View source for Truthiness

{{short description|Quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than actual truth}}
{{use mdy dates|date=March 2014}}
{{for|the concept in computer programming and logic|Truth value}}
[[File:Truthiness.png|thumb|300px|[[Stephen Colbert]] uses "truthiness" on the debut episode of ''[[The Colbert Report]]'']]
'''Truthiness''' is the belief or assertion that a particular statement is true based on the [[intuition (knowledge)|intuition]] or perceptions of some individual or individuals, without regard to [[evidence]], [[logic]], [[Intelligence|intellectual]] examination, or [[fact]]s.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/12/opinion/meyer/main2250923.shtml |title=The Truth of Truthiness |first=Dick |last=Meyer |work=CBS News |date=December 12, 2006 |access-date=December 14, 2006 |archive-date=November 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131116045748/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/12/opinion/meyer/main2250923.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | title=Truthiness | website=Dictionary.com Unabridged | publisher=Random House | url=http://www.dictionary.com/browse/truthiness | access-date=May 22, 2017}}</ref> Truthiness can range from ignorant assertions of falsehoods to deliberate duplicity or propaganda intended to sway opinions.<ref name="Hayes-Roth, p. 5">{{cite book | title=Truthiness Fever | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gRIE3PGf-1YC | last=Hayes-Roth |first=Rick | publisher=BookLocker.com, Inc. | year=2015 | page=5|isbn = 978-1614342205}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title=Rethinking Psychology: Good Science, Bad Science, Pseudoscience | last=Hughes |first=Brian | publisher=Palgrave Macmillan | year=2016 | page=35 |isbn=978-1-137-30397-4}}</ref>

The concept of truthiness has emerged as a major subject of discussion surrounding [[Politics of the United States|U.S. politics]] during the [[Information Age|late 20th and early 21st centuries]] because of the perception among some observers of a rise in propaganda and a growing hostility toward factual reporting and fact-based discussion.<ref name="Hayes-Roth, p. 5"/>

American television comedian [[Stephen Colbert]] coined the term ''truthiness'' in this meaning<ref name="zimmer">{{cite web |url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002586.html |last=Zimmer |first=Benjamin |author-link=Benjamin Zimmer |access-date=June 4, 2006 |title=Language Log: Truthiness or Trustiness?}}</ref> as the subject of a segment called "[[Recurring segments on The Colbert Report#The Wørd|The Wørd]]" during the pilot episode of his political satire program ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' on October 17, 2005. By using this as part of his routine, Colbert satirized the misuse of [[appeal to emotion]] and "gut feeling" as a rhetorical device in contemporaneous socio-political discourse.<ref name="avclub">{{cite news |url=http://www.avclub.com/article/stephen-colbert-13970 |title=Interview: Stephen Colbert |first=Nathan |last=Rabin |newspaper=A.V. Club |date=January 25, 2006 |access-date=February 17, 2014}}</ref> He particularly applied it to U.S. President [[George W. Bush]]'s [[Harriet Miers Supreme Court nomination|nomination]] of [[Harriet Miers]] to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] and the [[Rationale for the Iraq War|decision to invade Iraq]] in 2003.<ref name="word">{{cite web |url=http://www.cc.com/video-clips/63ite2/the-colbert-report-the-word---truthiness |date=October 17, 2005 |access-date=November 7, 2018 |title=The Colbert Report: Videos: The Word (Truthiness)}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=July 2021}} Colbert later ascribed truthiness to other institutions and organizations, including [[Wikiality|Wikipedia]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Word – Wikiality – The Colbert Report (Video Clip)|url=https://www.cc.com/video-clips/z1aahs/the-colbert-report-the-word---wikiality|website=Comedy Central|access-date=2020-05-14}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=July 2021}} Colbert has sometimes used a [[Dog Latin]] version of the term, "Veritasiness".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://firedoglake.com/2006/06/05/a-stop-on-the-veritasiness-tour-2006/ |access-date=September 3, 2010 |date=June 5, 2006 |title=A Stop on the Veritasiness Tour 2006 |work=Firedoglake |first=Christy Hardin |last=Smith |archive-date=October 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002155231/http://firedoglake.com/2006/06/05/a-stop-on-the-veritasiness-tour-2006/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> For example, in Colbert's "Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando" the word "Veritasiness" can be seen on the banner above the eagle on the operation's seal.

