# Fake News 3 > Fake News is a 2017 political catchphrase meme born from Donald Trump's January 11 press conference when he denounced CNN journalist Jim Acosta's organization, spawning image macros, Twitter parodies, and online generator websites. "Fake News" is a political catchphrase turned internet meme that blew up on January 11, 2017, when President-elect Donald Trump refused to take a question from CNN journalist Jim Acosta at his first post-election press conference, declaring "your organization is fake news." While the term originally described fabricated news stories on social media, Trump's weaponized use of it to dismiss unfavorable coverage made "Fake News" one of the most recognizable political memes of the 2010s, spawning Twitter parodies, image macros, and a dedicated Fake News Generator website. ## Origin On January 10, 2017, CNN reported that classified documents presented to President Obama and President-elect Trump included allegations that Russian operatives had compromising personal and financial information on Trump[2]. The allegations came from memos compiled by a former British intelligence operative whose past work U.S. intelligence officials considered credible[2]. That same day, BuzzFeed published the full 35-page dossier, saying it wanted Americans to "make up their own minds" about the unverified claims[3]. Trump immediately fired back on Twitter: "FAKE NEWS - A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!"[3]. The next morning, January 11, Trump held his first press conference since winning the election in November. When CNN's Jim Acosta tried to ask about the campaign's alleged contacts with Russia, Trump cut him off: "Not you. Your organization is terrible. I'm not going to give you a question, you are fake news"[1]. He also called BuzzFeed "a failing pile of garbage" and warned they would "suffer the consequences" for publishing the unverified report[1]. The exchange was broadcast live and the clip spread across the internet within hours. - **Platform:** Press conference (live broadcast), Twitter (viral spread) - **Creator:** Donald Trump (popularizer) - **Date:** 2017 ## Overview "Fake News" started as a straightforward label for fabricated stories spread through social media during the 2016 U.S. election cycle[4]. After Trump co-opted the phrase as a rhetorical weapon against mainstream outlets, it split into two competing meanings[1]. As a meme, "Fake News" is used to sarcastically dismiss any criticism, unflattering information, or inconvenient truth, mimicking Trump's all-caps approach to rejecting unfavorable press. The meme appears across formats: text posts, image macros, Trump GIF reactions, and parody headlines. The humor lies in applying Trump's high-stakes political deflection to absurdly trivial personal situations. ## How It Spread Twitter users jumped on the moment right away. By the next day, the platform was filled with jokes imagining everyday scenarios where personal slights could be waved off by declaring "fake news," and Twitter compiled these into a curated Moment on January 12[5]. The broader "Fake News" discourse actually predated the press conference by several weeks. After the November 2016 election, Democrats blamed fabricated stories on Facebook for contributing to their losses[4]. Germany announced plans for a "fake news defense center" ahead of its own elections, with Der Spiegel reporting that the Federal Press Office would lead the effort[4]. In one alarming episode, Pakistan's Defense Minister threatened nuclear retaliation against Israel based on a completely fabricated story on AWD News (a known fake news site) that claimed Israel had issued nuclear threats. Israel's Defense Ministry had to tweet that the report was "totally fictitious"[4]. As The Verge wrote in its summary of the press conference: "Even as the idea of 'fake news' becomes more difficult to define, when it's wielded as a tool by the president-elect to sidestep criticism, its rhetorical strength grows and any of its definitions start to seem applicable"[1]. In March 2018, the domain thefakenewsgenerator.com was registered[9]. The site launched the following month, giving users tools to create parody news articles with custom headlines, images, and fake publication names. Creator Justin Hook told The Daily Dot that his goal was to make fake news "as silly as possible" so that what went viral would be "harmless fun that draws attention to the real fake news that could be damaging and hurt people"[5]. ## How to Use "Fake News" works as a sarcastic dismissal of any unwelcome information. Common approaches: 1. **All-caps text:** Reply to any bad news, criticism, or unflattering photo with "FAKE NEWS" in full caps, echoing Trump's Twitter style. 2. **Image macros:** Overlay "FAKE NEWS" text on screenshots of things you want to humorously deny. 3. **Reaction GIFs:** Respond to uncomfortable truths with clips of Trump declaring "fake news" at the press conference. 