Truthiness is a word that U.S. television comedian Stephen Colbert popularized in 2005 as a satirical term to describe things that a person claims to know intuitively or "from the gut" without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( born May 13 1964 is an American Comedian, satirist, Actor and Writer, known for his ironic style Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human Terminology is the study of terms and their use Terms are Words and Compound words that are used in specific contexts Intuition is apparent ability to acquire knowledge without a clear inference or the use of reason Evidence in its broadest sense includes anything that is used to determine or demonstrate the Truth of an assertion Logic is the study of the principles of valid demonstration and Inference. Intelligence (also called intellect) is an Umbrella term used to describe a property of the Mind that encompasses many related abilities such as the capacities To examine somebody or something is to inspect it closely hence an examination is a detailed inspection or analysis of an object or person Generally a fact is defined as something that is true something that actually exists or something that can be verified according to an established standard of evaluation ^[1] Colbert popularized this definition of the word during the inaugural (pilot) episode (October 17, 2005) of his satirical television program The Colbert Report, as the subject of a segment called "The Wørd". An inauguration is a ceremony of formal Investiture whereby an individual assumes an office or position of authority or power A television pilot is a test episode of an intended Television series. Events 539 BC - King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human The Colbert Report (/kolˈbɛr rəˈpɔr/&mdashthe t is silent in "Colbert" is a Peabody Award and Emmy Award winning American In addition to its standard interviews The Colbert Report features many recurring segments that cover a variety of topics It was named Word of the Year for 2005 by the American Dialect Society and for 2006 by Merriam-Webster. The word of the year refers to any of various assessments as to the most important word or expression in the Public sphere. The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889 is a Learned society "dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other Merriam-Webster, which was originally the G & C Merriam Company of Springfield Massachusetts, is an American company that publishes reference books ^[2][3]

By using the term as part of his routine, Colbert sought to satirize the use of appeal to emotion and the "gut feeling" as a rhetorical device in contemporary socio-political discourse. Appeal to emotion is a Fallacy which uses the manipulation of the recipient's emotions rather than valid logic to win an argument Rhetoric has had many definitions no simple definition can do it justice ^[4] He particularly applied it to U.S. President George W. Bush's nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court and the decision to invade Iraq in 2003. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. On October 3 2005 Harriet Miers was nominated for Associate Justice of the U Harriet Ellan Miers (born August 10 1945 is an American Lawyer and former White House Counsel. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. some section heading moves the Contents box to the top of the article ^[5] Colbert later ascribed truthiness to other institutions and organizations, such as Wikipedia. ***************************************************************************************** * * ^[6]

Contents 1 Origin of the term 2 Rapid adoption by news media 2.1 Television news coverage 2.2 The New York Times coverage 3 Widespread recognition 3.1 American Dialect Society's Word of the Year 3.2 Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year 4 Use in political and social commentary 4.1 James Frey controversy 4.2 In the Canadian Parliament 4.3 MoveOn parody 5 Further use by Colbert 5.1 Alleged snubbing by the Associated Press, and Colbert's response 5.1.1 Associated Press response to Colbert 5.2 Arianna Huffington 5.3 Veritasiness 5.4 President George W. Bush 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

Origin of the term

Colbert came up with the word truthiness just moments before taping the premiere episode of The Colbert Report on October 17, 2005, after deciding that the originally scripted word—"truth"—was not ridiculous enough. Events 539 BC - King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The meaning of the word truth extends from Honesty, Good faith, and Sincerity in general to agreement with Fact or Reality "We're not talking about truth, we're talking about something that seems like truth—the truth we want to exist," he explained. ^[7] He introduced his definition in the first segment of the episode, in the following monologue:^[5]

I will speak to you in plain, simple English. A monologue is an extended uninterrupted speech or poem by a single person And that brings us to tonight's word: 'truthiness. ' Now I'm sure some of the 'word police,' the 'wordinistas' over at Webster's are gonna say, 'hey, that's not a word'. Webster's Dictionary is the name given to a common type of English language dictionary in the United States. Well, anyone who knows me knows I'm no fan of dictionaries or reference books.

I don't trust books. They're all fact, no heart. And that's exactly what's pulling our country apart today. 'Cause face it, folks; we are a divided nation. Not between Democrats and Republicans, or conservatives and liberals, or tops and bottoms. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. Conservatism in the United States includes a variety of political ideologies including Fiscal conservatism, Supply-side economics, Social conservatism Liberalism in the United States is a broad political and philosophical mindset favoring individual Liberty, and opposing restrictions on liberty whether they come from The terms top, bottom and switch are used by many people including Heterosexual and LGBT people BDSM practitioners and others in No, we are divided between those who think with their head, and those who know with their heart.