''[[wikt:truthiness|Truthiness]]'' was named [[Word of the Year]] for 2005 by the [[American Dialect Society]] and for 2006 by [[Merriam-Webster]].<ref name="dialectsoc">{{cite web |url=http://www.americandialect.org/Words_of_the_Year_2005.pdf |access-date=June 4, 2006 |title=Truthiness Voted 2005 Word of the Year by American Dialect Society }}</ref><ref name="mw">{{cite dictionary |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/06words.htm |title=Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year 2006 |dictionary=Merriam-Webster |access-date=December 8, 2006}}</ref> Linguist and ''OED'' consultant [[Benjamin Zimmer]]<ref name="zimmer" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~bgzimmer/ |access-date=June 4, 2006 |title=Benjamin Zimmer homepage}}</ref> pointed out that the word ''truthiness''<ref name="newsweek">{{cite journal |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11182033/site/newsweek/ |title=The Truthiness Teller |first=Marc |last=Peyser |journal=Newsweek |issn=0028-9604 |date=February 13, 2006 |access-date=June 4, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060425101629/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11182033/site/newsweek/ |archive-date=April 25, 2006}}</ref> already had a history in literature and appears in the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' (''OED''), as a derivation of ''[[:wikt:truthy|truthy]]'', and ''[[The Century Dictionary]]'', both of which indicate it as rare or dialectal, and to be defined more straightforwardly as "truthfulness, faithfulness".<ref name="zimmer" /> Responding to claims by Michael Adams that the word already existed with a different meaning, Colbert, presumably exploiting his definition of the word, said, "Truthiness is a word I pulled right out of my [[wikt:keister|keister]]".<ref name=Kiser >{{cite web|last=Kiser|first=Emily|date=January 10, 2006|title=Colbert puts professor 'on notice': Michael Adams, featured in a recent Associated Press article, incurs the wrath of Comedy Central 'pundit'|work=[[Technician (newspaper)|Technician]]|url=http://www.technicianonline.com/article_895be1b8-7968-5f83-b414-2957431242ac.html|access-date=February 5, 2017}}</ref>

==Use by Stephen Colbert==
[[Stephen Colbert]], portraying his character [[Stephen Colbert (character)|Dr. Stephen T. Colbert]], chose the word ''truthiness'' just moments before taping the premiere episode of ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' on October 17, 2005, after deciding the originally scripted word – "truth" – was not absolutely ridiculous enough: "We're not talking about truth, we're talking about something that seems like truth – the truth we want to exist", he explained.<ref name="nymag">{{cite journal |url=http://nymag.com/news/politics/22322/index1.html |title=Stephen Colbert Has America by the Ballots |first=Adam |last=Sternbergh |journal=New York Magazine |issn=0362-4331 |date=October 16, 2006 |access-date=October 27, 2007}}</ref><ref name="ColbertWriters">{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvnHf3MQtAk&t=1m  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/WvnHf3MQtAk |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Colbert Report Writers – The Truthiness Behind The Lines, Truthiness and Pun Journals |publisher=The Paley Center, YouTube channel |date=November 7, 2009 |access-date=June 25, 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He introduced his definition in the first segment of the episode, saying: "Now I'm sure some of the 'word police', the 'wordinistas' over at [[Merriam-Webster|Webster's]] are gonna say, 'Hey, that's not a word'. Well, anybody who knows me knows I'm no fan of dictionaries or reference books. They're elitist. Constantly telling us what is or isn't true. Or what did or didn't happen."<ref name="word" />

When asked in an [[Breaking character|out-of-character]] interview with ''[[The Onion]]'''s [[The A.V. Club|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:<ref name="avclub" />

{{quote|Truthiness is tearing apart our country, and I don't mean the argument over who came up with the word{{nbsp}}...

It used to be, everyone was entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. But that's not the case anymore. Facts matter not at all. Perception is everything. It's certainty. People love the President [George W. Bush] 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. What is important? What you want to be true, or what is true?{{nbsp}}...

