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Cape Cod Times / Merrily Cassidy
Karen Jeffrey fabricated people in some of her stories, the Cape Cod Times says.
Updated at 6:42 p.m. ET: A Massachusetts daily newspaper apologized to its readers after an internal investigation concluded that a veteran reporter wrote dozens of stories that included people who don’t exist.
The Cape Cod Times said Karen Jeffrey, 59, a writer for the Times since 1981, “admitted to fabricating people in some of these articles and giving some others false names.”
In a column published Tuesday titled “An apology to our readers,” Publisher Peter Meyer and Editor Paul Pronovost wrote:
Papers have personalities, and no two are exactly alike, but at the end of the day, facts are facts. And a good newspaper holds nothing more sacred than its role to tell the truth. Always. As fully and as fairly as possible.
This is our guiding principle, so it is with heavy heart that we tell you the Cape Cod Times has broken that trust.
The column said Times editors reviewed Jeffrey’s previous work after questions were raised about a source in a story she wrote last month about a Veterans Day celebration. Editors were unable to find 69 people in 34 of her stories since 1998, when the newspaper began archiving stories electronically.
Jeffrey "no longer works for the Cape Cod Times,” the newspaper said.
Jeffrey could not be reached for comment. A telephone message left Wednesday for a listing under her name was not immediately returned.
Meyer and Pronovost added:
We were able to verify sourcing in many stories written by Jeffrey, mostly police and court news, political stories, and recently a series on returning war veterans. The stories with suspect sourcing were typically lighter fare – a story on young voters, a story on getting ready for a hurricane, a story on the Red Sox home opener – where some or all of the people quoted cannot be located.
In a 2011 story about a Fourth of July parade in Cotuit, for example, Jeffrey wrote about a man named Johnson Coggins, described as 88 years old, “the patriarch of the family” and a longtime Cotuit summer resident. Editors were unable to find that name via searches of public records and the local assessor’s database, Meyer and Pronovost said. They also couldn’t locate five other people featured in the story.
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The newspaper said an investigation of Jeffrey's work began Nov. 12 when a Veterans Day assignment raised questions among editors. According to the newspaper's account of the investigation, Jeffrey's story began this way:
“CHATHAM – Ronald Chipman and his family were strolling along Chatham's Main Street when they noticed traffic slowed. A crowd of people gathered at the small rotary ahead.
“Flags, uniforms, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The Chipmans were momentarily puzzled.
“'I looked at my wife. She looked back at me. We had the same guilty thought – Veterans Day – and we thought nothing about it except as a long weekend on the Cape until we saw that,' said Chipman, 46, a Boston resident. 'You live in the city and sometimes you forget about things like this – about things still mattering to people,' he said.”
The editors were unable to find the Chipman family. When asked if she could help locate the family, Jeffrey said she could not because she threw away her notes.
An expanded review of Jeffrey’s previous work turned up “dozens of additional stories with suspect sources,” the newspaper said.
Editors also spot-checked other reporters’ work but turned up no questionable sourcing. “We are confident this situation was isolated to Jeffrey,” Meyer and Pronovost wrote.
The Cape Cod Times, a daily newspaper based in Hyannis, Mass., that claims daily circulation of 43,000, serves Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Mass. It is owned by the Dow Jones Local Media Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation.
The newspaper said editors will now spot-check reporters’ articles more frequently, choosing stories at random and calling sources to verify they exist. Jeffrey's questionable stories or passages of stories will also be removed from capecodonline.com and will be replaced with a note that explains why they were removed.
In a follow-up email, Pronovost told NBC News the newspaper will also reactivate a team to review newsroom policies and practices, conduct training for staff and expand the list of people with access to verification tools.
"This incident heightens our awareness of how badly our credibility can be damaged by anything less than the highest ethical standards by 100 percent of the people. The people who work here are strongly committed to rebuilding the trust we broke – every person I’ve spoken with (and that’s almost everybody in our newsroom) has pledged to do their part to earn our readers’ confidence. This was a painful lesson, but a lesson nonetheless," Pronovost said.