Consider Harriet Miers. Harriet Ellan Miers (born August 10 1945 is an American Lawyer and former White House Counsel. If you 'think' about it, of course her nomination's absurd. But the president didn't say he 'thought' about his selection. He said this:

(video clip of President Bush:) 'I know her heart. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. '

Notice how he said nothing about her brain? He didn't have to. He feels the truth about Harriet Miers.

And what about Iraq? If you think about it, maybe there are a few missing pieces to the rationale for war. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia some section heading moves the Contents box to the top of the article But doesn't taking Saddam out feel like the right thing?

When asked in an out-of-character interview with The Onion's A.V. Club for his views on "the 'truthiness' imbroglio that's tearing our country apart", Colbert elaborated on the critique he intended to convey with the word:^[4]

Truthiness is tearing apart our country, and I don't mean the argument over who came up with the word…

It used to be, everyone was entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic: ar صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي --> April 28 1937 &ndash December 30 Dr Stephen T Colbert DFA (koʊɫˈbεɹ is the For the vegetable see Onion. The Onion is an American " fake news " organization The AV Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion eaters. But that's not the case anymore. Facts matter not at all. Perception is everything. It's certainty. People love the President because he's certain of his choices as a leader, even if the facts that back him up don't seem to exist. It's the fact that he's certain that is very appealing to a certain section of the country. I really feel a dichotomy in the American populace. A dichotomy is any splitting of a whole into exactly two non-overlapping parts What is important? What you want to be true, or what is true?…

Truthiness is 'What I say is right, and [nothing] anyone else says could possibly be true. ' It's not only that I feel it to be true, but that I feel it to be true. There's not only an emotional quality, but there's a selfish quality.

Colbert had unknowingly reinvented the word truthiness,^[7] which has a history in literature and appears in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) (as a derivation of truthy) and The Century Dictionary, both of which indicate it as rare or dialectal. The Oxford English Dictionary ( OED) published by the Oxford University Press (OUP is a comprehensive Dictionary of the English The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia was one of the largest and most highly regarded encyclopedic dictionaries of the English language Colbert's definition of the word was a novel invention, because the OED and The Century Dictionary define it as a variation of straightforward truthfulness. The prior existence of the word was brought to public attention by linguist and OED consultant Benjamin Zimmer. ^[8][9]

Rapid adoption by news media

After Colbert's introduction of the term "truthiness", it quickly became widely used and recognized. Within a few months of its introduction by Colbert, "Truthiness" was discussed in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune, Newsweek, CNN, MSNBC, the Associated Press, Editor & Publisher, Salon, The Huffington Post, Chicago Reader, CNET, and on ABC's Nightline, CBS's 60 Minutes, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. The Washington Post is the largest and most circulated Newspaper in Washington D USA TODAY is a national American daily Newspaper published by the Gannett Company. The San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H The Chicago Tribune is a major daily Newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and owned by the Tribune Company Newsweek is an American weekly Newsmagazine published in New York City. Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner MSNBC is a 24-hour cable television news channel based in the United States and available in Canada. The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio Editor & Publisher (E&P is a monthly Journal covering the North American Newspaper industry Saloncom, part of Salon Media Group ( often just called Salon, is an online The Huffington Post (often referred to on the Internet as HuffPo) is a liberal News Website and aggregated Weblog The Chicago Reader is an Alternative newsweekly in Chicago, Illinois, USA CNET Networks Inc is a media company based in San Francisco California, United States, and is part of CBS Interactive, owned The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Not to be confused with the BBC news magazine program Sixty Minutes (TV series. The Oprah Winfrey Show is a United States syndicated Talk show, hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey, and is the highest-rated The February 13, 2006 issue of Newsweek magazine featured an article on The Colbert Report titled "The Truthiness Teller". Events 1258 - Baghdad falls to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Newsweek is an American weekly Newsmagazine published in New York City. ^[7] It recounted the career of the word truthiness since its popularization by Colbert.

