trutherism

[Ben Zimmer]

James Landau brought "trutherism" to our attention back in '09, and
Victor and I commented on it:

http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0909A&L=ADS-L&P=R6903&I=-3

("Birtherism" was also discussed in the thread.)


On Wed, Jan 15, 2014 at 3:03 AM, Victor Steinbok wrote:
>
> Have we discussed this? I just don't recall. But, in the string
> thuthiness-truther-X, there's now an X: trutherism. The basic natural
> derivation would imply engaging in acts that make someone a truther, but
> Media Matters seems to take this a bit further, essentially elevating
> trutherism to a particular kind of conspiracy theory:
>
> http://goo.gl/y6NA3t
>   Fox's Benghazi Transcript Trutherism: Clinton Edition
>> Fox News figures revived the tired falsehood that President Obama and
>> his administration neglected to acknowledge Benghazi as a terrorist
>> attack, this time adding speculation that Hillary Clinton may have
>> played a role in the imaginary omission.
>>
>> On January 13 the House Armed Services Committee released declassified
>> transcripts of congressional briefings on the September 11, 2012
>> attacks in Benghazi, Libya. One portion of the transcripts detailed
>> Marine Corps Colonel George Bristol, commander of an Africa-based task
>> force during the Benghazi attacks, testifying that at the time of the
>> assault in Benghazi, the military considered the assault to be an attack.
>>
>> That evening's Special Report presented Bristol's words as
>> groundbreaking, suggesting they indicted both the Obama administration
>> and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
>>
>> The Weekly Standard's Steve Hayes, a Fox contributor called it "a
>> pretty significant development" because "[f]or the president and his
>> advisers to go out and for two weeks pretend that that wasn't the case
>> is quite extraordinary." And NPR's Mara Liasson, also a Fox
>> contributor, took the claims even further, wondering if Clinton "might
>> be tied in some way to ... deciding not to call it a terrorist attack."
>
> http://goo.gl/51VRZr
>   Fox's Chief Washington Correspondent James Rosen Engages In Benghazi
> Transcript Trutherism
> Rosen Falsely Claims Obama Did Not Call Benghazi Attack Terrorism "For
> Days And Weeks"

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