A Jotman Exclusive

NORTHERN THAILAND: In a short time, Jotman expects to post a most extraordinary story -- one that tops most "urban legends" I have heard. The story is not hearsay, but a first person account.

Last night I had a debate with the other person present at the telling of the story (whom I refer to as Dave). Our discussion concerned whether the story was true or a complete fabrication. The story is both so good and so implausible that Dave told me he was "80 percent convinced" the story was false. Dave said, "It hardly matters to me if the story is true or not, because it's a f-----g great story." This was also my initial reaction to the story.

But the truth does matter. It matters a lot to Jotman. Jotman is absolutely committed to reporting only "the best attainable version of the truth" (to quote Carl Bernstein). This means that Jotman will not run a story that he suspects may be a complete fiction (so as not to sink to the level of CNN or the New York Times).

So rather than running the story, I have been researching third party information sources, in attempt to collaborate key points. So far as these sources are concerned, the story checks out. That is, third party sources support rather than contradict, key points relating to the story.

But there are still a few points I want to investigate further. And I also need to edit and revise the draft, prior to posting. Unless there are any unexpected surprises, I expect to post the story before the end of the week.

UPDATE: The story is now up -- just scroll down to "She fires machine guns."