Television news coverage

Six days after Colbert introduced truthiness, CNN's Reliable Sources featured a discussion of The Colbert Report by host Howard Kurtz, who played a clip of Colbert mentioning truthiness. Reliable Sources is an American News media analysis talk program on CNN. Howard Alan Kurtz (born 1 August 1953 in Brooklyn New York) is an American Journalist, blogger, Author and ^[10]

On the same day, ABC's Nightline also reported on truthiness, prompting Colbert to respond by saying: "You know what was missing from that piece? Me. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. Stephen Colbert. But I'm not surprised. Nightline's on opposite me…"

The New York Times coverage

In its October 25, 2005 issue, eight days after the premiere episode of the Report, The New York Times ran its third article on The Colbert Report, penned by Alessandra Stanley and titled "Bringing Out the Absurdity of the News". Events 1147 - The Portuguese, under Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer Lisbon after a Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Alessandra Maria Stanley is an American journalist In 2003 she became the Television critic for The New York Times. ^[11] The article specifically discussed the segment on truthiness, although the Times misreported the word as trustiness. In its November 1, 2005 issue, the Times ran a correction clarifying that the Wørd had been truthiness, not trustiness. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. On the next episode of the Report, Colbert took the Times to task for the error, pointing out, albeit incorrectly, that trustiness is "not even a word". ^[12]

In its December 25, 2005 issue, the New York Times again discussed truthiness, this time as one of nine words that had captured the year's zeitgeist, in an article titled "2005: In a Word; Truthiness" by Jacques Steinberg. Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Zeitgeist ( pronounced) is a German language expression literally translated Zeit time; Geist spirit, meaning "the In crediting truthiness, Steinberg said, "the pundit who probably drew the most attention in 2005 was only playing one on TV: Stephen Colbert". A pundit is someone who offers to mass-media his/her opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically political analysis, the Social sciences ^[13]

In the January 22, 2006 issue, columnist Frank Rich used the term truthiness seven times, with credit to Colbert, in a column titled "Truthiness 101: From Frey to Alito", to discuss Republican portrayals of several issues (including the Samuel Alito nomination, the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, and Jack Murtha's wartime record). Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Frank Rich (born June 2, 1949 in Washington DC) is a Columnist for The New York Times who focuses on American politics Samuel Anthony Alito Jr (born April 1, 1950) is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Presidency of George W Bush began on his inauguration on January 20, 2001 as the 43rd and current President of the United States of America Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest in the history of the United States John Patrick “Jack” Murtha Jr (born 17 June 1932 is an American politician from the U Rich emphasized the extent to which the word truthiness had quickly become a cultural fixture, writing, "The mock Comedy Central pundit Stephen Colbert's slinging of the word 'truthiness' caught on instantaneously last year precisely because we live in the age of truthiness. Comedy Central is an American Cable television and Satellite television channel that carries predominantly Comedy programming " Editor & Publisher magazine reported on Rich's use of truthiness in his column, saying he "tackled the growing trend to 'truthiness,' as opposed to truth, in the U. Editor & Publisher (E&P is a monthly Journal covering the North American Newspaper industry S. "^[14]

The January 30, 2006 issue of the New York Times included an article titled "How Oprahness Trumped Truthiness" by David Carr, although the article itself did not refer to truthiness. Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[15]

The New York Times published two letters on the 2006 White House Correspondents' Dinner, where Stephen Colbert was the featured guest, in its May 3, 2006 edition, under the headline "Truthiness and Power". See also Executive Office of the President of the United States The White House, formerly known as the Executive Mansion, is the Official residence The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA is an organization of journalists who cover the President of the United States. On April 29 2006, American Comedian Stephen Colbert appeared as the featured entertainer at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[16]

Widespread recognition

Usage of "truthiness" continued to proliferate in media, politics, and public consciousness. Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Cape Coral is a city in Lee County, Florida, United States. With over 400 miles of navigable waterways Cape Coral has more miles of canals than any On January 5, 2006, etymology professor Anatoly Liberman began an hour-long program on public radio by discussing truthiness and predicting that it would be included in dictionaries in the next year or two. Events 1477 - Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is killed and Burgundy becomes part of France. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time Anatoly Liberman (Анатолий Симонович Либерман (born in 1937 is a professor in the Department of German, Scandinavian and Dutch Public broadcasting refers to radio television and other electronic media outlets that receive some or all of their funding from the public ^[17] His prediction seemed to be on track when, the next day, the American Dialect Society announced that "truthiness" was its 2005 Word of the Year, and the website of the Macmillan English Dictionary featured truthiness as its Word of the Week a few weeks later. The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889 is a Learned society "dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other ^[18] Truthiness was also selected by The New York Times as one of nine words that captured the spirit of 2005. Global Language Monitor, which tracks trends in languages, named truthiness the top television buzzword of 2006, and another term Colbert coined with reference to truthiness, wikiality, as another of the top ten television buzzwords of 2006, the first time two words from the same show have made the list. The Global Language Monitor ( GLM) is an Austin, Texas -based company that collectively documents analyzes and tracks Trends in Language References to Wikipedia in culture have increased as more people learn about and use the online Encyclopedia project ^[19][20]

