People Have Serious Questions About Dictionary's Trump-Themed 'Word Of The Year'
A dictionary publisher’s pronouncement of one of President Donald Trump’s favorite terms as its “Word of the Year” is confusing people online.
The British-based Collins English Dictionary announced Thursday that “fake news,” the term Trump last week inaccurately suggested he’d coined himself, is one of prominence in 2017.
It defined “fake news” as meaning “false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting” ― and said its use has soared by 365 percent since last year.
BREAKING! The Collins Word of the Year 2017 is... FAKE NEWS 📰 https://t.co/zPFXYBvXzb #CollinsWOTY #WordOfTheYear pic.twitter.com/3vFeQNToPl
— Collins Dictionary (@CollinsDict) November 2, 2017
Trump’s regular use of the term to dismiss critical news reports about his administration contributed to its rise in popularity, Collins noted.
But tweeters have been quick to call out the publisher’s choice, due to the fact that the “word” actually consists of two words ― and so is therefore really a “term.”
"Fake News" has been named one of the Collins Dictionary's words of the year. Not sure it's one word but @realDonaldTrump will be pleased.
— Andre Walker (@andrejpwalker) November 2, 2017
‘Fake news’ has been declared word of the year. Fake news. It’s two words.
— Mr Quimbly (@RogerQuimbly) November 2, 2017
So @CollinsDict your word of the year to go into next years edition is "fake news" 🤔 technically isn't that two words?!
— Rob Houghton (@Dobssie) November 2, 2017
— Steven Dawson (@dosman86) November 2, 2017
what idiot made 'fake news' the word of the year and not covfefe
— Mollie Goodfellow (@hansmollman) November 2, 2017
But that’s two words. pic.twitter.com/xGySWpzOCp
— Simon Savidge (@SavidgeReads) November 2, 2017
I'm going to say this once, very clearly, and then we shall never speak of it again. "Fake news" is a two word phrase, not a word
— Martin Belam (@MartinBelam) November 2, 2017
Antifa, cuffing season, echo chamber, fidget spinner, gender-fluid, gig economy, Insta, unicorn and Corbynmania also featured on the shortlist for the year.
“Much of this year’s list” was “definitely politically charged,” said Collins’ head of language content, Helen Newstead, via a statement.
“‘Fake news’, either as a statement of fact or as an accusation, has been inescapable this year, contributing to the undermining of society’s trust in news reporting,” she added. “Given the term’s ubiquity and its regular usage by President Trump, it is clear that Collins’s word of the year is very real news.”
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.