TNR: Better at exposing others’ hoaxes than their own

By Michelle Malkin  •  December 29, 2008 12:04 PM

Hey, you remember The New Republic — publisher of fraudsters Scott Thomas Beauchamp and Stephen Glass?

Well, TNR editors are patting themselves on the back today for exposing an elderly couple’s lies about their Holocaust love story — a story picked up by Oprah and other duped media outlets:

Last week, TNR published an article by Gabriel Sherman, whose original reporting revealed that a new Oprah-touted Holocaust memoir, Angel at the Fence, was a hoax. Based on interviews with top scholars, Sherman concluded that Herman Rosenblat likely fabricated his story of having been saved in a sub-camp of the Buchenwald concentration camp by a girl who threw apples to him over the fence. (According to Rosenblat’s story, he later met her in New York on a blind date and married her.) The publishing company stopped responding to Sherman when he questioned the book’s fact-checking process. Rosenblat’s agent refused to comment for the original article, but Harris Salamon, the producer of a new movie based on Rosenblat’s story, vociferously defended the story’s veracity to Sherman. (TNR’s Noam Scheiber criticized “Rosenblat’s shameless defenders” who “invoke the fabricator’s moral authority as a survivor to defend the apparent lies or embellishments.”)

Over the next two days, Sherman continued to report the story. On the morning of December 26, responding to Sherman’s first article, Berkley released a statement to the Associated Press affirming that the publisher and author stood behind the story. Later that day, Sherman published a second article, in which Rosenblat’s sister-in-law and three other Holocaust survivors all confirmed that the story was fabricated. Sherman also received more information regarding the scant to nonexistent fact-checking process for the book. The publisher also refused to comment for the second article.

The day after Sherman’s second article appeared, Rosenblat confessed to his agent, Andrea Hurst, that he had fabricated the love story, and Berkley announced that they are canceling the publication of the book. Following the announcement, Kenneth Waltzer, the Michigan State professor who originally questioned the story’s veracity, spoke to Sherman about the danger of Rosenblat’s fabrication. Hurst emailed a statement to say that she is “stunned and disappointed” by the lie. Salamon says that he will still be making the movie as a “fictionalized adaptation of his story,” but that he “may rewrite elements of the script to reflect recent revelations.”

Congrats. The New Republic finally smoked out a hoax! Too bad they can’t apply the same standards of veracity and accountability to their own writers when the fit hits the shan.

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Comments


  1. #578636
    On December 29th, 2008 at 12:08 pm, RedDog said:

    So much for speaking truth to power. Dopes.

  2. #578639
    On December 29th, 2008 at 12:11 pm, sonofdy said:

    Ironic.

  3. #578641
    On December 29th, 2008 at 12:12 pm, chapoutier said:

    Ahhh….

    Stephen Glass.

    Further proof that Georgetown Law will let ANYONE graduate.

    When I was there, two students (one of whom I knew casually) were caught in an SEC “pump and dump” scheme.

    The school did nothing. As it did with Glass.

  4. #578647
    On December 29th, 2008 at 12:24 pm, tre said:

    However, by now, if TNR told me the sky is blue and the grass is green, I’d go check for myself.

  5. #578650
    On December 29th, 2008 at 12:27 pm, walterc said:

    On the upside, it’ll make a great chick flick. And if they throw in enough explosions, some of the guys (that get dragged to see it) may enjoy it too.

    For example, the first “Die Hard” was a great love story with explosions . . . “Sleepless in Seattle” not so much.

    Titanc? the last 20 minutes when the ship sank, pretty good special affects, the first 30 hours of Kate and Leo ZZZZZZZ

  6. #578654
    On December 29th, 2008 at 12:30 pm, Tennessee Dave said:

    Too bad they can’t apply the same standards of veracity and accountability to their own writers when the fit hits the shan.

    Well, everyone knows it’s easier to smell someone elses fit that it is to smell their own fit.
    On a serious note, it’s sad that someone would feel compelled to fictionalize their own life.
    But then again, Democrats do it all the time. I guess some learn by example.

  7. #578655
    On December 29th, 2008 at 12:30 pm, graysonret said:

    “fictionalized adaptation of his story,”

    They will report that it was supposed to be fiction in the first place, just mis-interpeted; better yet, mis-understood. Anything to save face, of course, and make money.

  8. #578659
    On December 29th, 2008 at 12:40 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    Further proof that Georgetown Law will let ANYONE graduate.

    Hehe-heh…

    Well sure, I can understand Georgetown, but Oprah getting duped?!

  9. #578662
    On December 29th, 2008 at 12:42 pm, shooter said:

    TNR just proved once again,that it is far easier looking outward than looking inward…it’s kinda the ‘progressive’ thing to do these days.

    Libs always want to fix you, the ‘others’, but never even feel the need to look in the mirror unless it’s to gloat.

    p.s.
    speaking of arrogance, please take the hussein beef cake off the front page…PLEASE Michelle!?!

  10. #578663
    On December 29th, 2008 at 12:44 pm, John Deaux said:

    It takes a thief to catch a thief.

  11. #578668
    On December 29th, 2008 at 12:48 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    Poor Oprah! What’s she gonna do when she finds out Obama is also a hoax, put on another 200 pounds?
    (That was a bit over the line wasn’t it?)

