Might, might, might

The Times reports the coroner's verdict on the death of Anna Nicole Smith. In the print edition of the paper a large photograph of the late model has the caption: "Anna Nicole Smith's life may have been saved if she had heeded her companion's advice and gone to hospital for her high fever."

No, no, no. I have no idea why journalists find this distinction so difficult. The fact of Ms Smith's death is unfortunately not in doubt. The caption should therefore read "might have been saved" not "may have been saved". Misuse of language is the least important aspect of a sad story. Precision in language is still worth observing, though. It will ensure we don't have to rely on previous knowledge to make sense of a statement.