Der Spiegel says top journalist faked stories for years

[oberliner]

Source: The Guardian

The German news magazine Der Spiegel has been plunged into chaos after revealing that one of its top reporters had falsified stories over several years.

The media world was stunned by the revelations that the award-winning journalist Claas Relotius had, according to the weekly, “made up stories and invented protagonists” in at least 14 out of 60 articles that appeared in its print and online editions, warning that other outlets could also be affected.

Relotius, 33, resigned after admitting to the scam. He had written for the magazine for seven years and won numerous awards for his investigative journalism, including CNN Journalist of the Year in 2014.

Earlier this month, he won Germany’s Reporterpreis (Reporter of the Year) for his story about a young Syrian boy, which the jurors praised for its “lightness, poetry and relevance”. It has since emerged that all the sources for his reportage were at best hazy, and much of what he wrote was made up.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/19/top-der-spiegel-journalist-resigns-over-fake-interviews

[dhill926]

1. Maybe um, write novels...dumbass...

[wolfie001]

2. This shit happens over and over

He's a sociopath. Just like donald dump, benedict donald, red don. Ha ha

[LiberalLovinLug]

3. Thanks idiot

More ammunition for Fox News and Trump. PROOF of fake news!

[Honeycombe8]

4. Der Spiegel must not have safeguards in place.

In some news organizations, the editor or other head must approve articles that refer to high ranking officials or pertain to big issues. Those editors require a certain number of sources or otherwise seek something to verify the facts from the reporters. Usually, false stories (reporters lying about sources) will be apparent in time. I've never heard of repeated lies about sources going on for years. So that makes me think Der Spiegel didn't have verification rules in place.

[dlk]

5. Another Psychopath Bites the Dust

[zentrum]

6. Damn him! This hurts

....the entire profession at this critical time when the press is so under attack by the RW. How long before Trump farts out a tweet that uses this as proof of "fake news", especially at CNN.

[appalachiablue]

7. Another one, sociopath-psychopath

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Glass

[oberliner]

8. There was a good movie about that guy

Shattered Glass.

[appalachiablue]

9. Excellent film and I read some about him. Deceptive types

can be extremely intelligent and successful yet troublesome. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalistic_scandal

"Relotius told Spiegel he regretted his actions and was deeply ashamed, the magazine said. “I am sick and I need to get help,” he was quoted as saying. Moreno, who has worked for the magazine since 2007, risked his own job when he confronted other colleagues with his suspicions, many of whom did not want to believe him."

Der Spiegel will move on, so too their shattered staff that initially didn't want to believe Moreno's evidence about Relotius. The way it goes with smooth, likeable sociopaths, up to a point.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0323944/

[virgogal]

10. The Mike Barnicle of Germany.

[oberliner]

11. Maybe he can join Morning Joe then?