  12. #578672
    On December 29th, 2008 at 12:50 pm, mattymatt10 said:

    Libs always want to fix you, the ‘others’, but never even feel the need to look in the mirror unless it’s to gloat.

    Well said, Shooter.

    On December 29th, 2008 at 12:12 pm, chapoutier said:
    Ahhh….

    Stephen Glass.

    Further proof that Georgetown Law will let ANYONE graduate.

    Ha! What does that say about YOU, Chap? :) j/k

  13. #578674
    On December 29th, 2008 at 12:53 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    What’s she gonna do when she finds out Obama is also a hoax, put on another 200 pounds?
    (That was a bit over the line wasn’t it?)

    Not at all! It will be another year’s worth of shows about diet, excercise and duplicity.

  14. #578677
    On December 29th, 2008 at 12:59 pm, PatriotRider said:

    Better yet, what will happen when all the dupes that voted for Big O find out he is an empty suit? I know! Blame Bush. *sicker/guffaw!*

  15. #578678
    On December 29th, 2008 at 1:00 pm, PatriotRider said:

    snicker. My bad.

  16. #578821
    On December 29th, 2008 at 3:34 pm, rambler said:

    Oprah duped again. Not so savvy is she!

  17. #578848
    On December 29th, 2008 at 4:01 pm, graysonret said:

    Better yet, what will happen when all the dupes that voted for Big O find out he is an empty suit? I know! Blame Bush.

    The left will defend him no matter what happens. In 4 years, they will be exhausted in their rationalizations and excuses for him. Besides, whatever Obama does will be “great” and perfectly “sound”. Even if he had a line of female interns outside the Oval Office, they will say, like before, his “personal life” is his own. Oprah will ignore everything and move on to a new subject, as well as defend Obama every day.

  18. #578857
    On December 29th, 2008 at 4:11 pm, MtsEdge said:

    In 4 years, they will be exhausted in their rationalizations and excuses for him.

    We’ll also hear a lot more of the Hillary-coined phrase, “vast right-wing conspiracy.” Or perhaps the newer “GOP Mafia.”

  19. #578859
    On December 29th, 2008 at 4:11 pm, MtsEdge said:

    That is, if the GOP hasn’t self-destructed by then. :)

  20. #578878
    On December 29th, 2008 at 4:32 pm, Jet Jaguar said:

    On December 29th, 2008 at 4:11 pm, MtsEdge said:

    That is, if the GOP hasn’t self-destructed by then. :)

    It has already SD’ed. If it can’ts beats ‘em, it joins ‘em. There is no longer a nationally recognized conservative party. The good conservative parties that do exist are marginalized and smeared by the leftist controlled MSM (including Hollywood), public schools and universities, trade unions, and activist judges (and others).

  21. #578880
    On December 29th, 2008 at 4:35 pm, Jet Jaguar said:

    On December 29th, 2008 at 4:01 pm, graysonret said:

    Oprah will ignore everything and move on to a new subject

    She already did. Her new subject: lots of yummy food! :)

  22. #578950
    On December 29th, 2008 at 7:01 pm, bedje said:

    Bill Moyers PBS Special: Oprah was duped into being duped. Deep analytical research shows her best friend telling why Oprah was being duped. Special guest appearances by the Obama’s explaining the reason was she was duped into being duped and why she shouldn’t be blamed for being duped. It all started when Sarah Palin refused to appear on her show. Stay tuned.

  23. #578952
    On December 29th, 2008 at 7:02 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    The DriveMyMedia AND the New Republic were a little slow on this story. Several Holocaust Groups called this one weeks ago. Yet other Holocaust groups such as the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum fell for it.
    So they qualify for the Stephen Glass Award 2008; AKA Chapter 7.

    The way the MSM thinks: Our local paper East Valley Tribune ceases paid delivery January 12; they are still selling subscriptions. Oh well.

  24. #578954
    On December 29th, 2008 at 7:07 pm, bedje said:

    Oh, and by the way Oprah, quite the cracker jack research department you’ve got going on there. Why not part with a few more bucks and get someone who doesn’t have their head so far up somewhere that they actually get out and read the news once in a while? Hmmm?

  25. #578968
    On December 29th, 2008 at 7:37 pm, Laree said:

    Outing Oprah? Really is this what the story is really about?

  26. #579012
    On December 29th, 2008 at 8:51 pm, prendad said:

    “If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed. If you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.”
    — Mark Twain

  27. #579071
    On December 29th, 2008 at 11:27 pm, nbarry said:

    And that isn’t all from The New Republic. Its editor-in-chief Martin Peretz demanded Secretary of the Treasury Paulson be fired for giving bank status to GMAC. GMAC’s head, J. Ezra Merkin was caught facilitating Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme.

  28. #579375
    On December 30th, 2008 at 11:29 am, bedje said:

    No laree, it’s not about outing oprah. It’s about idiots that follow blindly no matter what the facts are. It’s about getting it right. It’s about the ones that want to do a feel good story, but ignore all the good that has been done in Iraq for their government and their people. I don’t recall oprah doing one of those, do you?

    Again, no, it’s not about outing oprah. It’s about someone that gives away cars, (could it be publicity? Or to prove that she’s wealthy? Because it’s a feel good story?) but I doubt seriously if she has sent any relief to Iraq. I could be wrong (and I probably am) as I did not Yahoo, google, or anything else to she if she has.

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