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.}}

During an interview on December 8, 2006, with [[Charlie Rose]],<ref name="Charlie Rose">
Charlie Rose (December 8, 2006), [http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2006/12/08/2/a-conversation-with-comedian-stephen-colbert "A conversation with comedian Stephen Colbert"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915040747/http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2006/12/08/2/a-conversation-with-comedian-stephen-colbert |date=September 15, 2008 }} . Retrieved on August 14, 2008.
</ref> Colbert stated:

{{quote|I was thinking of the idea of passion and emotion and certainty over information. And what you feel in your gut, as I said in the first Wørd we did, which was sort of a thesis statement of the whole show – however long it lasts – is that sentence, that one word, that's more important to, I think, the public at large, and not just the people who provide it in prime-time cable, than information.}}

At the [[Stephen Colbert at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner|2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner]], Colbert, the featured guest, described President Bush's thought processes using the definition of truthiness. ''Editor and Publisher'' used "truthiness" to describe Colbert's criticism of Bush, in an article published the same day titled "Colbert Lampoons Bush at White House Correspondents Dinner{{snd}}President Not Amused?" ''E&P'' reported that the "blistering comedy 'tribute' to President Bush{{nbsp}}... 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{{snd}}or too much speaking 'truthiness' to power".<ref name="editor-and-publisher-2006.04.29">{{cite news |url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002425363 |publisher=Editor and Publisher |title=Colbert Lampoons Bush at White House Correspondents Dinner – President Not Amused? |author=E&P Staff |date=April 29, 2006 |access-date=May 7, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060531012834/http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002425363|archive-date=May 31, 2006}}</ref> ''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".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/PrintArticle/TUESDAY-S-LETTERS-Colbert-Offensive-Colbert-Mediocre-Colbert-a-Hero-Colbert-Vicious-Colbert-Brave |title=Tuesday's Letters: Colbert Offensive, Colbert Mediocre, Colbert a Hero, Colbert Vicious, Colbert Brave |author=E&P Staff |date=May 2, 2006 |access-date=June 4, 2006}}</ref> On the same weekend, ''[[The Washington Post]]'' and others also reported on the event.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/29/AR2006042900126.html |title=Dept. of Truthiness: The Colbert Rapport |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0740-5421 |date=March 30, 2006 |access-date=June 4, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2006/05/01/colbert/index_np.html |title=The truthiness hurts |first=Michael |last=Scherer |journal=Salon |date=May 1, 2006 |access-date=June 4, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615011439/http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2006/05/01/colbert/index_np.html |archive-date=June 15, 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/27/60minutes/main1553506.shtml |date=March 30, 2006 |access-date=June 4, 2006 |title=The Colbert Report: Morley Safer Profiles Comedy Central's "Fake" Newsman |work=CBS News}}</ref> Six months later, in a column titled "Throw The Truthiness Bums Out", ''[[The 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' [[United States general elections, 2006|2006 midterm elections]].<ref name="nytimes-truthiness-bums">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/05/opinion/05rich.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |issn=0362-4331 |title=Throw the Truthiness Bums Out |first=Frank |last=Rich |author-link=Frank Rich |date=November 5, 2006 |access-date=November 22, 2006}}</ref><ref name="washpost-bubble-trouble">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2006/11/07/BL2006110700726_5.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0740-5421 |title=Bubble Trouble |first=Dan |last=Froomkin |author-link=Dan Froomkin |date=November 7, 2006 |access-date=November 22, 2006}}</ref>

{{anchor|Trumpiness}}Colbert refreshed "truthiness" in an episode of ''[[The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]]'' on July 18, 2016, using the neologism "Trumpiness" regarding statements made by [[Donald Trump]] during [[Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016|his 2016 presidential campaign]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.salon.com/2016/07/22/colbert_goes_after_trumpiness_his_live_rnc_coverage_revives_the_comedy_of_the_colbert_report/ | title=Colbert goes After Trumpiness: His live RNC coverage revives the comedy of "The Colbert Report" | work=Salon | date=22 July 2016 | access-date=16 August 2016 | author=McClennen, Sophia}}</ref> According to Colbert, while truthiness refers to statements that feel true but are actually false, "Trumpiness" does not even have to feel true, much less be true. As evidence that Trump's remarks exhibit this quality, he cited a ''[[The Washington Post|Washington Post]]'' column stating that many Trump supporters did not believe his "wildest promises" but supported him anyway.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://theweek.com/speedreads/636881/stephen-colbert-resurrects-colbert-report-word-segment-define-trumpiness | title=Stephen Colbert resurrects his Colbert Report 'The Word' segment to define 'Trumpiness' | work=The Week | date=19 July 2016 | access-date=16 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vox.com/2016/7/19/12222520/the-word-colbert-trumpiness-rnc | title=Watch: Stephen Colbert brings back "The Word" to deconstruct the Trump supporter's psyche | work=Vox | date=19 July 2016 | access-date=16 August 2016 | author=Golshan, Tara}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/07/stephen-colbert-late-show-rnc-jon-stewart | title=Stephen Colbert Brought Back "Stephen Colbert" (and Jon Stewart) During His R.N.C. Bonanza | work=Vanity Fair | date=19 July 2016 | access-date=16 August 2016 | author=Bradley, Laura}}</ref>

