In a post-truth world, this term refers to a theory, a fact, an explanation, or an idea that does not take into account the existing evidence and is presented as being true. Alternative facts are used in parallel with a true, widely accepted theories or statements. In many cases, the phrase refers to remarks that directly or indirectly deny an actual fact.
Avoiding the truth, presenting it in a distorted way or omitting information altogether are actions that have been around for quite a long time, not only in literature (e.g., George Orwell’s novel 1984), but also in politics and in the public space. Recently, the phrase gained notoriety after a counsellor to US President Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway, used the term alternative facts in January 2017 during an interview, in order to uphold a false claim made by the press secretary, Sean Spicer, regarding the number of people who attended President Trump’s inauguration. In his statement, he talked about the largest gathering ever to witness an inauguration, both in person and around the world. This was actually a lie, or an alternative fact, as it was presented, because looking at aerial photographs of Trump’s and Obama’s inaugurations, it is clear that the crowd at Trump’s was nowhere near as large as the crowd at Obama’s.
Alternative facts can signify more things. First, the term can be used to describe a statement or a remark that is known to be false and that is intentionally presented as true. Second, the term can designate something incorrect that has been accepted as accurate. Thirdly, as strange as it sounds, it also refers to facts that don’t exist, but they could. Similar to fake news, “alternative fact” can be seen as an oxymoron. A fact is an uncontested truth, something for which one can find pieces of evidence, whereas an alternative fact would contradict this definition. Recognizing alternative facts can be difficult because they are usually camouflaged as accurate information, or incorporated into a set of messages that are actually true. Thus, the alternative fact isn’t spotted as being false and, if presented convincingly, it can be problematic to distinguish it from the facts. Like other types of fake news, alternative facts are also a useful propaganda tool and a way of spreading false information meant to influence public opinion and to misinform or disinform the people.
