Who’s checking who?

In short order I’ve become  a big fan of the stylings of Miss Snark, a literary agent with lots to say. Currently on her mind is why the vast majority of non-fiction books aren’t vetted unless, as she put it, they have “wild ass claims”:

I’ve sold non fiction and no one has ever asked me if I verified anything. No author has ever been asked for proof of some of the stories.

Maybe I’m not selling wild ass non fiction (that’s probably true), but should fact checking only come into play when there are wild ass claims?

With the advent of the internet anyone can claim to be anybody. It’s clear people will write just about anything to sell a book (Ann Coulter springs to mind).

We’re about ready to indulge in a lot of talk about the checks and balances in the government and the role of the judiciary with the resignation of Justice O’Connor.

Who’s checking us?

If only everyone had the New Yorker‘s fact-checking department at their disposal, but it does amaze me that some of these claims are often shot down by a simple Google search…