Powerline: The case of Claas Relotius, Der Spiegel and the town of Fergus Falls, Minnesota has become notorious. Der Spiegel, Europe’s most widely-read news source, fired Relotius, one of Germany’s most honored journalists, when it came to light that he had made up facts in a number of articles he wrote for the magazine. The Fergus Falls fiction was exposed by two residents of that town, who wrote an article in Medium listing the “top 11 most absurd lies” in Relotius’s piece, which was titled “Where They Pray For Trump on Sundays” and was intended to enlighten Europeans about America’s bizarre Trump voters.
The Medium piece is well worth reading in its entirety. Here are a few highlights.
You enter Fergus Falls through “a dark forest that looks like dragons live in it”? Nope.
The city administrator straps on a Beretta to go to work? Nope.
The same city administrator has never been in a relationship with a woman and has never seen the ocean? Nope. Amusingly, the Fergus Falls residents included in their Medium piece this photo of the city administrator with his live-in girlfriend. At the ocean.
American Sniper is still playing at the local cinema? Nope.
To enter Fergus Falls High School, one “must pass through a security line, through three armored glass doors, and a weapon scanner”? Nope.
Someone put up a sign saying “Mexicans Keep Out”? Nope.
It goes on and on. We aren’t talking about spin or hyperbole here. The reporter made most of his article up out of whole cloth to suit his own prejudices, and those of his readers. The Wall Street Journal has taken note: MORE HERE
Moran.
After savaging the false report, the piece ends with, “many of us feel a lot of responsibility right now, considering that our friends, family and neighbors voted against their own interests in 2016.”
They agree with his conclusions, just not his methods. One suspects it’s mostly because they reflect badly on what they consider a righteous cause.
“We don’t need lying Germans to look down their noses at our neighbors, that’s OUR job,” as it were.
I see the Euros are carrying on with their proud heritage of honest and unbiased journalism. Seig Heil Mr. Relotius.
Fern Fergus has feverishly fought the fraudulent representations….she is backed by her husband Fred Fergus and their 4 children, Fe,Fi,Fo,and Fum Fergus and their pets Fi Fi and Francis Fergus….
I don’t even think that’s his real name. Claas Relotius sounds like an expensive watch.
She is a rabid liberal hypocrite. This guy wrote a story that, if it had not been written about her town, she would have bought whole sale.
Where is she when the media in the US savage Trump supporters and conservatives?
I did not vote against my own interests, I voted to try to keep people like this bint from having any say in how I live my life.
I have been to Fergus Falls several time, I always found it nice. I will not be back.
Seems that The Deplorable TWP & Hunter nailed it. So, now I’m glad that I didn’t waste my time talking to Relotius.. because why? He’d have stolen their better ideas on how to frame the disconnect and their heroic efforts to educate their unenlightened fellow citizens?
Didn’t anyone bother to tell Michelle and Jake they look a bit constipated in what is likely to be their most famous exposure in electronic media?
This guy wrote for Der Spiegel? And lied? I used to love their catalog At Christmas time. I think they are out of business now. Probably too much lying.
Isn’t der spiegal that white asparagus you can get in June (oops sorry that’s spargle), never mind..
No different than Der NY Times.