==Coverage by news media==
After Colbert's introduction of truthiness, it quickly became widely used and recognized. Six days after, [[CNN]]'s ''[[Reliable Sources]]'' featured a discussion of ''The Colbert Report'' by host [[Howard Kurtz]], who played a clip of Colbert's definition.<ref>It was also used September 23, 2008 by CNN's American Morning by John Roberts.
{{cite news |url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0510/23/rs.01.html |title=CNN Reliable Sources |author=Howard Kurtz (transcript) |publisher=CNN |date=October 23, 2005 |access-date=June 4, 2006}}</ref> On the same day, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[Nightline (US news program)|Nightline]]'' also reported on truthiness, prompting Colbert to respond by saying: "You know what was missing from that piece? Me. Stephen Colbert. But I'm not surprised. ''Nightline'''s on opposite me{{nbsp}}..."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iseeseveralflaws.com/dirt/archives/000426.html |title=[D1RT]: stephen colbert on{{nbsp}}... |access-date=September 19, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224145226/http://www.iseeseveralflaws.com/dirt/archives/000426.html |archive-date=December 24, 2008 }}</ref>

Within a few months of its introduction by Colbert, truthiness was discussed in ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[The Washington Post]]'', ''[[USA Weekly]]'', the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', ''[[Newsweek]]'', [[CNN]], [[MSNBC]], [[Fox News]], the [[Associated Press]], ''[[Editor & Publisher]]'', ''[[Salon.com|Salon]]'', ''[[The Huffington Post]]'', ''[[Chicago Reader]]'', [[CNET]], and on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[Nightline (US news program)|Nightline]]'', [[CBS]]'s ''[[60 Minutes]]'', and ''[[The Oprah Winfrey Show]]''.

The February 13, 2006 issue of ''Newsweek'' featured an article on ''The Colbert Report'' titled "The Truthiness Teller", recounting the career of the word ''truthiness'' since its popularization by Colbert.<ref name="newsweek" />

===''The New York Times'' coverage and usage===
In its issue of October 25, 2005, eight days after the premiere episode of the ''Report'', ''The New York Times'' ran its third article on ''The Colbert Report'', "Bringing Out the Absurdity of the News".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/25/arts/television/bringing-out-the-absurdity-of-the-news.html |title=Bringing Out the Absurdity of the News |first=Allesandra |last=Stanley |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |date=October 25, 2005 |access-date=June 4, 2006}}</ref> 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. On the next episode of the ''Report'', Colbert took the ''Times'' to task for the error, pointing out, ironically, that "trustiness" is "not even a word".<ref>
Many dictionaries (e.g. [http://www.bartleby.com/61/32/T0393200.html American Heritage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061010192553/http://www.bartleby.com/61/32/T0393200.html |date=October 10, 2006 }} , [http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=trustiness Merriam-Webster], New Oxford Dictionary of English, etc.) offer definitions for ''trustiness''.
</ref>

''The New York Times'' again discussed "truthiness" in its issue of December 25, 2005, 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. In crediting ''truthiness'', Steinberg said, "the [[pundit (politics)|pundit]] who probably drew the most attention in 2005 was only playing one on TV: Stephen Colbert".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/25/weekinreview/25track.ready.html?ei=5090&en=0ad1e6ef6392c7da&ex=1293166800&adxnnl=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1137484544-pMx4vqbEIRjCInvXH5mFzg |title=2005: In a Word: Truthiness |first=Jacques |last=Steinberg |author-link=Jacques Steinberg |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |date=December 25, 2005 |access-date=June 4, 2006}}</ref>

