Half-Truths and Full ConquencesHalf-Truths and Full Conquences
AU4H Radio - Real Talk
Donna Scheer recounts a long-lasting freelance writing nightmare about a fabricated MMA life story and how it still affects her advocacy work. She uses the experience to warn aspiring writers about contracts, scams and the shared weight of other people’s lies.
27:12•14 Apr 2026
Half-Truths, Full Consequences: A Writer’s Cautionary Tale on AU4H Radio
Episode Overview
- Check credentials thoroughly and remember that documents, websites and profiles can be faked.
- Understand that when you sign a contract to tell someone’s story, you share responsibility for their lies and half-truths.
- Insist on proper editing and be wary when promised professional standards are quietly replaced by unqualified help.
- Protect your name and work, because one bad project can resurface years later and affect your advocacy and career.
- Teach young writers to chase their dreams, but to do it cautiously, choosing collaborators and subjects with great care.
“When you decide to work for somebody, especially on a freelance project, their lies become your lies. Their half-truths become your half-truths.”
What can we learn from those who have battled deception instead of addiction? AU4H Radio – Real Talk host Donna Scheer sits down at her home desk and shares a raw writing nightmare that’s been haunting her for nearly 20 years, turning it into a powerful cautionary story for young people who want to be journalists and authors.
On a channel that often tackles heavy topics like women’s health, mental health, child abuse and addiction recovery, this episode shifts the spotlight to truth, ethics and the hidden risks of freelance work. Donna explains how she was hired to write the life story of MMA fighter Mark Bailey, backed by certificates, clippings and online footage that seemed to prove his credibility.
She signed a contract, spent eight months crafting a 300-page manuscript, then watched it get hacked down to under 100 pages by his girlfriend, stripped of names, dates and vital context. When the book briefly climbed the bestseller charts, she doubted her instincts—until others exposed the story as largely false. As Donna puts it bluntly, “Their lies become your lies.
Their half-truths become your half-truths.” The fallout didn’t just hit her career; it led to years of online bullying, threats and ongoing comments that still appear under her advocacy work today. Alongside this, Donna talks about mentoring school leavers on their senior projects, urging them to research thoroughly, choose who they work with carefully and understand how contracts and reputation can follow you for life.
She also hints at her upcoming book *Fallen Star: Author, Activist, Murderer*, blending true crime with memoir. If you’ve ever thought about sharing someone’s story—especially around trauma, abuse or recovery—this episode asks the hard question: how sure are you that their truth is actually true?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.