{"id":1008,"date":"2012-03-17T23:28:35","date_gmt":"2012-03-18T06:28:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theamericancrawl.com\/?p=1008"},"modified":"2012-03-17T23:54:11","modified_gmt":"2012-03-18T06:54:11","slug":"fact-vs-truth-about-that-whole-this-american-life-retraction-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theamericancrawl.com\/?p=1008","title":{"rendered":"Fact Vs. Truth: About that Whole This American Life Retraction Thing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mike Daisey<\/strong>: We have different world views on some of these things. I agree with you truth is really important.<\/p>\n

Ira Glass<\/strong>: I know but I feel like I have the normal worldview. The normal worldview is somebody stands on stage and says \u2018this happened to me,\u2019 I think it happened to them, unless it\u2019s clearly labeled as \u2018here\u2019s a work of fiction.\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The recent hubbub over This American Life\u2019s retraction<\/a> of their recent-ish episode, \u201cMr. Daisey Goes to the Apple Factory\u201d has been thrilling to watch<\/a> over the 24 hours of the announcement.<\/p>\n

As someone that reacted strongly to the original episode and appreciated what seemed like a rise in investigation into the labor conditions of the devices I surround myself with, I felt like this was a necessary work in the same way that TAL\u2019s \u201cGiant Pool of Money\u201d<\/a> basically made clear the whole financial fiasco of the past few years in less than an hour. At its best, This American Life allows listeners to feel<\/em> and empathize with big (sometimes confusing) ideas. It also\u00a0 allows listeners to connect with people whose lives are nothing like their own. I felt kinship with Chik-Fil-A fanatics<\/a>, prison inmates<\/a>, and a mom with a certain contempt for the Little Mermaid<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Which all makes me wonder just how necessary “fact” is in my learning “truth” from episodes of This American Life.<\/p>\n

Last month, while stuck in the middle seat of an airplane, I read The Lifespan of a Fact<\/a><\/em>. It (like The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet<\/a><\/em>) is one of those books I immediately felt the need to buy numerous copies so I could hand it to friends, strangers, anyone(!) and say, \u201cHere, read this, please, it\u2019s incredible just open it up and look<\/em> at it!\u201d<\/p>\n

I mean seriously, look at this book:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The heated exchanges between an author and fact-checker surround the original, submitted manuscript. It is an initially confusing text to dive into and it is a worthwhile addition to BSRAYDEKWTDWT<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, The Lifespan of a Fact<\/em> asks the same question that rears its head in the current This American Life retraction. Namely: what is the role of truth in advocacy, in journalism, in connecting human empathy with human crisis.*<\/p>\n

My overall feeling sides with Ira and Co. and the browbeaten copy-editor, Jim Fingal. I tend to think that fact triumphs artistic revelry. Even when the writer or artist or media producer is really really good<\/em>. At the same time, Daisey\u2019s performance shed light on issues in a style that connected with people across the country. John D’Agata’s article on depression and suicide and Las Vegas gave me an insight into the town that now challenges how I see the city.<\/p>\n

I doubt that anyone fact checks David Sedaris. And when Jonathan Franzen suggested<\/a> that David Foster Wallace made up<\/em> accounts for his non-fiction works, most people tended to think Franzen was a jerk.<\/p>\n

We derive truth less from statistics and dates and transcribed quotes than from the nuanced tacit knowledge of being, exploring, and feeling. Though this is not a defense of Daisey (I suspect he, like Franzen, is also a bit of a jerk<\/a>), I do wonder what is the role fact when I think people tend to listen to This American Life for truth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*and lest you think that this book is a factual representation of author and fact-checker locked in a timeless tussle … again truth trumps fact<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tell people this is awesome:<\/h3>