We know political parties are interested in spinning their own messages but, dare I say it, some are playing more fast and loose with the truth than usual. A classic of the genre is the Liberal Democrats, whose election leaflets quoted a partial headline about the party's success in a by-election in Wales, attributed to the Guardian – when the original author of the words was its own leader, Jo Swinson. As such, the party has been accused of distributing ‘misleading and irresponsible' endorsements.

Then there is the minefield of social media – which is often blamed for giving a megaphone to misinformation. Labour MP Diane Abbott's claim that former Tory Ken Clarke won't vote for the Conservatives has been retweeted over 4,000 times and liked over 11,000 times, even though Mr Clarke never said that.