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Yes.

Your English usage is better than the author's.

No, it couldn't - your rewording loses the critical "reportedly" that lets the reader know that this is a rumor, not fact. I am not a reporter, and don't know the threshold for libel, but for a rumor you definitely want to write that, just like newspapers always use "the alledged criminal" before the trial is over.

I am not going to answer your English usage question here on the public forum because there is no sense in posting something many people will read for the benefit of a single person, and there is no contact information in your profile.

Sheez... I disagree with hollerith too, as it's not really that big a deal to have some off topic conversation like that (that might benefit other non-native speakers), but there's no need to vote people down so much for the occasional sub-par comment, unless it's really beyond the pale or the person is a troll - neither of which is true in this case.

Tough crowd.