conspiracy theorist."

They conflate a listing of discrepancies in official accounts with scenarios about whodunnit and why, very like some of the more amateurish writers whom they deride.

Any good reporter should examine official narratives of important events and report any significant inconsistencies and omissions. That reporter may have a theory about the reasons for a coverup, if that's what's going on, without necessarily including those suspicions in his reporting.

But it has become fashionable to counterattack sharp investigative reporting by dismissing the writer as a "conspiracy theorist" -- even when he or she has offered no theory and even when the inconsistencies and omissions reported strongly imply a coverup.