Fair witness

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Fair Witness is a fictional profession invented by the noted science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein for the novel Stranger in a Strange Land.

A Fair Witness is an individual trained to observe events and report exactly what he or she sees and hears, making no extrapolations or assumptions. An eidetic memory is a prerequisite for the job, although this may be attainable with suitable training.

In Heinlein's society, a Fair Witness is a highly reputable source of information. By custom, a Fair Witness acting professionally, generally wearing distinctive robes, is never addressed directly, and all present are supposed to avoid acknowledging the presence of the Witness in any way. The best Witnesses are highly paid and famous.

Heinlein gives this example of a Fair Witness report. His character Jubal Harshaw asks one of his assistants, who is also a Fair Witness, to describe the color of a house in the distance. She responds, "It's white on this side". She would not testify as to the color of any other part of the house without being able to see it.