A note to our readers about a reporter who breached our trust | Open door
Guardian admits rogue reporter fabricated interviews
The Guardian has admitted that a rogue reporter fabricated interviews in articles for the newspaper and falsely claimed to have been present at events he wrote about.
Joseph Mayton, a freelance who has been writing for the Guardian since 2009, has been accused of making up quotes in some of his stories, even filing interviews with people who later said they had never spoken to him.
An independent fact-checker was hired to look through the 64 articles published under his byline, who spoke to around 50 people and found widespread evidence of "likely or confirmed fabrication".
Mr Mayton, who is based in California, denies any fabrication, but the Guardian today published an apology to its readers, and to the "people whose words were misrepresented or falsified", on its website.
The case has similarities to the scandal of the New York Times journalist Jayson Blair, who was sacked in 2003 for widespread plagiarism and fabrication.
Guardian admits rogue reporter fabricated interviews
The Guardian has admitted that a rogue reporter fabricated interviews in articles for the newspaper and falsely claimed to have been present at events he wrote about.
Joseph Mayton, a freelance who has been writing for the Guardian since 2009, has been accused of making up quotes in some of his stories, even filing interviews with people who later said they had never spoken to him.
An independent fact-checker was hired to look through the 64 articles published under his byline, who spoke to around 50 people and found widespread evidence of "likely or confirmed fabrication".
Mr Mayton, who is based in California, denies any fabrication, but the Guardian today published an apology to its readers, and to the "people whose words were misrepresented or falsified", on its website.
The case has similarities to the scandal of the New York Times journalist Jayson Blair, who was sacked in 2003 for widespread plagiarism and fabrication.
