factoid

/ˌfækˈtɔɪd/

Other forms: factoids

A factoid is a small bit of information, or an idea that seems like a fact and has been repeated often but may not actually be true.

Norman Mailer defines factoid in his 1973 biography of Marilyn Monroe, as “facts which have no existence before appearing in a magazine or newspaper.” There are also factoids like "Eskimos have hundreds of words for snow,” that are just repeated often and look like facts. The problem is that factoids are not always true, like that Eskimo myth. These days, in America, a factoid usually refers to a small, true fact, like a tiny bit of news.

Definitions of factoid

1. noun

   something resembling a fact; unverified (often invented) information that is given credibility because it appeared in print
   type of:

   info, information

   a message received and understood
2. noun

   a brief (usually one sentence and usually trivial) news item
   type of:

   news item

   an item in a newspaper