"Former ABC Consultant Says He Faked Nothing " - NYT

[annabanana]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/15/business/media/15abc.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin

Alexis Debat, the former consultant to ABC News who has been accused of fabricating interviews with American political figures for a French magazine, strongly defended his reputation yesterday in a telephone interview.

ABC News is continuing its internal investigation of reports it has broadcast and published on its Web site based on reporting from Mr. Debat. The network had already fired him for falsely claiming he had a doctorate.

~snip~

So far, ABC has found nothing that would undermine the stories Mr. Debat worked on, Mr. Ross said last night. But he acknowledged that as the stories of fabrications continue to roll in, the network “at some point has to question whether anything he said can be believed.”

~snip~

During the interview, Mr. Debat also denounced challenges of interviews with subjects including former President Bill Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York that Mr. Debat supplied to the French magazine Politique Internationale. All of those subjects have said they never met with Mr. Debat.

This may be amusing.

[enid602]

1. why

What would be the purpose of fabricating these interviews? To convince Europeans that US progressives share neocon ideas, such as those regarding an invasion of Iran?

[blogslut]

2. I wish there was more detail in the story

Article says Debat denounced challenges to the queston of whether or not he conducted those interviews. Does that mean he emphatically claims he conducted them? And why did Brian Ross trust this guy so much? Because he wore a nice suit and spoke with a European accent?

Yes. You are correct. This should be fun. :)

[XOKCowboy]

3. CrooksandLiars had this link to the story....

http://www.attytood.com/2007/09/the_neocon_link_to_the_abc_new.html

[slipslidingaway]

4. K&R Link to prior thread...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1799450

[AlCzervik]

5. ABC hired him without a proper background check or at least it sure looks that way.