In the January 22, 2006 issue, columnist [[Frank Rich]] used the term seven times, with credit to Colbert, in a column titled "Truthiness 101: From Frey to Alito",<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/22/opinion/truthiness-101-from-frey-to-alito.html |title=Truthiness 101: From Frey to Alito |first=Frank |last=Rich |author-link=Frank Rich |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |date=January 22, 2006 |access-date=December 26, 2008}}</ref> to discuss Republican portrayals of several issues (including the [[Samuel Alito]] nomination, the [[George W. Bush administration|Bush administration]]'s response to [[Hurricane Katrina]], and [[Jack Murtha]]'s [[Vietnam War]] record). Rich emphasized the extent to which the word 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." ''[[Editor & Publisher]]'' 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.S."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/PrintArticle/-NY-Times-Frank-Rich-Taking-Book-Leave |title='NY Times' Frank Rich Taking Book Leave |author=Strupp, Joe |date=January 22, 2006 |access-date=January 23, 2006}}</ref>

''The New York Times'' published two letters on the 2006 [[White House]] [[White House Correspondents' Association|Correspondents' Dinner]], where [[Stephen Colbert at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner|Stephen Colbert was the featured guest]], in its May 3, 2006 edition, under the headline "Truthiness and Power".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/03/opinion/l03colbert.html?ex=1149652800&en=be69d253b7aa626d&ei=5070 |title=Truthiness and Power |last1=Howard |first1=Gloria D. |last2=Phillian |first2=William M. |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |date=May 3, 2006 |access-date=June 4, 2006}}</ref>

Frank Rich referenced truthiness again in ''[[The New York Times]]'' in 2008, describing the strategy of [[John McCain 2008 presidential campaign|John McCain's presidential campaign]] as being "to envelop the entire presidential race in a thick fog of truthiness",<ref name="Rich '08">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/opinion/21rich.html |title=Truthiness Stages a Comeback |last=Rich |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Rich |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |date=September 21, 2008 |access-date=September 21, 2008}}</ref> Rich explained that the campaign was based on truthiness because "McCain, [[Sarah Palin]] and their surrogates keep repeating the same lies over and over not just to smear their opponents and not just to mask their own record. Their larger aim is to construct a bogus alternative reality so relentless it can overwhelm any haphazard journalistic stabs at puncturing it."<ref name="Rich '08" /> Rich also noted, "You know the press is impotent at unmasking this truthiness when the hardest-hitting interrogation McCain has yet faced on television came on '' '[[The View (U.S. TV series)|The View]]'.'' [[Barbara Walters]] and [[Joy Behar]] called him on several falsehoods, including his endlessly repeated [[Sarah Palin#Federal funding|fantasy that Palin opposed earmarks]] for Alaska. Behar used the word 'lies' to his face."<ref name="Rich '08" />

==Recognition==
[[Image:Truthinesschurch.jpg|thumb|250px|right|A church sign stating, "Truthiness and Consequences", taken March 10, 2007, in [[Cape Coral, Florida]]]]

Usage of "truthiness" continued to proliferate in media, politics, and public consciousness. On January 5, 2006, [[etymology]] professor [[Anatoly Liberman]] began an hour-long program on [[public radio]] by discussing truthiness and predicting it would be included in dictionaries in the next year or two.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/programs/midmorning/listings/mm20060102.shtml |date=January 5, 2006 |access-date=June 4, 2006 |title=Where Words Come From}}</ref> 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.<ref name="mac">{{cite web |url=http://www.macmillandictionary.com/New-Words/060213-truthiness.htm |access-date=June 4, 2006 |title=Word of the Week Archive |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060323074132/http://www.macmillandictionary.com/New-Words/060213-truthiness.htm|archive-date=March 23, 2006}}</ref> ''Truthiness'' was also selected by ''[[The New York Times]]'' as one of nine words that captured the spirit of 2005. [[Global Language Monitor]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.languagemonitor.com |title=Global Language Monitor |website=www.languagemonitor.com}}</ref> which tracks trends in languages, named ''truthiness'' the top television buzzword of 2006, and another term Colbert coined with reference to truthiness, ''[[Wikipedia in culture#Wikiality|wikiality]]'', as another of the top ten television buzzwords of 2006, the first time two words from the same show have made the list.
<ref name="top-tv-word-reuters">{{cite news|url=http://www.tbs.com/stories/story/0,,83376,00.html |title="Truthiness", "Wikiality" named TV words of year |agency=[[Reuters]] |date=August 28, 2006 |access-date=November 25, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928011043/http://www.tbs.com/stories/story/0%2C%2C83376%2C00.html |archive-date=September 28, 2011 }}
</ref>
<ref name="top-tv-word-language-monitor-website">{{cite web|url=http://www.languagemonitor.com/about/popular-culture/hollywords/telewords/ |title='Truthiness' and 'Wikiality' Named Top Television Buzzwords of 2006 Followed by 'Katrina', 'Katie,' and 'Dr. McDreamy' |publisher=Global Language Monitor |date=August 27, 2006 |access-date=September 29, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016022639/http://www.languagemonitor.com/about/popular-culture/hollywords/telewords/ |archive-date=October 16, 2011 }}
</ref>

