Former CNN Journalist Of The Year Admits Writing Fake Stories
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.