‘Fake news’ is named word of the year (honest)

IT has been derided by the American President and accused of influencing elections.

But ‘fake news’ is today valid news after being named Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year 2017.

Usage of the term, which is defined as ‘false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting’, has risen by 365 per cent since 2016 and will be added to the next print edition of Collins Dictionary.

Other words will be added to the Collins Dictionary website, including ‘ Insta’ and ‘ fidget spinner’. In his first 11 months as leader of the free world, Donald Trump has often claimed that stories in the media are ‘fake news’.

Last month the President even went so far as to suggest that he invented the word ‘fake’.

Helen Newstead, Collins’ head of language content, said: ‘Much of this year’s list is definitely politically charged, but with a new President in the US and a snap election in the UK it is perhaps no surprise that politics continues to electrify the language.

‘“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.’

Lexicographers, experts who compile dictionaries, also included ‘Insta’, to describe things relating to photo-sharing app Instagram.

‘Fidget spinner’, the toy craze appearing across school playgrounds this year, was another popular new phrase.