Janet Malcolm

The author and narrator of The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcolm relates the events leading up to and following the lawsuit of Joe McGinniss by Jeffrey MacDonald, which supposedly threatened the concept of the freedom of the press.

Joe McGinniss

Joe McGinniss is the journalist who wrote Fatal Vision, a book detailing the life of Jeffrey MacDonald and his brutal murder of his wife and children. MacDonald sued McGinniss after the publication of the book, claiming that McGinniss falsely assured him that he would be presented as an innocent man through the novel’s narrative.

Jeffrey MacDonald

Convicted of the brutal murder of his wife and children, Jeffrey MacDonald maintained his innocence and sued McGinniss for presenting him as guilty in the book about his life and trial. MacDonald sued McGinniss for lying to him and pretending that he would be presented as a sympathetic...