The word was listed in the annual "[[Banished Word List]]" released by a committee at [[Lake Superior State University]] in [[Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan]], in 2007. The list included "truthiness" among other overused terms, such as "awesome" celebrity couple [[portmanteau]]s such as "[[Brangelina]]", and "[[pwn]]".<ref>
{{Cite web |url=http://www.lssu.edu/banished/archive/2007.php |title=Lake Superior State University 2007 List of Banished Words |access-date=October 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919133033/http://www.lssu.edu/banished/archive/2007.php |archive-date=September 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}
</ref> In response, on January 8, 2007, Colbert said Lake Superior State University was an "[[attention-seeking]] second-tier state university".<ref>[http://www.nofactzone.net/?p=720 Colbert Report Episode 3001 (1/8/2006) overview]</ref>{{primary source inline|date=July 2021}} The 2008 List of Banished Words restored "truthiness" to formal usage, in response to the [[2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike]].<ref>
{{Cite web |url=http://www.lssu.edu/banished/archive/2008.php |title=Lake Superior State University 2008 List of Banished Words |access-date=October 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017001524/http://lssu.edu/banished/archive/2008.php |archive-date=October 17, 2013 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}
</ref>

===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 (American Dialect Society)|Word of the Year]]. The Society described its rationale as follows:
<blockquote>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 television channel, ''truthiness'' refers to the quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes or believes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true. As Stephen Colbert put it, "I don't trust books. They're all fact, no heart."<ref name="dialectsoc" /></blockquote>

===Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year===
On December 10, 2006, the [[Merriam-Webster|Merriam-Webster Dictionary]] announced that "truthiness" was selected as its 2006 Word of the Year on [[Lists of Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year|Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year]], based on a reader poll, by a 5–1 margin over the second-place word ''[[Google (verb)|google]]''.<ref name="mw" /> "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."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/chronicle/4389349.html |title=Colbert's 'truthiness' pronounced Word of the Year |first=Adam |last=Gorlick |publisher=AP/Houston Chronicle |date=December 8, 2006}}</ref> 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". 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/182467/december-12-2006/who-s-honoring-me-now----merriam-webster-s-word-of-the-year |title=Who's Honoring Me Now? – Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year |first=Stephen |last=Colbert |publisher=Colbert Nation |date=December 12, 2006 |access-date=March 6, 2014}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=July 2021}}

=== ''The New York Times'' crossword puzzle ===
In the June 14, 2008 edition of ''The New York Times'', the word was featured as 1-across in the [[The New York Times crossword puzzle|crossword puzzle]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2008/06/saturday-jun-14-2008-brendan-emmett.html |work=Rex Parker does the NYT crossword puzzle (personal blog) |title=Saturday, Jun . 14, 2008 |first=Rex |last=Parker |date=June 14, 2008 |access-date=June 30, 2008}}</ref> Colbert mentioned this during the last segment on the June 18 episode of ''[[The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]]'', and declared himself the "King of the Crossword".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=174004&title=daily/colbert-crossword-puzzle |title=Daily/Colbert – Crossword Puzzle |date=June 18, 2008 |work=Comedy Central |format=video |access-date=December 20, 2008}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=July 2021}}

=== BBC "portrait of the decade" ===
In December 2009, the [[BBC]] online magazine asked its readers to nominate suggestions of things to be included on a poster which would represent important events in the 2000s (decade), divided into five different categories: "People", "Words", "News", "Objects" and "Culture". Suggestions were sent in and a panel of five independent experts shortened each category to what they saw as the 20 most important. Among the nominations selected in the "Words" category was "Truthiness". As a result, the word "Truthiness" appeared in the poster.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8406898.stm |title=A portrait of the decade |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=December 14, 2009 |access-date=December 17, 2009}}</ref>

