Fact-checker: "This still seems to violate about ten different rules of journalistic integrity."...

Fact-checker: "This still seems to violate about ten different rules of journalistic integrity."

Author: "I'm not sure that matters … This is an essay, so journalistic rules don't belong here."

— The Lifespan of a Fact, by John D'Agata (author) and Jim Fingal (fact-checker), from page 19.

I'm settling into this book after a day at the ballpark, and these exchanges are … astonishing. "Punched up" quotes? Changing facts for the sake of "rhythm". As I told a friend it would be much better for t...