Quote:

If the experts SAID this, they should be quoted. But the way it's written you cannot tell whether they said something else and the reporter inserted the word punt into the story. That was my point.



While it's unlikely that "the experts" all used the word punt, the experts that he's summarizing here said negative things and may well have said much worse. He may actually be showing bias the other way by softening it to punt. For example:

EXPERT1: The budget is fubar.
EXPERT2: This budget is a disaster.

WRITER: Experts warn the budget is not perfect.