AUDIO/ARTICLE: Truth, Fact, Non-Fiction and 'In Cold Blood' w/ some Bill Murray

[Ryan Goble]

In February the WSJ ran an investigative report"Capote Classic 'In Cold Blood' Tainted by Long-Lost Files" This led to an - I think - excellent report on NPR's On the Media about the contested facts and non-fiction in general. Great for teaching media and writing issues. The segment description:

For nearly 50 years, Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood has stood as perhaps the best of the true crime genre—nonfiction that’s truly as dramatic and compelling as fiction. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported on decades-old documents that have recently come to light which point to significant fabrications in two chapters of Capote’s masterwork, including one of it’s most thrilling moments. Wall Street Journal reporter Kevin Helliker tells Brooke about how Capote's version of the story veers from what really happened.

The eight minute audio clip on In Cold Blood can be found HERE. This same episode of OTM had more discussion of facts and fact checking in the segments Anatomy of a Mistake, Checking in on Fact Checking and The Washington Post's "TruthTeller"

 

Also here is a websiode of the Funny or Die 'Fact Check Unit (FCU)' parody mentioned in the On the Media piece. NOTE: this is NSFW e.g. you can't watch this one when students are around.

Bill Murray in FCU: Fact Checkers Unit from Bill Murray