Craig Silverman, founder of Regret the Error, a blog on Poynter.org that reports on media errors and corrections, said Jeffrey is the third "mass fabricator" to be exposed this year:
The first was New Canaan news reporter Paresh Jha, who fabricated sources and quotes in at least 25 stories, and the second is a former staff photographer for Sun-Times Media, who made up names and quotes for photo essays.
Silverman wrote:
Jeffrey’s offenses stand out for their frequency, and for the length of time she got away with it. Fabrication is always scandalous, but it’s all the more outrageous when someone can get away with it for so long. I imagine Jeffrey’s former colleagues are struck by that as well.
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Leave a Comment:
She would be PERFECT for MSNBC!
Researcher for Larry O'Donnell or Ed Schultz!!
Indeed. Something like this isn't much "news" when taken in connection with a news reporter.
Why do some people read (or maybe not read) these articles just to bash MSNBC in the comments? Makes no sense to me.
Better yet, Arthur, and much more appropos, as an Executive Producer on Hannity's show.
Hey Arthur... love that you added your IQ to your name. She could also be a co-host with O'Liely!!
I'm shocked that a Newcorp Publication firm would allow stories to be published that are untrue. That would never happen at the NY Post, Fox News or The Wall Street Journal! Would it?
Sounds like she should just write fiction for a living. If that many people believed her articles, then she must be pretty good at it.
"The Cape Cod Times, a daily newspaper based in Hyannis, Mass., . . . is owned by the Dow Jones Local Media Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation.
Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation also owns FOX News. Is anybody surprised? Just more of the same behavior we've grown to expect from Murdoch and FOX.
Journalism 101 -- Never spoil a good story with the truth.
Well now how do we know that this story isn't made up?
Good Evening Denver Bill
"Truth? We don't need no stinking truth...."
Happy Birthday!
R.M. Fields - You have to admit that most of the work done by "NBC Staff Writers" is pretty bad.
She was obviously building up her CV to apply for a job at fox news.
Am sure she wrote for the Cape reelect Obama! Put together his fact sheets
Skup
No I don't
Too many Kennedys have died - you couldn't make that shlt up.
Oooh, are we delving into philosophy now? How do I know YOU aren't made up, hmmm? Or ME, for that matter...
Quiet, I'm waiting to hear her say she was Willards source manager!
im sure this happens all the time."speaking on condition of anonimity", " an observer who refused to give his name", blah, blah ,blah.there is one in every story seems like.
I bet msnbc was on the phone with a job offer 2 minutes after the story broke. I can imagine matthews just drooling at the chance to work with her. Someone new to write fiction for him.
rmfields: Maybe it's because the news on nbcnews is just as artificial. Heck, they're still holding to the made up story of our Ambassador being murdered as a result of a spontaneous protest on the anniversary of 9/11 as a result of a video that had been in the public domain for over 3 months. Sounds like the Cape Cod reporter is closer to reality.
I would guess CNN or MSNBC would hire her!
Arthur66 and StopWastingTime,
So how about showing us some proof of the "made up" stories by MSNBC hosts???? (Please note: Somebody at Fox saying they lied, isn't proof.)
At least on the rare occassion when someone on MSNBC airs something inaccurate or inappropriate, they make an on-air correction and apology. Fat chance of that every happening on Fox! If they did, it would be using up 20 hours every day!
I'd be willing to bet this woman was writing those right leaning "feel good" stories about fictitious "1950's style TV families" and sad stories with happy endings. Probably pointing out the value of religion and the evils of liberal thinking. She probably thought she was doing a community service. Kind of like the people on Fox. Fiction is just so much more comforting than real life when it tells you what you want to hear.
One thing is certain, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Christine O'Donnell, Sharon Angle, George Bush, Dick Cheney and Mitt Romney among many, many other republicans don't need any help fabricating information... they do it perfectly fine on their own.
Well, 1NewDay, it's not so much what MSNBC...and the rest of the mainstream media....make up, it's more what they fail to report....you know, minor little shlt like the Benghazi slaughter, all because it might make Emperor Barack look bad.
