Johann Hari Suspended

[Atheist-Lite]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14129308

Johann Hari suspended by Independent amid 'quotes row'

Independent writer Johann Hari has been suspended by the paper after becoming embroiled in a row over quotes used in his interviews.

The columnist and interviewer was suspended pending the outcome of an internal investigation, the paper's editor confirmed on Tuesday.

Chris Blackhurst said an investigation would report back in two months' time.

Mr Hari has previously apologised for committing what he described as and "error of judgement".

(continued, no doubt about this one)

[Feck]

Isn't that Lozzers FB friend ?

[Atheist-Lite]

Isn't that Lozzers FB friend ?

He's probably got all the dirt on this story? Apparently the lad was caught copying or something. Naughty if that's the case, although it could be the great purge of 2011 working through Fleet Street? Just read his appology on his blog...apparently it's worse than copying.....he's been putting words in joey foreigners mouth for 'em to help 'em say what they/he meant to say.

[Atheist-Lite]

He may become notorious for being stripped of the Orwell Prize from the way things are going? Where is the irony meter?

[Lozzer]

He copied nothing! when interviewing someone, he'd use a quotation from one of their books or from a previous interview when writing it up. It ain't wrong, 'cuz it would be similar to what they said to him, but simpler or easier for the masses to grasp.

[Atheist-Lite]

He copied nothing! when interviewing someone, he'd use a quotation from one of their books or from a previous interview when writing it up. It ain't wrong, 'cuz it would be similar to what they said to him, but simpler or easier for the masses to grasp.

Whatever happens I fear he's gonna be damaged goods with a reputation in tatters the way it's shaping up. I think he's hit out at too many powerful people, quite rightly or otherwise, and now he's gonna reap the whirlwind from that?

[devogue]

He copied nothing! when interviewing someone, he'd use a quotation from one of their books or from a previous interview when writing it up. It ain't wrong, 'cuz it would be similar to what they said to him, but simpler or easier for the masses to grasp.

It wouldn't have been wrong if he had explained his method from the outset. But he didn't.

[mistermack]

He admits what's wrong with what he did very clearly.
He calls it an error of judgement and apologises. But of course he knew exactly what he was doing, there can be no doubt about that. If he didn't know the difference, he shouldn't be a journalist.
It shows him to be lazy and greedy.

Lazy, because he couldn't be bothered to find the right words to include these quotes in a meaningful way. So he just stuck them in as if they were actually said.
He could have explained, but it would have taken effort and skill to make it work.

Greedy, because he wanted his interview to read better than real life. So that he might get more "awards".

I would be well pissed off, if I'd voted for his award.

[devogue]

The sad thing about all this is that Hari's interviews are relatively meh, but his polemic articles can be stunningly well crafted.

I think this will be the end of him:

http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/

[Atheist-Lite]

The sad thing about all this is that Hari's interviews are relatively meh, but his polemic articles can be stunningly well crafted.

I think this will be the end of him:

http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/

If this DR is a sock puppet and has been downloading kiddie porn it could become a police matter, and in the public eye quite quickly...?

[Santa_Claus]

If it had happened last year (being caught!) then probably no problem. Now, The Indie would be stupid not to get rid of.

My guess is that it wasn't so much laziness or deception, but simply ignorance - I beleive he came from the Internet as part of the Indie trying to get into the Blogosphere / Yoof market.....downside is that it meant employing someone who did not know rules.

Hang him!

[PsychoSerenity]

I don't see that he's done anything much wrong. Quoting from a clearer source seems like a good idea to me - as long as the interviewee is ok with it, and perhaps well, he should have made it clear where the quotes came from. But this is hardly the journalistic scandal of the decade, I mean, if he'd been found to be using quotes to completely misrepresent what people had been saying, then that would have been a serious problem - and there have been loads of examples of that happening, like with the global warming stuff in the daily mail - when are they going to be investigated and made to apologise?

[devogue]

I don't see that he's done anything much wrong. Quoting from a clearer source seems like a good idea to me - as long as the interviewee is ok with it, and perhaps well, he should have made it clear where the quotes came from. But this is hardly the journalistic scandal of the decade, I mean, if he'd been found to be using quotes to completely misrepresent what people had been saying, then that would have been a serious problem - and there have been loads of examples of that happening, like with the global warming stuff in the daily mail - when are they going to be investigated and made to apologise?

That's the crux of the matter.

But it seems to have gone beyond that now - allegations of sock-puppetry and defamation have surfaced.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

[Feck]

People who write their own Wiki pages .....