Here beginneth the lesson

Now, you may think that Sean Spicer might not have been lying when he said that "this was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe" or that Kellyanne Conway was using the term "alternative facts" to mean 'true facts that are an alternative to the supposed facts put out by others' rather than meaning 'our facts, that are an alternative to true facts' but you, alas, don't have the bully pulpit of a BBC salary and a guaranteed BBC microphone....

....unlike Jonny Dymond of the BBC. He disagrees with what you think, and used the bully pulpit of a new regular feature on Radio 4's The World at One to BBCreportersplain just why you're wrong:

Finally, there was something that looked like a row with pesky journalists but was actually much, much more important. It kicked off with a very combative White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, lying:

"This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period. both in person and around the globe". 

Then came Kellyanne Conway, counsellor to President Trump.

"Sean Spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts".

Now, if you get bored of stories about stories and journalistic navel-gazing, be not afraid - you are not alone! And who really cares how many people turned up to listen to the inauguration? But there is a serious point here: Generally when the White House speaks we don't just listen, we believe. It's the difference between the West and the rest, between those who do their best to tell the truth and those who make no effort to hew to verifiable facts. And it matters that the White House has credibility because when a crisis comes credibility is perhaps your most precious commodity, leaving aside nuclear weapons. 

 So that's you told!