News-Record.com

"You know what you need to do?" my wife asked this morning. Of course, I know what I need to do but I haven't figured out how to finance it yet. She was sitting at the breakfast table reading about former police chief Wray, the third consecutive day that story has dominated our front page. The Today Show was playing in the background, reporting on the possibility that James Frey "embellished" parts of his best-selling non-fiction memoir "A Million Little Pieces."

"You know what you need to do? You need to create a standing column on public lies. You could fill it every day. His non-fiction was partly fiction. Jessica and Nick say they're happily married. Angelina says she's not dating Brad. WMDs. 'I did not have sex with that woman.'

"You say you want readers to connect emotionally with the paper, to feel smarter after reading it, to be inspired and entertained. I guarantee this would be the most entertaining thing in the paper. You could call it 'The check's in the mail.'"

This suggestion isn't surprising as she's a fan of "House," whose main character's guiding philosophy is "everyone lies." I was reminded of Bob Dylan's statement in "Chronicles: "The press? I figured you lie to it."

Has potential. And in honor of the concept, the truth is, my wife and I didn't have the conversation precisely like that, but "the emotional truth is there."