This paper rejects the Karttunen-Vendler thesis which states that the verb TELL used with WH-complements reveals the truth, whilst this is not automatically the case for TELL used whith THAT-complements, demonstrating that both uses can provide true and false statements. Looking for alternative origins of the K-V thesis, T. points to a default rule that, unless explicit contraindications, ascriptions of telling have to be interpreted as truth-committed.