almost exactly five months ago, the “level detected”, and the employees Relotius had falsified reports. The case was comprehensively investigated and the final report is available.
Whether the Interview with the last Surviving members of the resistance movement “the White Rose”, the passages in a front-page story on climate change or portraits of children in the Syrian war zone: The “mirror” is after a thorough examination, that his former Reporter Claas Relotius has cheated in a big way in journalism, says editor-in-chief Steffen Klusmann:
“Of the 60 texts that he has released with us, have been manipulated a dozen or a dozen hard, but the others are also distorted so that the largest part of it – are at the end of journalistic and worthless.”
An “unworthy” scale
In most cases, have copied Relotius Interviews and reports from other media or quotes and Details to be screwed, in order to make his stories more interesting, takes Klusmann more:
“The good news is: There is no evidence that anyone knew here in the house of the fakes, you are covered, or even to this put. We should not forget that for all the criticism. The bad news is, we have and let us Relotius wrap, and in a extent of errors made is measured to the standards of this house – unworthy.”
“mirror”editor-in-chief Steffen Klusmann: made mistakes in a “disgraceful extent”.
With “considerable energy
distorted” After the end of last year, a colleague in the “mirror” was suspicious and Relotius as a result, blew up, almost researched half a year, three journalists, texts, checks, and confidential discussions.
The conclusion: Relotius was “a single offender.” He had covered up fake with “significant energy and ( … )”. Of the approximately 50 in-house facts checkers, the news magazine, the journalist makes of quality assurance, a single documentary Relotius to be very familiar.
The “special story” as the Department standard
Brigitte Fehrle, formerly editor-in-chief of the “Berliner Zeitung”, was part of the test group. She also sees a structural Problem: Relotius have worked in the special Department of “society”, that was eager, as many of the prizes for Journalists to retract. The special story was the Standard. The generated pressure is:
“So, the extraordinary story, the exceptional protagonists – this is what is basically Standard in the Department. And you can’t afford better, of course, if you care so much about the facts.”