Medill School of Journalism professor David Protess, on suspicions that Medill dean John Lavine may have piped a few quotes from anonymous students in an in-house magazine article: “I am not alleging that the dean fabricated quotes. I am alleging that it is inaccurate to say there is no evidence that he did not fabricate quotes.” (Via Romenesko.)
Slate columnist Michael Kinsley, lampooning the New York Times’ hair-splitting defense of its “anonymous former aides think John McCain might have had sex” story: “What I wrote was that some people had expressed concern that the Times article might have created the appearance of charging that McCain had had an affair. My critics have charged that I was charging the Times with charging McCain with having had an affair.”
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Anonymous
The accuser’s clumsy back-pedaling notwithstanding, is there any doubt in your mind that Lavine made up the quotes? I’ve been able to eke out a living in journalism for 23 years and never had to fabricate a quote, and if a new reporter came to me with this type of anonymous quote, I’d make them source it or lose it.Bob in Peabody