The staff writer Clare Malone on reporting her story about Hasan Minhaj. This story came about in a classic way, which is to say, through the grapevine: I talked to someone who had talked to someone who had talked to someone about how there was something a little weird about some of Minhaj’s stories. This was all taking place against the backdrop of speculation about who would take over “The Daily Show,” which Minhaj guest-hosted in the spring. Pretty much all comics stretch the truth in their standup, but not all of them seem to agree on where the line is. And the discomfort with lies onstage seems to grow when they are about personal stories or serious topics. From the beginning, this was a piece about gray areas. Comedy is an art form, so what level of truth do we expect from it? Broad, impressionistic truth? Or truth that’s closer to the facts on the ground? And what should we expect from someone like Minhaj in particular, given that his work is part of the trend of infotainment in comedy? I spent a lot of time talking to people in the comedy world, people who had worked with Minhaj, and, of course, I did some regular old fact-checking reporting. I knocked on some doors, found the people Minhaj had told stories about, got their perspectives, and, when necessary, reached out to hospitals and the police. Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » | 
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