Clicking on that link to the New York Times was really instructive. The letter from Varian Fry's son is mixed in with several others that dispute the notion that Fry was gay and take issue with the biography for that reason.

Then along comes the son. "My father was indeed a closeted homosexual."

I'd love to learn more about that backstory. Apparently, the son isn't the only person who realized. Enough stories had gone around that the man's closeted gay identity made it into a biography.

Yet serious people took serious issue with a supposed lack of evidence. Somewhere in all that lies a fascinating story in and of itself.

Your main point is critical, though. We must carefully check our sources of information at all times. I think in the age of the Internet and social media, this is especially critical.