Fact Check

Recently, I wrote a sidebar for a nice big glossy magazine that I’ve never contributed to before. A week after I turned it in, the fact-checker called me. I gave him the sources of my info and we walked through the article “vetting” that puppy as if it were running for Vice President, perhaps better.

At one point in the piece I mention my favorite T-shirt that has Tattoo from Fantasy Island on it. He went to the website of the company that produced the shirt and couldn’t find it, and he expressed his concern regarding the existence of such a shirt.

I told him that it was about 5 years old, and I gave the thing away to Amilcar, one of the garment workers I met in Honduras. And that if he found one, to let me know because I would like to replace the one I gave away. I offered to send him a photo of me wearing the shirt, but he said that he would take my word for it.

Now that’s fact checking! Somebody give this fella a raise.

And to remove all doubt of the existence of my Tattoo T-shirt…