MSM Description of Saddam Hussein

I just heard ABC News correspondent Ann Compton describe Saddam Hussein on the top-of-the-hour news. This was her introduction: "He ruled Iraq for decades and by some accounts, he was a brutal dictator..."

Does she really have to say this? Isn't this like saying Osama is "by many accounts, a terrorist?" I don't think she will prejudice the jury if she uses the term "brutal dictator." Give us a break and be honest for a change.