Winner of CNN’s ‘Journalist of the Year’ Award Admits He Fabricated Stories
Claas Relotius, a reporter for German magazine Der Spiegel, acknowledged committing journalistic fraud “on a grand scale”
Itay Hod | December 19, 2018 @ 6:18 PM
Last Updated: December 21, 2018 @ 11:23 AM
Getty
A Der Spiegel journalist who was CNN’s “Journalist of the Year” in 2014 resigned from his job after admitting that he fabricated stories “on a grand scale,” the German publication said.
In a lengthy report on its website, Der Spiegel said that Claas Relotius, a 33-year-old investigative reporter, acknowledged he had made up material.
“Claas Relotius, a reporter and editor, falsified his articles on a grand scale and even invented characters, deceiving both readers and his colleagues. This has been uncovered as a result of tips, internal research and, ultimately, a comprehensive confession by the editor himself,” Der Spiegel said.
Relotius had previously worked for other publications in both Germany and Switzerland and even won a CNN Journalist of the Year award in 2014 in the best print category for the story “Murderers as Carers,” published in the Swiss publication Reportagen. The story focused on prison inmates with dementia in U.S. jails.
CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. But an insider at CNN said that Relotius “never worked for CNN. He was honored for a piece published by a Swiss magazine – more than 4 years ago.”
“It was sponsored by CNN but judged by an independent jury,” the insider said.
Relotius admitted to fabricating parts of at least 14 stories, according to Spiegel, which called the incident “a low point” in its 70-year history.
The issue first came to light after a fellow reporter who worked with Relotius on a story about a vigilante group on the U.S.-Mexican border began to question his reporting, Der Spiegel said.
Der Spiegel’s management said it would appoint a “committee of internal and external experts,” whose findings would be published by the magazine.
7 Reporters Who Could Use a Hug on #NationalHugANewsPersonDay (Photos)
April Ryan White House correspondent April Ryan has found herself the target of the Donald Trump administration several times, but most recently when Press Secretary Sean Spicer told her to "stop shaking your head" at the daily press briefing last week. Back in February, Ryan was in the news after an exchange with Trump, when she asked if the president would meet with the Congressional Black Caucus and was asked by the president to set up a meeting.
April Ryan
ProPublica's Richard Tofel Spicer dismissed the non-profit investigative news outlet ProPublica as a "left-wing blog" after the site reported that changes to a Trump trust document allow the president to pull money from his businesses at any time. "I don't think it's good for America when the president's press secretary says something from the podium that is simply not true," Tofel told The Washington Post.
ProPublica
Rachel Maddow Donald Trump's tax returns have become the great white whale of investigative reporters across the country, so when Maddow promised last month that she had obtained some documents, Twitter lost its collective mind. When she later clarified that all she had was a two-page form from 2005 and then spent 20 minutes dragging out the reveal on her show, some were quick to turn and accuse the MSNBC anchor of trying to goose her ratings.
MSNBC
"Red Eye" hosts Tom Shillue and Andy Levy Fox News announced on Monday that it had canceled its overnight news-comedy program "Red Eye" after 10 years on the air. The final "Red Eye" episode will air Friday night at 3 a.m., leaving host Tom Shillue and co-host Andy Levy without a show. Both are expected to stay with the network, but no announcement has been made yet.
Fox News
Tomi Lahren The controversial host of her own show on Glenn Beck's conservative digital news outlet TheBlaze, Tomi Lahren was effectively fired after revealing on "The View" that she's pro-choice. After her suspension was announced, Lahren was mocked by TheBlaze's official Twitter account, which wrote "Pro-lifers aren't the ones being hypocrites, Tomi."
Comedy Central
WHCA President Jeff Mason The annual White House Correspondents' Dinner is an annual gathering to honor the reporters who cover the president and his administration, but this year's event has faced numerous setbacks. Organizations such as Time, People, Vanity Fair and the New Yorker have pulled out of their events surrounding the dinner, and no host for the main banquet has yet been announced. To make matters worse, Trump and his White House staff have pledged to skip the event this year.
Getty Images
Bill O'Reilly The New York Times published a bombshell report on Saturday revealing that Fox News and Bill O'Reilly have paid out $13 million to settle five sexual harassment lawsuits. The network appears to be standing behind O'Reilly for the time being, reportedly extending the host's contract the same day the report was published, but his show has already lost several of its advertisers.
Getty Images
1 of 7
Some journalists are making the news while reporting on it
April Ryan White House correspondent April Ryan has found herself the target of the Donald Trump administration several times, but most recently when Press Secretary Sean Spicer told her to "stop shaking your head" at the daily press briefing last week. Back in February, Ryan was in the news after an exchange with Trump, when she asked if the president would meet with the Congressional Black Caucus and was asked by the president to set up a meeting.
April Ryan
ProPublica
