How many details must a writer change before real life turns into fiction? That’s a central question of “Who Is the Bad Art Friend?” the seismic New York Times Magazine article about a kidney donation, a Facebook post, and the subsequent fallout that has consumed social media this week. On today’s episode, Madison tries to summarize the story using only what she learned about it from reactions online. Then, Rachelle catches her up on the real story and all its bizarre details. Finally, they discuss whether anybody comes out of this situation looking like a hero, what writers owe to the people they know IRL, and the best practices for making sure your group chats aren’t the subject of the next big New York Times story.

Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John.

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