Waaaaaaaah, I'm a democrat, don't want people to know we lie to push our agenda. Waaaaaaah, where is the government to help me, I can't do it on my own, they told me I'm too dumb, that's why they lowered the qualifications. Waaaaaaaah, I need the democrats cuz I can't do it on my own. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah.
Waaaaaaaah, I'm a republican, don't want people to know we lie to push our agenda even more than the democrats do. Waaaaaaah, where is my party to run the country, I can't do it on my own, they told me I'm too dumb, that's why they lowered the qualifications and i still didn't make it. Waaaaaaaah, I need the republicans cuz I can't do it (and neither can they). Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah.
MO-ron...
Now now Calm down there God of Fate not everyone can be "perfect"!
As is everyone doesn't know that "Corporate Reporters" aren't "Liars" first & foremost! Little Big and everyone in between....Just like Bob Costas!
Waaaaaaah...Well everybody else is so I though I might as well join in!
BTW I left you a serious question over on the Syria thread.......
“Education: the path from cocky ignorance to miserable uncertainty.” ~Mark Twain
Why cloud a story with facts? Will that not spoil all the fun?
What?!?! A liberal reporter making up stuff? No way! LMFAO!!
The article failed to analyze her fiction to determine any pattern in the way she slanted her stories. Did she seek to make them more folksy, was she preaching, if so what ideology?
INewDay
So how about showing us some proof of the "made up" stories by Fox hosts???? (Please note: Somebody on an internet comment board saying they lied, isn't proof.)
decatur greg, you're suspended for a day for violating #1 of the Code of Honor.
Why did she make up stories? Who wouldn't love to go around interviewing people for soft stories in Cape Cod? I'm willing and able and won't charge much!
Let's see . . . she can either put up with Cape Cod traffic as she drives to another town, searches for a parking spot, and then tries to find someone interesting to interview . . . or she can go to the beach and make up a more interesting story under her beach umbrella.
People who believe "anonymous sources" and people who don't "want to be identified" should get a life.
To get paid for not doing any real work, perhaps?
Another lying M@!$%#....so why is this news?
I dunno... why did you read it?
I really miss "Just the facts ma'am. Just the facts." I really hate the "need"/pressure for sensationalizing stories, which could be one reason she felt it necessary to invent stories and sources.
Would be very nice if they did just report the facts. Leave off the bias and sensationalizing. Unfortunately that has gone away for the internet clicks. I might add there are no un-slanted newspapers or news sources anymore. Bar NONE.
That's a TV show, not any news organization's motto, ever. If you've ever read any old newspapers, you'd see that they've always been as sensational as they could be in order to sell copies.
The CC Times is a fish wrapper. I'm surprised Rupert Murdoch didn't give her a promotion. She fits in perfectly with News Corps' idea of what is "News".
Regardless of the paper (or any type of news outlet), a story about fabricated news is not news. A more startling headline would be "Journalist Reports Dozens of Stories without Fantasy or Bias".
This is not going to look good on her resume.
She will be a hero and ideological treasure for NBC/MSNBC.
Fox sued and won the right to lie.
Actually, it will look better on her resume than writing for the Cape Cod Times. I'm seeing a Lifetime TV movie, a book deal, lots of TV appearances. She embodies "truthiness." And, I suspect she isn't the first frustrated fiction writer forced to make a living as a "journalist" and living out her novelist's dreams in the process.
This is fact. Would anyone like to say otherwise?? I am guessing no. Even the usual fox news fans that come here to comment could not deny this. Well, I suppose they could, but you could also say the sky is green.
Looks like another low life Socialist Democrat
Wow, what a thoughtful, incisive reply. And it adds so very much to the dialogue on the subject, which was already so lofty with comments insulting news organizations the fired writer was never associated with. Sad.
People like Maypo intrigue me. How can anyone be so caught up in such unrelated thoughts and then inject them uncontrollably into subject matter that has nothing to do with their stupid obsession? It's a good thing for Maypo that he's obsessed with socialist democrats rather than boobies. At least that would make his irrelevant posts more entertaining...
Yep. Everything. Always the Democrats' fault. Teabaggers never cease to amuse me.