4. **Fake News Generator:** Build parody headlines at thefakenewsgenerator.com with custom images and text for satirical purposes. ## Cultural Impact Trump's appropriation of "Fake News" split the phrase in two. What was once a term for genuinely fabricated stories became a political weapon for discrediting legitimate journalism[1]. The shift was so thorough that governments and researchers looked for replacements. Academics adopted "information disorder" as a more precise alternative, and the British government formally abandoned the term. The phrase became Trump's signature verbal weapon throughout his presidency, repeated in tweets, rallies, and press interactions. It spawned protest signs, political cartoons, and campaign merchandise across the political spectrum. Urban Dictionary captures the split neatly: one top definition describes "fake news" as clickbait fabrications, while another simply defines it as "CNN"[8]. The global ripple effects were significant. Beyond Germany and Pakistan's early encounters with the concept, countries worldwide debated how to address online misinformation, often using the "Fake News" framework even as the phrase itself lost any clear meaning[4]. ## Fun Facts - A fabricated news story nearly caused a nuclear crisis between Pakistan and Israel in late 2016, after Pakistan's Defense Minister tweeted threats based on a report from AWD News, a known fake news site[4]. - The Russia dossier behind Trump's "Fake News" outburst was initially funded by Republican opponents of Trump during the primaries, then picked up by groups supporting Hillary Clinton[2]. - Kellyanne Conway denied the dossier allegations on *Late Night with Seth Meyers* the same night the story broke, adding that Trump was "not aware" of any intelligence briefing on the subject[3]. - Senator John McCain hand-delivered a full copy of the dossier to FBI Director James Comey on December 9, 2016, weeks before it became public[2]. - The Fake News Generator website faced criticism when some of its joke articles actually fooled people, despite being designed as a satirical literacy tool[9]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Fake News? "Fake News" is both a term for fabricated news stories and a political catchphrase popularized by Donald Trump to dismiss unfavorable media coverage. As a meme, it's used to sarcastically reject any unwelcome information[1]. ### Where did Fake News come from? The meme version originated from Donald Trump's January 11, 2017 press conference, where he told CNN's Jim Acosta "your organization is fake news" after CNN reported on classified intelligence briefings about alleged Russian compromise[2]. ### What does Fake News mean? In meme usage, declaring something "Fake News" means dismissing it outright without engaging the content, mimicking Trump's approach to handling negative press coverage[1]. ### How do you use Fake News? Respond to any criticism, bad news, or uncomfortable truth by declaring it "FAKE NEWS" in all caps. The joke works by applying Trump's political deflection tactic to trivially personal contexts[1]. ### Is Fake News still popular? The phrase peaked as a meme during Trump's presidency (2017-2021). Otto English's 2021 book *Fake History* treated it as an established cultural fixture, suggesting "Fake News" had moved from meme into the historical record by that point[10]. ### Why did Trump call CNN fake news? Trump lashed out at CNN after the network reported that U.S. intelligence officials had briefed him on a dossier containing allegations of Russian efforts to compromise him[2]. He accused the network of publishing unverified information and refused to take their reporter's question[1]. ### What was the Russia dossier? A 35-page collection of memos compiled by a former British intelligence operative, containing unverified allegations that Russia had been "cultivating, supporting and assisting" Trump for years. BuzzFeed published the full document on January 10, 2017[3]. ### Who is Jim Acosta? Jim Acosta was CNN's Senior White House Correspondent who tried to ask Trump a follow-up question about Russia contacts during the January 11, 2017 press conference. Trump's refusal and "fake news" declaration became the defining viral clip[1]. ### What is the Fake News Generator? TheFakeNewsGenerator.com is a website registered in March 2018 that lets users create parody news articles with custom headlines, images, and descriptions. It was built by Justin Hook as a satirical media literacy tool[9]. ### Did the term fake news exist before Trump? Yes. The phrase was already in circulation during the 2016 election to describe fabricated stories on Facebook, and Democrats blamed such content for contributing to their losses[4]. Trump's innovation was repurposing it as a weapon against mainstream media rather than against misinformation. ### What role did BuzzFeed play? BuzzFeed published the full 35-page Russia dossier on January 10, 2017, the day before Trump's press conference. Trump called BuzzFeed "a failing pile of garbage" and warned the outlet would "suffer the consequences" for publishing the unverified document[1]. ## References 1. [Intel chiefs presented Trump with claims of Russian efforts to compromise him | CNN Politics]() 2. [Trump calls CNN ‘fake news’ and BuzzFeed ‘garbage’ during press conference | The Verge]() 3. [These Reports Allege Trump Has Deep Ties To Russia]() 4. [Fake News - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Fake news]() 6. [Fake News - Urban Dictionary]() 7. [thefakenewsgenerator.com WHOIS Domain Name Lookup - Who.is]() 8. [“Fake News,” a Meme For All Seasons | Power Line]() 9. [Fake News Meme Going Viral - Global Intel Hub]() 10. [Fake History, by Otto English | Review]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/fake-news--3 Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library