On January 1, 2007, Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan released its annual list of words it wants banned from the English language. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Lake Superior State University is a small Public university in Sault Sainte Marie Michigan. Sault Ste Marie (ˌsuːseɪntməˈriː is the oldest city in both the state of Michigan and in the entire "Truthiness" was among them, along with other words like "awesome" and celebrity couple nicknames like "Brangelina" and "TomKat". ^[21] In response, on January 8, 2007 Colbert stated that Lake Superior State University was an "attention-seeking second-tier state school". Events 871 - Battle of Ashdown - Ethelred of Wessex defeats a Danish invasion army Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[22] The 2008 List of Banished Words restored truthiness to formal usage, in response to the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike. The 2007&ndash2008 Writers Guild of America strike, or more commonly known as the Writers' Strike was a strike by the Writers Guild of America East ^[23]

American Dialect Society's Word of the Year

On January 6, 2006, the American Dialect Society announced that truthiness was selected as its 2005 Word of the Year. Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889 is a Learned society "dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other The word of the year refers to any of various assessments as to the most important word or expression in the Public sphere. ^[2] The Society described its rationale as follows:

In its 16th annual words of the year vote, the American Dialect Society voted truthiness as the word of the year. First heard on The Colbert Report, a satirical mock news show on The Comedy Central Channel, truthiness refers to the quality of stating concepts or facts one wishes or believes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true. Comedy Central is an American Cable television and Satellite television channel that carries predominantly Comedy programming As Stephen Colbert put it, 'I don't trust books. They're all fact, no heart. '

Apparently after realizing that truthiness was found in the Oxford English Dictionary, the Society later changed the wording of this press release on their website, from "First heard on The Colbert Report…" to "Recently popularized by The Colbert Report…"

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year

On December 10, 2006 the Merriam-Webster dictionary announced that truthiness was selected as its 2006 Word of the Year on Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year, based on a reader poll, by a 5–1 margin over the second-place word google. Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year, a list published annually by the American dictionary-publishing company Merriam-Webster, features the ten words of the year from ^[3] "We're at a point where what constitutes truth is a question on a lot of people's minds, and truth has become up for grabs", said Merriam-Webster president John Morse. "'Truthiness' is a playful way for us to think about a very important issue. "^[24] However, despite winning Word of the Year, the word does not appear in the 2006 edition of the Merriam-Webster English Dictionary. In response to this omission, during "The Wørd" segment on December 12, 2006 Colbert issued a new page 1344 for the tenth edition of the Merriam Webster dictionary that featured "truthiness". Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. To make room for the definition of "truthiness," including a portrait of Colbert, the definition for the word "try" was removed with Colbert stating "Sorry, try. Maybe you should have tried harder. " He also sarcastically told viewers to 'not' download the new page and 'not' glue it in the new dictionary in libraries and schools.

Use in political and social commentary

James Frey controversy

The Chicago Tribune published an editorial in its January 16, 2006 issue titled "The Truthiness Hurts", crediting the rise of truthiness as serendipitously providing an apt description of the Oprah Book Club controversy over James Frey's semi-fictional memoir A Million Little Pieces. The Chicago Tribune is a major daily Newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and owned by the Tribune Company Events 27 BC - The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Oprah's Book Club is a book club segment of the American Talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, highlighting books chosen by host James Christopher Frey (born September 12, 1969 in Cleveland Ohio) is an American Writer. A Million Little Pieces is a controversial Memoir by James Frey. ^[25] Truthiness was also used to describe the Frey controversy by USA Today in its January 15, 2006 issue,^[26] by several other publications including The New York Times, and by the television news program Nightline on its October 23 and January 26 editions. USA TODAY is a national American daily Newspaper published by the Gannett Company. Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC - Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France. ^[27]

Oprah Winfrey also discussed truthiness with Frank Rich on her show, in reference to the Frey controversy and the column "Truthiness 101" Rich had recently published in the New York Times. Oprah Gail Winfrey (born January 29 1954 often referred to simply as Oprah, is an American Frank Rich (born June 2, 1949 in Washington DC) is a Columnist for The New York Times who focuses on American politics ^[28] They also mentioned Colbert's role in popularizing "truthiness". ^[15]

