Many members of the test audience didn't believe the story was true. They thought no real-life magazine would have so many journalists in their early to mid 20s, even though the New Republic did. A place card added to the opening of the film stated that the median age of journalists working for the New Republic was 26.
Billy Ray initially had a very hard time convincing the real-life Michael Kelly to assist in the production of the movie. Kelly was editor of the New Republic when many of Stephen Glass' fraudulent articles were published, and he was very embarrassed about them. Ray eventually persuaded Kelly to help him by telling him that he was approaching this story as a journalist who wanted the script to be as factually accurate as possible.
Charles Lane, who was the real-life editor of The New Republic, was invited by writer/director Billy Ray to observe filming of some of the movie's scenes. The one scene shot while he was in attendance was the one where the TNR writers bad-mouth Lane behind his back.