Fact checking? What's that?

[lesbiassparrow]

So here is an account of what Ms. Lying Liar's (aka the girl from the valley who wrote that 'memoir' about her life in the 'hood) publishers and editors did to check on her story: a bunch of people talk about how they can't believe that people make stories up even though they also publish fiction.

The answer to what they did is - basically, nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Naught. They couldn't even bother to ask an unpaid intern to google anything 'for valuable job experience.'

The quotes are hilarious:

"'The one thing we wish,” Mr. Kloske said, “is that the author had told us the truth.'" (No! Why would you say that?)

"Ms. McGrath, who never met Ms. Seltzer during three years spent editing the book, said Ms. Seltzer, who lives in Eugene, Ore., had provided what she said were photographs of her foster siblings, a letter from a gang leader corroborating her story and had introduced her agent, Faye Bender, to a person who claimed to be a foster sister." (There aren't enough exclamation points in the world for this one. Because pictures and letters one could write oneself and a second hand sighting - that's research gold in the publishing world.)

"'In the post-James Frey world, we all are more careful,” Ms. McGrath said. “I had numerous conversations with her about the need to be honest and the need to stick to the facts.'" (Numerous conversations. Yes, that is always the way I check facts. Because, you know, people are always honest with you. Especially when there is money involved.)

"'It is not an industry capable of checking every last detail,” said Ira Silverberg, an agent who represented J T LeRoy (without knowing he was actually Ms. Albert)" (To comment would be to ruin the pure beauty of that line)

Where were these people raised? What life have they lived until now that they are so full of the trust and the believing? Do they never watch the news? Have they never heard of James Frey, despite the fact that they published him? I want to work there because they'd never question any ludicrous reason you had for not turning up for work when you were hungover on Monday and then I would sell them my map to Atlantis. Because a nice girl like me would never lie. Not ever. I can give you a letter I wrote to prove that.

And astonishing no one (except her publishers who can't believe that people they thought were nice lie): her foundation turns out to be a fake.

I keep reading that publishers don't have the money to fact check? Honestly? Really? You can't afford the minimal time and money it would take to even google some of this stuff? Or even one of those internet services that cost bugger all? It's not like you're being asked to do the labours of Hercules: I suspect $150 would do it. Even less if you foist it off one some unpaid intern. They'd probably thank you! (See above re: 'valuable job experience.')

Comments

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

I knoooooowwwww! (That was said in my best Craig Ferguson imitation.) I'm so glad I edit fiction - not that I don't see some pretty bizarre errors even there.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

In fiction the odd things you read are usually someone couldn't be bother to look it up. And I understand - I wouldn't notice a lot of the time unless it's really extreme or pointed out to me. And even then if the story is good I don't mind too much because I figure they concentrated on writing.

But if you're editing memoirs and spending lots of money on advances surely you would check on a few essential details. I bet you could do it in 10 minutes but they make it sound like A MASSIVE TASK OF UNNATURAL PROPORTIONS.

[roatan.livejournal.com]

Mrs. Lincoln after a night at Ford's Theater: The one thing I wish is that he hadn't shot my husband.

The Patriots after Superbowl XLII: The one thing we wish is that the Giants had lost.

Sharon Stone after Basic Instinct II: The one thing I wish is that seeing my vagajay was still shocking.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

Heee!!!

Honestly, how these people have jobs is one of the great questions of our age. They all sound so very dumb.

[queenofthorns.livejournal.com]

It's more or less what the publishers said about Cassie Edwards and checking HER sources, except ... well, she's hella prolific. And this chick wasn't. And Cassie Edwards never was slated to appear on Oprah :P Seriously, how ridiculous is this? And maybe they SHOULD consider doing some fact-checking.

My own personal biases sort of mean that I'm even more appalled by the "Woman who lived with wolves" Holocaust memoir, because if you just know some rudimentary geography, that woman would have had to be wandering through some of the most heavily industrialized areas of Europe to get from Belgium to Poland. And I just don't see a lot of wolf-packs living in, oh, Dortmund! GAH!

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

Not to mention she lived with wolves? What, her name is Mowgliette? Who on earth would actually think that made any sense?

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

It certainly raised the bar for all other memoirs. How can you compare with that? Maybe dolphins snatching you from a watery grave?

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

As a matter of fact, I was raised by lemurs in the jungles of Madagascar. This icon shows my lemur mother, She Who Escapes From Fossas, checking to see if I have a fever. See? I have a picture - which was not photoshopped, in fact - so clearly my story is true.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

I am moved by your story of your lemur childhood. But you will have to add the Nazis or a gangland experience before I hand over monies.

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

As a matter of fact, Nazi werewolves held me hostage in their secret stronghold hidden in the baobab grove. But I learned camouflage from the Great Chameleon himself, and I was able to blend in with a shipment of sisal leaving the Nazi!Werewolf work camp and escape.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

Ooooh. Yes. I smell money. Big money. WE'RE LOOKING AT OPRAH HERE.

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

Oprah and me, we're sistahs now. *g*

[queenofthorns.livejournal.com]

BWA!!! I think you should shop this to the New York Times editor's daughter - she probably wouldn't even need to meet you to sign you up :P

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

Because clearly it has "Bestseller" written all over it. *g*

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

With Cassie Edwards (nearly typed Claire there!) I understand that it wouldn't come naturally to assume that she'd be ripping off people writing about ferrets, so why would you check.

The woman who lived with wolves is astonishing. Even the blurb writers rebelled, which is saying something given that they're selected for their very non-rebelliousness. I get annoyed that people are so lazy - they're worse than high school students, who at least know how to use wikipedia.

[lovinlorne.livejournal.com]

Khalid Shah, executive director of Stop the Violence, Increase the Peace Foundation, another organization listed by Ms. Seltzer, said he had not heard of Ms. Seltzer or her foundation. “She’s been doing her homework if she has all those organizations listed,” he said. “She must know something about something, or has done a lot of reading. It’s easy to get a lot of stuff off the Internet.”

Unless of course you're in the publishing business and need to check facts. Then you apparently are unable to get ANY information off of the internet, or find someone who can do it for you. Bizarre.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

It's so weird - and what's even weirder is that no one outside of blogs calls them on it. They just all portray basic fact checking as some massive and superhuman effort that would ruin any company that did it.

And how little interest do you have in your client that you don't even bother googling her foundation to see what comes up? I think these people live in boxes.