In our descriptions of things, we normally think that truth plays an important part; we value true statements over false ones and we prefer people to be truthful rather than deceitful. If these two facets of truth are important in our everyday lives, they assume even more significance in educational research because of the commitment researchers make to the pursuit of truth. For much of the time, truth is not a pressing problem for educational researchers who just get on with the job. But on occasions we are reminded that the problem of truth is never very far away, especially when a piece of research ignites controversy about its truth and the truthfulness of the author. The Rigoberta Menchu "Controversy" provides an instance.