...and just like that, Vermonto81 has joined the ranks of Maypo.
I believe it's a form of political Tourettes Syndrome.
Styro's right... we want to talk about boobies!
Welcome to 'Fictional Writing 101'. The woman was bored. She was burnt-out. She needed a change of scenery, so she invented a change of scenery. This was 'creative writing'. She had talent. She was not getting the recognition which she probably deserved. She did get it, and she was kicked out the door. The paper shoud leave her stories in the archives, and they should be labelled as pulp fiction. Removing her work is censorship. The is trying to erase history by deleting herstory.
MSNBC couldn't get her, she was already hired by Faux News
And all the sportswriters are probably looking at this and saying "What's the big deal? We do this everyday."
Wonder if Mike Barnicle is looking for an assistant?
This was my first thought too - of course, Barnicle has moved on to be a regular guest on Morning Joe on MSNBC TV.
Seems stupid to me. She could have made the point just as easily had she framed it as her own thoughts on Veteran's Day. We do indeed blow it off as a general rule.
I can find no such person named "Karen Jeffrey" in any public records in Massachusetts or Cape Cod. J/K. ;-)
1. Fiction writers have no place in mainstream media.
2. The mainstream media is still wondering why they have no credibility with their readers.
3. The GOP should hire this reporter to help them write a biased history of the US, since none of them can keep the facts straight anyway.
QUICK! Tell Dan Rather!
She's not a "reporter" ... she's a fiction writer.
Yeah, and not very good at making up names, either. Coggins? Chipman? Why not Blenderton or Twinkieson.
Yes, I said the same thing later - before I read your post. Her articles read like a Readers Digest story.
Oh the Irony... You know it's getting bad when news agencies have resorted to calling out the lies at other "news" outlets.
To be fair though, none of the MSM outlets are allowed to report news anymore. They're only permitted by the corporate masters to publish propaganda that has already been approved by the ministry of disinformation in DC.
And just where do you get your disinformation to bring to this forum?
Well their editors may not be perfect. But at least they have them! Unlike some news sites I know where it's anything goes.
just another case of - who cares about the truth ??? i feel sorry for my friends down there that get stuff like this fed to them .. no wonder the state is as messed up as it is .
So much for the Fourth Branch of Government. I commend the editors of the CCT for getting the word out and not hiding from this. But I suspect the problem is far more widespread than just this lady. Ethics in government is dead. Ethics in business is dead. Ethics in journalism is dead. The rule now: cheat until you get caught, then beg for forgiveness.
Chris McK
unless you are being sarcastic and then I can agree with you - LOL.
Perhaps you mean the Fifth Estate when referring to newspapers?
Definitely being sarcastic. How many more of her are out there?
I know of two, years ago, at different newspapers.
It reminds me of the stuff some refer to as "creative non-fiction." There was a Veterans Day parade. That is for sure, so that's non-fiction, and everything else is creative. And I don't like it.
So, what do you think really tipped off (or ticked off) her co-workers? This lady gets caught in a lie of commission, yet Rachel Madcow and the lot make grotesque lies of omission all the time.
The moral here, if you're going to lie, LIE BIG.
I have been a journalist for 40 years, I've written hundreds of stories, and I have never fabricated a source, an issue or anything else. I'm stunned and saddened that Ms. Jeffrey felt the need to do so - especially in a community publication, where one should be able to expect the truth.
As religion declines in the U.S., people are not taking up another ethical or moral code as a replacement. Thus, we see people doing all sorts of unethical things. This reporter con't hold a candle to most of the politicians we have in D.C. as a liar and a cheat.
Like religious people don't lie or cheat? What planet do you live on?
Ferro - Gee, did I say that?
Just following Rupert's orders. Entertainment with a dash of news to base it on. Fluff edition.
She sounds like a Obama press secretary in the making.
One lying reporter down and ? to go. Next Fox newz.
Makes facts up? Ah she'll have a job at Foxnews within the week.
It's actually refreshing to see a responsible news source. Hmmm...maybe I need to subscribe to the Cape Cod Times.