Dawn of the 'alternative facts'
1 What do you remember most about this week?
Altogether now : Everyone say, OR-WELL-IAN. So fast and furious did "dystopian literature" creep into the unforgiving climate in the United States after Donald Trump was sworn in the 45th US President, that the sales of George Orwell's classic "Nineteen Eighty-Four" topped Amazon's bestseller list three days after the words "alternative facts" were uttered by a Trump aide. The term became ubiquitous after Kellyanne Conway, Mr Trump's campaign manager and now Counselor to the President, used the "very Orwellian" language to back White House press secretary Sean Spicer's claims that the crowd on the National Mall in Washington DC at Mr Trump's inauguration was "the largest ever". It drew grave obloquy particularly from the media, given that the turnout claims were roundly false. Mr Spicer later insisted that his statement was correct as he had included viewers on live streams and social media. Round 1 of President Trump versus the Fourth Estate goes to... Mr Orwell.
2 Is this a thing of mountains and molehills?
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