President Trump’s Senior Adviser Kellyanne Conway was answering questions in an interview when she was asked about White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s statement about the crowd size at the President’s Inauguration. When confronted with evidence that Spicer’s statement was incorrect, Conway explained that he was not presenting falsehoods but rather alternative facts. Drawing from the textbook, define the three types of factual claims. Does the concept of alternative facts fit into any of the three categories? Support your answer with evidence from the textbook.
What will be an ideal response?
For something to be considered a fact, it should encompass the test of judgment through
empirical validation. The three types of facts are: present facts (something is/is not a fact); past
fact (something did/did not happen a particular way); or future facts (something will/will not
happen). Alternative facts as falsehoods would be lies and thus would not be considered a fact.
However, students might note that the debate over crowd size is something that can be
empirically verified and judged accordingly. For instance, Spicer was attempting to debate past
facts regarding whether President Trump had the largest crowd size. Students might also point
out the importance of narrative fidelity and plot as well as explain that responsible advocates do
not mislead their audiences about the facts.
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