One of the great Twitter follows of 2016 was Merriam-Webster. Yes, the dictionary. The person behind the account was smart, funny, witty and edgy throughout the presidential campaign.
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The dictionary’s account even served as something of a watchdog during one of, if not the craziest presidential campaigns in U.S. history. And now that the 45th president has been sworn in, the dictionary is proving it isn’t going anywhere on Twitter. On Sunday, it seized upon the eye-opening introduction of the term “alternative facts” by President Donald Trump’s counselor Kellyanne Conway.
Merriam-Webster decided it was time for a refresher course regarding exactly what a “fact” is. So it tweeted:
📈A fact is a piece of information presented as having objective reality. https://t.co/gCKRZZm23c
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) January 22, 2017
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The introduction of “alternative facts” came about after Trump press secretary Sean Spicer, during his first official press conference, scolded the media for its reporting on the size of the crowd at Friday’s inauguration. Conway, on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday morning, defended Spicer by suggesting he was putting forth “alternate facts” despite actual video and aerial pictures proving the initial facts of the crowd size to be, well, factual.
Conway said to “Meet the Press” anchor Chuck Todd: “You’re saying it’s a falsehood … and Sean Spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts.”