Factoid

From Free net encyclopedia

Factoid can refer to a spurious (unverified, incorrect, or invented) "fact" intended to create or prolong public exposure or to manipulate public opinion. The term was coined by Norman Mailer in his 1973 biography of Marilyn Monroe. Mailer himself described a factoid as "facts which have no existence before appearing in a magazine or newspaper". Mailer created the word by combining the word "fact" and the ending "-oid" to mean "like a fact".

Examples:

It is commonly believed in the Australian city of Mount Isa that their city, in terms of its area, is the world's largest or second largest city. In reality Mount Isa isn't even the largest city in Australia and there are several larger cities around the world. Their own Local council web site incorrectly suggests it is the second largest city on earth.
The media in Canada have often reported that the city of Toronto was named by UNESCO as the most multicultural city in the world. Although there have been some reports suggesting that Toronto may be one of the world's most diverse cities (see Demographics of Toronto), the United Nations agency has never designated any city as being the most multicultural or diverse. Nonetheless, the belief in this status persisted for years, even finding its way onto UNESCO's own web site ([1]) and into international media reports in respect of Toronto's two Olympic bids.

There are strong connections between factoids and urban myths (apocryphal stories often repeated to manipulate public opinion).

Factoid is sometimes now also used to mean a small piece of true but often valueless or insignificant information. This definition was popularized by the CNN Headline News TV channel which during the 1980s and 1990s used to frequently include such a fact under the heading of the word "factoid" during newscasts. This version of the definition can also be referred to as a Factlet. In the United Kingdon, BBC Radio 2 presenter Steve Wright uses factoids extensively on his show.

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