Fact or Opinion? TakePart’s ‘Truth Booth’ Hits the Streets of Los Angeles

“There aren’t always two sides to every story. Certain things are true; certain things happened. You can debate why they happened, you can debate why there was a Holocaust, you can debate who made the decision, but you can’t debate whether it happened.”

So says Deborah Lipstadt, professor and author of the book History on Trial: My Day in Court With a Holocaust Denier, which documents her legal battle with a Holocaust denier who forced her to prove in court that the Holocaust took place. Her story is the subject of the new film Denial, which stars Rachel Weisz as Lipstadt, and is described by Deadline as "the most important and urgent film of 2016" and "essential viewing" by Indiewire. (Disclaimer: Denial was produced in part by Participant Media, TakePart’s parent company.)

Central to the film is how we define fact versus opinion, something that’s particularly relevant—and contentious—in our current political climate. To gather some public thoughts on this question, TakePart set up a “truth booth” at Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles to engage with passersby during the lunch hour rush. We asked them to consider what is fact and what is opinion—and why blurring the lines can be dangerous. Watch the video above to find out what people had to say.

Denial opens in theaters nationwide on Oct. 21.