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COLUMNS: Fake News deemed word of the year

Fake News is the Word of the Year, chosen by the Collins Dictionary.
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Fake News is the Word of the Year, chosen by the Collins Dictionary because of its “ubiquitous presence” in 2017.

Collins describes Fake News as “a sensational piece of news which does not map to reality, designed to attract attention to or damage somebody’s reputation.”

U.S. President Donald Trump claims the word, labelling all news he doesn’t like as fake.

Mr. Trump, a leader in the field of fishy stories, calls his version of events Alternate Facts.

Fake news is a new name for an old game.

Over the years it has been called propaganda, misinformation, newspeak and doublespeak (Orwell) — the list is a long one.

It’s gossip on a larger scale. Like gossip, no matter how inaccurate or vicious the fake news may be, it’s effective in damaging governments, communities and individuals, especially with social media to spread the word.

The damage can last forever. Adolf Hitler is credited with saying if you tell a lie big enough and tell it often enough, it will be believed.

As well as furthering the news spreaders’ agenda, Fake News can distract attention from what might be more relevant information. People spreading fake news usually escape any consequences. When politicians, public figures, or whoever get caught, they can claim they were misquoted, misinterpreted, or their comments were taken out of context. By then the harm is done.

The solution? Sadly, be a sceptic. Double check the reliability of news and Facebook sources.

“Believe nothing you hear and only half what you see” - Edgar Allan Poe

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The weather was warm, the snow stopped in time, and all was well for the the Rogers’ Hometown Hockey celebration over the weekend. A good time was had by everyone, and congratulations to the local volunteers for a job well done.

Diana French is a freelance columnist for the Tribune. She is a former Tribune editor, retired teacher, historian, and book author.