Damian Thompson at the Telegraph is circumspect, but he quotes Jamie Dettmer, former war correspondent for the Times, who is not:
It has been common knowledge for years among British and American reporters that Bob can just make things up or lift other’s work without attribution and embellish it. I recall him doing it to me on a story in Kuwait about the killings of Palestinians at the hands of Kuwaitis following the liberation of the emirate. I remember also the time Fisk filed a datelined Cairo story about a riot there when he was in fact at the time in Cyprus.
Pope’s theory on this — why Bob gets away with it — is that fellow members of the press corp don’t like to dish the dirt on their colleagues. “The one time I decided to let it be known that a fellow reporter was cheating and passing off others’ work as his own, it was I who became the odd man out, an informer with a chip on my shoulder, and standing joke,” he writes. He notes also that “editors are reluctant to challenge established writers.”
It is noticeable that this collegiate solidarity only fractured when Fisk himself offended against it, by insulting fellow journalists.
(Via Tim Blair, also of the Telegraph, but a different one.)
Well it’s no suprise to us on the Blogosphere that his name has become a generic term of abuse for line by line factual falsability is it? What took the MSM so long? In no Hari I suppose?
Mr Fisk is clealy a product of the Pilger School of “Journalism”.
Sadly he will not be pulled up about repeatedly lying – that is about as likely as the Guardian newspaper being pulled up for its dirty tricks.
The Guardian has led the charge (for years) against the News of the World and so – yet has no problem with its own dodges.
Why?
Because it only does such things “in the public interest” of course.
Paul, Maybe if Fisks lies are shouted broad and loud enough he will become too much of an inconvenience for the even the Grauniad.
Every time he speaks he should be publicly questioned as to his lies .. and the next time… and the next time… and whenever ( if ever) he tells the truth he should be loudly congratulated and simultaneously asked about his lies.
Make his flakiness obvious, public and pathetic. Make him ridiculous.
First Johann Hari and his plagiarism, now this character. What do they put in the water in the Independent’s offices, I wonder?
“It’s a culture of corruption! There outa be a law!”
The facts of life are conservative/libertarian. Socialism is the Great Deceit. Therefore it should come as no surprise that those who cleave most faithfully to it should be the most mendacious.
Hmm – what you suggest reminds me of Andrew Breitbart’s arguments.
And you both may well be correct.
Fisk now, or forever hold your peace.
That’s the reason for Fisking.
Catching the liar.
Sorry chaps, but I’ve yet to see any proof that Fisk is lying. Do you have some – or are you basing this all on hearsay from rival journalists?
Hari’s crimes were proven.