The numerous fakes that is transferred to a “mirror”Journalist Relotius returns its four German report prices. So he came to a possible non-recognition before. Media colleagues are horrified by the case.
The Journalist Claas Relotius has returned four of his German report prices. The Jury of the German report forum award, announced in Hamburg. He was reported by SMS and apologized. The 33-Year-old came to a possible non-recognition before. The Jury deliberated since Wednesday about the consequences.
For his documentary about a Syrian refugee boy, the 33-Year-old had received the German reporter award in 2018. Also in 2013, 2015 and 2016 Relotius had been thus awarded. In addition, he received additional prizes – national and international.
Since 2011, for the “mirror”
On Wednesday had made the “mirror” announced that Relotius texts have been falsified in the magazine. He had deceived “with malice aforethought, methodically and with a high criminal energy”. Relotius wrote for the publisher since 2011.
the forgeries were Discovered by Juan Moreno, of the researched to Relotius history “Jaegers border,” about an American vigilante and inconsistencies noted. He told in an Interview with the “mirror”: “It was at the beginning of small errors, which I noticed, small things that I found implausible.” Then he had spoken with people of the vigilantes, and found that Relotius had never been. “People are people. And journalists are people. You may be deceived in people,” he have learned from it. He and his colleagues had assessed Relotius previously as “fantastic, humble colleagues”.
Comprehensive workup announced
The “mirror” announced a comprehensive workup. The extent of the forgeries is as yet unclear. The publisher’s own quality assurance and control mechanisms should be put to the test. The previous System was “patchy”.
It was true, the scandal of manipulated reports by the reporter Relotius relentlessly to inform, explained to the media journalist Stefan Niggemeier compared to the SWR. Important, Niggemeier, however, also internal failures to be processed, which would have favored manipulation. At the moment, he had still something of the feeling of the relentlessness of concern, especially the journalists, whose behavior is now condemned.
The Spiegel publishing house in Hamburg
media scientist Horst Professor röper also lectures the action of the magazine, praised as exemplary. The transparent handling of the fraud was absolutely right and necessary, because the credibility of the magazine “was more than scratched,” said Professor röper also lectures to the HR. “As a result of the ‘mirror’ now back to credibility, because he is very open to what is going on, without that the editor knows now the full extent”, – said the managing Director of the Dortmund Formatt-Institute for media research and media Economics. “I would hope that all deal with the case as the ‘mirror’.”
investigations by other media
in addition to the “mirror” wrote Relotius for the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, “Tagesspiegel”, the “Neue zürcher Zeitung am Sonntag”, the “Cicero”, the “Financial Times Germany”, the “daily newspaper”, the “world” and the “Frankfurt General Sunday newspaper”. Many of the media announced, in the meantime, check out the article published by Relotius.
