In 1998,
Forbes magazine discovered that a writer at
The New Republic had "fictionalized his reporting to improve upon reality." Ultimately, Stephen Glass became forever known as a "Fabulist" for having made up scores of stories for a myriad of major magazines.
Shamed and fired, he retreated from the literary world. A few years later, Jayson Blair, a reporter at the
New York Times, was fired when it was discovered he fabricated and plagiarized multiple stories. In the aftermath, the managing and executor editors at the
Times resigned.
Both scandals rocked the news and journalism communities, yet what a difference 15 years and a threat to the political status quo make, as Michael Wolff becomes the new international darling of fabulist reportage with "
Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House."
The story is meant to be an exposé of a chaotic Trump White House, filled with whiney, gossipy aides who think the president dumb and churlish. Even Ivanka Trump is a turncoat, but a dumb one (of course).
The books ends up as graffiti, paying homage to every fabulous fantasy of a cosmopolitan smart-set drowning in their fear and loathing of the president.Rushed to publication after its target complained it was chock-full of falsehoods and untruths, we learn on page 10 of the prologue that ... it's chock-full of not the truth. Mr. Wolff admits in this note he's not sure what's true and what isn't. He explains, being generous, that he's leaving it to the reader to decide. He also confesses he, "settled on a version of events I believe to be true."
Comment: The allegation that Russia may be trying to meddle in Mexican elections is absurd to the point of being comical. First, do Mexicans think they are so important geopolitically speaking that Russia would want to interfere in their elections? How would Russia benefit from that? Second, Mexico has historically done quite well in 'meddling' with its own elections without the help of any foreign nations - apart perhaps from the US. Fraud and vote-rigging are almost a given in Mexico, and there are already indications that the next presidential election this year will not be any different. If any scandal comes up in the context of the electoral process, are they planning to blame it on Russia already??