On January 27, MSNBC ran a commentary titled "Oprah strikes a blow for truthiness: Do facts really matter? Ask Winfrey, James Frey or Stephen Colbert", making the case that Winfrey's about-face on Frey's book was a "small (and belated) but bold nudge back out of the proud halls of truthiness", but also opportunistic and too little too late. MSNBC is a 24-hour cable television news channel based in the United States and available in Canada. ^[29]

In the Canadian Parliament

In 2006, Liberal Party of Canada leadership contender Ken Dryden used truthiness as an extensive theme in a speech in the House of Commons. The Liberal Party of Canada ( Parti libéral du Canada) colloquially known as the Grits (originally " Clear Grits " is a major Canadian political Kenneth Wayne "Ken" Dryden, PC, MP (born August 8, 1947 is a Canadian politician lawyer businessman author and former NHL The House of Commons (Chambre des communes is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and The speech dealt critically with the current government's Universal Child Care Plan. ^[30] Dryden defined truthiness as "something that is spoken as if true that one wants others to believe is true, that said often enough with enough voices orchestrated in behind it, might even sound true, but is not true. "

The transcript of all debates in the House is made available in both official languages; the translators into French chose to render "truthiness" as fausse vérité ("false truth"). French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people ^[30]

MoveOn parody

MoveOn and Brave New Films launched a satirical petition campaign against Colbert and Truthiness entitled "Stop the Falsiness" in anticipation of MoveOn founder Eli Pariser's appearance on The Colbert Report. MoveOn is an American non-profit progressive liberal public policy advocacy group and Political action committee which has raised millions of Eli Pariser (born December 17, 1980 in Lincolnville Maine) is Executive Director of MoveOn

Further use by Colbert

After introducing "truthiness", Colbert has repeatedly referred to "truthiness" and his original definition of it, both on and outside of The Colbert Report.

Alleged snubbing by the Associated Press, and Colbert's response

The Associated Press reported on the American Dialect Society's selection of truthiness as the Word of the Year,^[31] including the following comments by one of the voting linguists:

Michael Adams, a professor at North Carolina State University who specializes in lexicology, said "truthiness" means "truthy, not facty". The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, Coeducational extensive Research University located in Raleigh North Carolina Not to be mistaken with Lexicography. "The national argument right now is, one, who's got the truth and, two, who's got the facts", he said. "Until we can manage to get the two of them back together again, we're not going to make much progress. "

On each of the first four episodes of the Report after the selection of truthiness as Word of the Year, Colbert lamented that news reports neglected to acknowledge him as the source of the word. On the first of these episodes, he added Michael Adams to his "On Notice" board, and Associated Press reporter Heather Clark, the author of the article, to his "Dead to Me" board. Heather Clark is a writer for Associated Press working out of its bureau in Albuquerque New Mexico. ^[32] On the third of these episodes, he ranked the AP at the top of the "Threat-Down",^[33] one of few entries ever to gain the number one spot in place of bears. On the following episode he called Adams and asked for an apology. Though Adams never apologized, Colbert "accepted" his "apology", but failed to take him "off notice".

Associated Press response to Colbert

On January 13, the first day after the four-day run of criticism of the AP on the Report, the AP ran a story about The Colbert Report being upset about being snubbed by the AP, in an article titled "Colbert: AP the biggest threat to America". ^[34] As he has in the past, Colbert remained in character in an interview for the story, and used it to further the political satire of truthiness; excerpts of the story are:

"…When an AP story about the designation sent coast to coast failed to mention Colbert, he began a tongue-in-cheek crusade, not unlike the kind his muse Bill O'Reilly might lead in all seriousness. Tongue-in-cheek is a term used to refer to humor in which a statement or an entire fictional work is not meant to be taken seriously but its lack of seriousness is subtle William James O'Reilly Jr (born September 10 1949 is an American television / radio host, Author, Syndicated columnist, and "

"'It's a sin of omission…' Stephen Colbert told the AP on Thursday…. Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral Rule, or the state of having committed such a violation 'It's like Shakespeare still being alive and not asking him what Hamlet is about,' he said. William Shakespeare ( baptised Hamlet is a Tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601 "