=== Research ===
In 2012, a study examining truthiness was carried out by PhD student Eryn Newman of [[Victoria University of Wellington]]. The experiments showed that people are more likely to believe a claim is true regardless of evidence when a decorative photograph appears alongside it.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.3news.co.nz/Pictures-aid-truthiness-study-reveals/tabid/1160/articleID/265386/Default.aspx |title=Pictures aid 'truthiness', study reveals |first=Dan |last=Satherley |publisher=[[3 News]] |date=August 14, 2012 |access-date=August 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130212053537/http://www.3news.co.nz/Pictures-aid-truthiness-study-reveals/tabid/1160/articleID/265386/Default.aspx |archive-date=February 12, 2013 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.springer.com/about+springer/media/springer+select?SGWID=0-11001-6-1385843-0 |title=Scientists discover the truth behind Colbert's "truthiness" |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media]] |date=August 8, 2012 |access-date=August 14, 2012}}</ref>

Also in 2012, [[Harvard University]]'s [[Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society|Berkman Center]]<!-- known at the time as Berkman Center --> hosted a two-day symposium at [[Harvard University|Harvard]] and [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]], "Truthiness in Digital Media", exploring "concerns about misinformation and disinformation" in new media.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.harvard.edu/truthiness/about/ |title=Truthiness in Digital Media |work=Blogs.harvard.edu |access-date=August 10, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterhimler/2012/03/07/truthiness-in-digital-media |title=Truthiness in Digital Media |first=Peter |last=Himler |date=March 7, 2012 |work=[[Forbes#Forbes.com|Forbes.com]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308002907/http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterhimler/2012/03/07/truthiness-in-digital-media |archive-date=March 8, 2012 |url-status=live |access-date=August 10, 2020}}</ref>

The Truthiness Collaborative is a project at [[University of Southern California|USC]]'s [[USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism|Annenberg School]] "to advance research and engagement around the misinformation, disinformation, propaganda and other challenges to discourse fueled by our evolving media and technology ecosystem".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.annenberglab.com/projects/truthiness-collaborative/ |title=Truthiness Collaborative |work=[[USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism#Centers|USC Annenberg Innovation Lab]] |access-date=August 10, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://shorensteincenter.org/the-fight-against-disinformation-in-the-u-s-a-landscape-analysis/ |title=The Fight Against Disinformation in the U.S.: A Landscape Analysis |first1=Heidi |last1=Legg |first2=Joe |last2=Kerwin |date=November 1, 2018 |publisher=[[Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy|Harvard Kennedy School, Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy]] |access-date=August 10, 2020}}</ref>

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Alternative facts]]
* [[Bellyfeel]]
* {{annotated link|Big lie}} 
* [[Cognitive dissonance]]
* [[Confabulation]]
* [[Disinformation]]
* [[Doublethink]]
* [[Factoid]]
* [[Fake news]]
* [[De facto]]
* [[Mathiness]]
* [[Newspeak]]
* [[Noble lie]]
* ''[[On Bullshit]]'' – an essay by Harry Frankfurt, originally written in 1986 but published as a book on January 10, 2005, nine months before Colbert coined truthiness
* [[Post-truth politics]]
* [[Selective exposure theory]]
* [[Solipsism]]
* [[Trumpism]]
* [[Verisimilitude]]
* [[Wikiality]] – another word coined by Colbert
* [[Processing fluency]] – a statement is more likely to be considered true if it is easier to process.
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|truthiness}}{{Spoken Wikipedia|Truthiness.ogg|date=October 17, 2007}}
* [http://www.cc.com/video-clips/63ite2/the-colbert-report-the-word---truthiness Video feed of Stephen introducing "Truthiness" on ''The Colbert Report'']
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.wikiality.com/ |title=Wikiality.com |access-date=August 15, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905000227/http://www.wikiality.com/ |archive-date=September 5, 2008 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}
* {{Cite web |last=Zimmer |first=Benjamin |author-link=Benjamin Zimmer |url=http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002769.html |title=Truthiness: a flash in the pan? |work=Language Log}}
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.macmillandictionary.com/New-Words/060213-truthiness.htm |title=Macmillan Dictionary on ''truthiness'' |access-date=March 20, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060323074132/http://www.macmillandictionary.com/New-Words/060213-truthiness.htm |archive-date=March 23, 2006 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}
* [http://www.languagemonitor.com/?page_id=20 Global Language Monitor on Top Television Buzzwords]
* [https://truthy.indiana.edu/ Observatory on Social Media] (truthy.indiana.edu), a project at [[Indiana University]].

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