Jon Ronson, a contributor to This American Life, The Guardian and GQ, is the author of six books, including The Men Who Stare at Goats. His latest is Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries.

"The older you get, you realize that no uncomfortable fact makes your story worse. Contradictions are great. What's bad, what to me is the worst journalistic sin, is ridiculous polemicism. ... To me, the contradictions, the story not turning out the way you want—you have to be a twig in the tidal wave of the story."

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Show notes:@jonronsonjonronson.comRonson on LongformRonson's This American Life archiveRonson's Guardian archiveRonson's GQ archive[7:15] "Who Takes the Class Out of Class Reunion" (This American Life • Jun 2006)[21:30] Them: Adventures with Extremists (2001)[26:30] The Men Who Stare at Goats (2004)[47:00] The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry (2011)Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices