We all knew it has been going on, it’s just nice to finally get some admission to the wrongdoing.
Reporter and editor Claas Relotius who is a top award-winning journalist admitted to fabricating at least parts of 14 different articles.
Claas Relotius writes for the German magazine Der Spiegel which has been undergoing an internal investigation. It was through this investigation that it was discovered Relotius had been reporting false information in many articles. Some things he has admitted to falsifying are sources, inventing characters, and quotes. Not a little bit, but on “a grand scale”.
Fox News reports,
The reporter contributed around 60 articles to Der Spiegel, one of the leading German magazines for investigative reporting. He previously worked for other publications in Europe and won awards such as CNN Journalist of the Year in 2014.
The fabricated articles include a phone interview with the parents of free agent NFL player Colin Kaepernick and a story about an American woman who claims to have volunteered to witness the executions of death row inmates.
Relotius also drew the fury of locals in Fergus Falls, Minn., after spending three weeks in town and fabricating facts, characters and quotes from people in an effort to portray the town in a negative light.
This particular article was reportedly labeled as an endlessly insulting and hilarious excuse for journalism.
CNN reported,
A spokesman for CNN said Thursday that the 2014 awards jury held a meeting after Der Spiegel went public with its investigation, and voted unanimously to strip Relotius of both awards.
Forbes identified Relotius as a top reporter last year, including him on a “30 Under 30” list for European media.
Several major features Relotius wrote for Der Spiegel that were also nominated for or won journalism awards are now under scrutiny, according to the magazine.
Among them, “The Last Witness,” about an American who allegedly travels to an execution as a witness, “Lion Children,” about two Iraqi children who have been kidnapped and reeducated by the Islamic State, and “Number 440,” a feature about alleged prisoners at the US detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Kudos to Der Spiegle for its internal purifying. News is not to be treated as fiction and literary license is not to be employed.
I propose a new policy: Every reporter, investigator, broadcaster, on air or print person and the venue must take an oath to be free of opinion and fallacy, reporting only the facts and true events. An opinion could be framed and presented as “opinion only” with no chance of being labeled as truth/fact.
Great Idea!
Agree ,We need a real test and pass a Journalism board. and the will pay for the License just like a lawyer for a Literary license, and without one, not employed, and a Journalism board could fine like lawyers Bar 50.00 into 200,000 or so , for lies or not telling facts, twisting stories ., put them out for months, disbar, just like a lawyer .
We will always have Opinion people, it would be nice the to have Honest News, and press if you want to work the so called real press, it has to honest reporting, not Bovine Excrement.. 🙂
make a bill get passed even some Politisshians would love to be quoted in truth
unlike the twisting Adam Poo..
Now days always america, VET the people who run for office don’t say he or she is cool ASK Hard ?? make them give real answers, don’t buy what they say make them sell you ,
they say anything to get to DC then do nothing for you take American Money.
NO MORE AOC and Omar’s Squad next punish the on ones who lie and when they take the oath to America, then go to their agenda to tear it down. boot them out