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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Churchill quote on arts funding: fake news

Dan Webster

If you're active on social media, you might have noticed an item going around that involves Winston Churchill and arts funding. It goes something like this:

Along with a photograph of the late British prime minister, this statement is prominently displayed: "During World War II, Winston Churchill was asked to cut funding for the arts. He replied, 'Then what are we fighting for.' "

Great sentiment, right? Especially given today's political climate, which is proposing drastic cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities . Only problem is, the quote is false.

That's not to say that Churchill didn't support the arts. After all, he himself was a writer — and, in fact, was awarded the 1953 Nobel Prize for Literature.

But let's not continue to spread fake news. There's too much of it out there. Especially on Twitter.