"The Oxford English Dictionary has a definition for 'truthy' dating back to the 1800s…. 'The fact that they looked it up in a book just shows that they don't get the idea of truthiness at all,' Stephen Colbert said Thursday. 'You don't look up truthiness in a book, you look it up in your gut. '"

"Though slight, the difference of Colbert's definition and the OED's is essential. It's not your typical truth, but, as The New York Times wrote, 'a summation of what [Colbert] sees as the guiding ethos of the loudest commentators on Fox News, MSNBC and CNN. MSNBC is a 24-hour cable television news channel based in the United States and available in Canada. Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner '"

"Colbert, who referred on his program to the AP omission as a 'journalistic travesty,' said Thursday that it was similar to the much-criticized weapons of mass destruction reporting leading up to the Iraq War. A weapon of mass destruction ( WMD) is a weapon which can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures (e The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign 'Except,' he said, 'people got hurt this time. '"

On January 14, Clark herself responded in an article titled "Exclusive 'News'—I'm dead to Stephen Colbert". ^[35] She furthered the rise of "truthiness" in published English in conceding, "Truthiness be told, I never had seen The Colbert Report until my name graced its 'Dead to Me' board this week…. But I will say that I watched Colbert's show for the first time…It was funny. And that's not just truthy. That's a fact. "

Arianna Huffington

On January 31, 2006, Arianna Huffington used truthiness on the Huffington Post. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Arianna Huffington (born Arianna Stassinopoulos, on July 15, 1950) is an Author, media gadfly, and nationally syndicated The Huffington Post (often referred to on the Internet as HuffPo) is a liberal News Website and aggregated Weblog ^[36] Huffington later appeared as a guest on the March 1, 2006, episode of The Colbert Report. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. She challenged Colbert on his claim that he had invented the word truthiness. During the interview, Colbert declared, "I'm not a truthiness fanatic; I'm truthiness's father. " Huffington corrected him, citing Wikipedia, that he had merely "popularized" the term. ***************************************************************************************** * * Regarding her source, Colbert responded: "Fuck Them!"^[37]

Veritasiness

Also in 2006, after Colbert delivered the commencement speech at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, he was presented with both an honorary degree and a light purple T-shirt bearing a logo that reads, "Veritasiness Tour", creating a semi-Latinized version of truthiness. Knox College is a four-year Coeducational private liberal arts college located in Galesburg Illinois. Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, in the United States. In Roman mythology, Veritas (meaning truth) was the Goddess of Truth, a daughter of Saturn and the mother of Virtue. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. ^[38] The shirt also plays on Knox's motto, which is "Veritas".

President George W. Bush

At the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, Colbert, the featured guest, described President Bush's thought processes using the definition of truthiness. On April 29 2006, American Comedian Stephen Colbert appeared as the featured entertainer at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Editor and Publisher used truthiness to describe Colbert's criticism of President Bush, in an article published the same day entitled "Colbert Lampoons Bush at White House Correspondents Dinner—President Not Amused?" E&P reported that the "blistering comedy 'tribute' to President Bush… left George and Laura Bush unsmiling at its close" and that many people at the dinner "looked a little uncomfortable at times, perhaps feeling the material was a little too biting — or too much speaking 'truthiness' to power". Laura Lane Welch Bush (born November 4 1946 is the wife of the forty-third and current President of the United States, George W ^[39] E&P reported a few days later that its coverage of Colbert at the dinner drew "possibly its highest one-day traffic total ever", and published a letter to the editor asserting that "Colbert brought truth wrapped in truthiness". ^[40] On the same weekend, The Washington Post and others also referenced this. The Washington Post is the largest and most circulated Newspaper in Washington D ^[41][42][43] Writing six months later in a column entitled "Throw The Truthiness Bums Out", New York Times columnist Frank Rich called Colbert's after-dinner speech a "cultural primary" and christened it the "defining moment" of the United States' 2006 midterm elections. Frank Rich (born June 2, 1949 in Washington DC) is a Columnist for The New York Times who focuses on American politics The 2006 United States midterm elections were held on Tuesday November 7 2006. ^[44][45]

See also

• Big lie
• Noble lie
• Bellyfeel
• Truth
• Feelings
• Consensus reality
• Wikiality
• Reality-based community

References

External links

• Video feed of Stephen introducing "Truthiness" on The Colbert Report
• "Truthiness: a flash in the pan?" from Language Log
• Macmillan Dictionary on truthiness
• Global Language Monitor on Top Television Buzzwords

Language Log is a collaborative language Blog maintained by University of Pennsylvania phonetician Mark Liberman.

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