German journalist Claas Relotius spent 3 weeks in early 2017 in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, U.S.A., to get first-hand information for a European article he wanted to write about small town America. (Find Minnesota along the northern border.)
When Der Spiegel published the article, Fergus Falls citizens discovered it was an "insulting, if not hilarious, excuse for journalism." Blogger Michelle Anderson started fact-checking Relotius' claims around town.
Except for a few facts, she says it's "uninhibited fiction . . which begs the question of why Der Spiegel even invested in Relotius’ three week trip to the U.S., whether they should demand their money back from him, and what kind of institutional breakdown led to the supposedly world-class Der Spiegel fact-checking team completely dropping the ball on this one."
"There are so many lies here, that my friend Jake [co-writer] and I had to narrow them down to the top 11 most absurd lies . . for the purpose of this article."
(cont'd tomorrow)
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