Comedy Festival 2017: Comedians set to hilariously debate fake news, President Trump and the impact of social media on public discourse

IT was a term coined during the US presidential election. Now a bunch of comedians are going head to head with Trump at this year’s Great Debate.

Comedians will go head-to-head with Donald Trump at this year’s Great Debate.

LAST year was the year of Brexit, the death of Bowie and Melbourne’s burger revolution.

But trumping all of the above was, by far, the introduction of “fake news” into our everyday vernacular.

The term was coined during the US presidential campaign, when the election of Donald Trump sent shockwaves around the world. Those two little words then exploded into mainstream conversation after Trump’s inaugural press conference as President-elect, where he slammed CNN journalist Jim Acosta for the news organisation’s so-called “fake reporting”.

He claimed CNN’s coverage of the Trump administration’s alleged collusion with Russia was the perfect example of the proliferation of fake news.

“The leaks are absolutely real, the news is fake, because so much of the news is fake,” Trump famously — and confusingly — quipped.

Since that weird moment in political history, references to fake news have been everywhere, including this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, which has just announced the topic for this year’s Great Debate is That You’ve Gotta Fake News To Make News.

British comedian Stephen K Amos will take the moderator’s chair for the 28th debate, which will take place on Saturday night at the Melbourne Town Hall.

This year’s teams, announced yesterday, include Tom Ballard as the affermative team captain, who will be joined by Canadian-American jokester DeAnne Smith and satiric Brit Andy Zaltzman. Arguing for the negative will be the inimitable Sammy J as team captain with Caribbean-born New Yorker Janelle James and smart-mouthed sartorialist Rhys Nicholson. The Great Australian Bake Off’s Mel Buttle will supply instant audience poll results.

As comic fans know, the annual debate is always a highlight of the festival and is billed as a night where “critical thinking and comic timing collide’’. Previous encounters have seen Rich Hall (USA) riding a camel, Greg Fleet (Aust) pouring milk over himself and tiny versions of Ross Noble (UK) dancing on stage.

And who knows, maybe this year Trump will take a break from #presidentlife to tune in to what is sure to be a hilariously witty take on the year’s biggest news.

In the meantime, these are some of our favourite fake news moments from the last few months, as tweeted by the man himself.

The Democrats had to come up with a story as to why they lost the election, and so badly (306), so they made up a story - RUSSIA. Fake news!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 16 February 2017

Don't believe the main stream (fake news) media.The White House is running VERY WELL. I inherited a MESS and am in the process of fixing it.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 18 February 2017

Does anybody really believe that a reporter, who nobody ever heard of, "went to his mailbox" and found my tax returns? @NBCNews FAKE NEWS!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 15 March 2017

Don't let the FAKE NEWS tell you that there is big infighting in the Trump Admin. We are getting along great, and getting major things done!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 7 March 2017

I call my own shots, largely based on an accumulation of data, and everyone knows it. Some FAKE NEWS media, in order to marginalize, lies!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 6 February 2017

Any negative polls are fake news, just like the CNN, ABC, NBC polls in the election. Sorry, people want border security and extreme vetting.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 6 February 2017

Thank you to Prime Minister of Australia for telling the truth about our very civil conversation that FAKE NEWS media lied about. Very nice!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 3 February 2017

.@CNN is in a total meltdown with their FAKE NEWS because their ratings are tanking since election and their credibility will soon be gone!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 12 January 2017

I am not trying to get "top level security clearance" for my children. This was a typically false news story.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 16 November 2016

It is the same Fake News Media that said there is "no path to victory for Trump" that is now pushing the phony Russia story. A total scam!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 1 April 2017

The 2017 Great Debate will be telecast on ABC on Monday at 8.30pm.

Visit comedyfestival.com.au for more information.