True Words and Fake Meanings

"All negative polls are fake news." -- Donald Trump
"My words mean just what I choose them to mean." -- Humpty Dumpty
"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." -- Author unclear
"Who you gonna believe, me or your own eyes?" -- Chico Marx

   The current White House resident crew has added several memorable phrases to the language in its attempts to control its message by manipulating truth.
   Lawyers have long been fond of using the phrase "true facts" when submitting documents to a court, which prompted journalist Edwin Newman decades ago to point out that the corollary term "false facts" is of little use.
   Nevertheless, presidential advisor Kellyanne Conway persisted in the administration's attempt to manipulate reality by using the term "alternative facts."
   By repeatedly emphasizing certain phrases that reflect their view of reality despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the Trumpians continue to display either ignorance or deliberate misrepresentation of truth.
   Why? That's where journalism comes in, pursuing the last and most important of the classic Five Ws -- Who, What, Where, When and Why.

   When the president of the United States, or any major figure in the news, always accentuates false positives and tries to eliminate true negatives, it's up to journalists to become Mr. In Between and persist in asking questions that the president deems embarrassing.
   Moreover, it's important to remember that the questions are posed not in anger or hatred, as the current president seems to believe, but only as part of the journalistic job.

   Words have meanings, and harsh or false words have consequences. Attempts to manipulate truth by using words that mean only what he chooses them to mean will put Trumpty Dumpty atop a wall with no foundation, and inevitably the wall will collapse and he will fall.
   Perhaps it's time for reporters to adopt a slogan for their off-duty buttons and T shirts:
   Nevertheless, we shall persist, and truth will overcome.