Johann Hari admits copying and pasting interview quotes

[butchersapron]

Hair has finally been nailed for this piece of shit - for passing off whole sections of another interview as coming from his one, and he's been now been nabbed for doing it in other interviews as well.

Independent columnist Johann Hari admits copying and pasting interview quotes

So far, so scurrilous. But what's really astonishing is that Johann Hari has now responded to the blog accusations. And cheerfully admitted that he regularly includes in interviews quotes which the interviewee never actually said to him.

The DSG thing pointing this out is here - do have a look at the stuff Hari just blatantly stole. It's pretty astonishing.

(original thread here)

 

[frogwoman]

Bloody hell.

 

[frogwoman]

I always knew hari was a bit of a tosser although he writes some good stuff occasionally

 

[DrRingDing]

Bit of a tosser?

His tubthumping for the Iraq war will not be forgotten.

 

[frogwoman]

sorry, yep, that was an understatement. make that a lying bastard then ...

 

[Crispy]

Deserves its own thread, no?

 

[butchersapron]

Yeah, why not - just wanted to make sure it was tagged onto this thread that most people haven't seen so that they could see there was controversy about this interview (still the worst one i think i;ve ever read) at the time.

 

[killer b]

interviews by hari

johann hari is the top trending twitter hashtag (yeah, sorry) after being rumbled inserting quotes into his interviews as if the interviewee said them to him...

the sorry tale here

my favourite spoof so far:

Barnes articulated his philosophy. "You've got to hold and give," he said, "but do it at the right time". #interviewsbyhari

 

[gawkrodger]

ha. Was just searching for this thread (for the above letter) after reading that Brian Whelan blog

 

[killer b]

didn't see this sorry.

mebe you should delete my thread while there's still only one post...

 

[Crispy]

I moved it here instead

 

[revol68]

great stuff, it was the anarcho commie marxist at DSG that brought it to wider attention, then a mate of mine Brian Whelan jumped on it and finally the lil tubby lesbian looking fucker has got nailed.

 

[Streathamite]

That is one solid nailing and Hari is now guilty of just about the lowest journalistic practice.

 

[TruXta]

That is one solid nailing and Hari is now guilty of just about the lowest journalistic practice.

Really? He's guilty alright, but no more so than any other hack out there.

 

[agricola]

That is one solid nailing and Hari is now guilty of just about the lowest journalistic practice.

I would have thought recent history would have demonstrated that what Hari has done is nowhere near the lowest journalistic practice.

 

[Steel Icarus]

great stuff, it was the anarcho commie marxist at DSG that brought it to wider attention, then a mate of mine Brian Whelan jumped on it and finally the lil tubby lesbian looking fucker has got nailed.

Unnecessary. Schadenfreude is one thing; that sort of phrase is another.

 

[Deareg]

I was under the impression that this was standard practice among journalists? this and telling lies.

 

[TruXta]

I was under the impression that this was standard practice among journalists? this and telling lies.

Yeah, the only reason I can see for this "outrage" is that he dared mix it up in an interview with that leftie poster-boy.

 

[butchersapron]

Have you ever seen one nailed so perfectly though? And let's be clear, he didn't make quotes up, i think we all expect a bit of that (justified in doing it or not) - he stole the words of others and pretended they were his. Seemed he thought it could get away with due to the obscurity of those he stole from and the language they wrote in.

 

[TruXta]

Have you ever seen one nailed so perfectly though? And let's be clear, he didn't make quotes up, i think we all expect a bit of that (justified in doing it or not) - he stole the words of others and pretended they were his. Seemed he thought it could get away with due to the obscurity of those he stole from and the language they wrote in.

And? What's new? At least he didn't outright make lies up did he? Plagiarism is the bread and butter of what passes for journalism these days in any event.

 

[killer b]

Really? He's guilty alright, but no more so than any other hack out there.

yeah, i noticed laurie penny rallying round too...

 

[butchersapron]

And? What's new? At least he didn't outright make lies up did he? Plagiarism is the bread and butter of what passes for journalism these days in any event.

That's it is it? 'So what'? Ok, let's see the list of people caught doing exactly this recently please. Is that really it? he's guilty but others are guilty too? Ok, let's not worry, let's not bother exposing them and the whole thing that they're a part of. How lazy is that?

 

[TruXta]

That's it is it? 'So what'? Ok, let's see the list of people caught doing exactly this recently please. Is that really it? he's guilty but others are guilty too? Ok, let's not worry, let's not bother exposing them and the whole thing that they're a part of. How lazy is that?

Can't be bothered to compile lists tbh. I'm just expressing surprise that you expected any better from Hari. Expose away, I'm not sure what you're hoping to achieve is all. We're not disagreeing on the fact that what he did was wrong, lazy and fucked-up, btw.

 

[revol68]

Unnecessary. Schadenfreude is one thing; that sort of phrase is another.

sorry but he does look like a tubby lesbian.

 

[butchersapron]

Can't be bothered to compile lists tbh. I'm just expressing surprise that you expected any better from Hari. Expose away, I'm not sure what you're hoping to achieve is all. We're not disagreeing on the fact that what he did was wrong, lazy and fucked-up, btw.

Who said that i expected better from Hari? It certainly wasn't me. The whole point of my criticisms of him on the original thread was precisely that i didn't. And that i didn't based on how much journalism - esp of the comment kind, works. And now i'm happy to see this proven beyond doubt and proven in public. The game of saying they're all at it ends up in some extended tu quoque and they all get off the hook that way.

 

[Steel Icarus]

Have you ever seen one nailed so perfectly though? And let's be clear, he didn't make quotes up, i think we all expect a bit of that (justified in doing it or not) - he stole the words of others and pretended they were his. Seemed he thought it could get away with due to the obscurity of those he stole from and the language they wrote in.

I thought he'd taken bits of other people's work & passed them off as things they'd said in interview, explaining that it gives a clearer picture without all the ums and ah and what have you.

 

[frogwoman]

i know why.

 

[Streathamite]

I would have thought recent history would have demonstrated that what Hari has done is nowhere near the lowest journalistic practice.

Oh shit, I had clean forgotten about the ongoing Wapping saga! and at self.
Yes, absolutely, this pales into insignificance via the widespread phone-hacking scandal, as that is after all 100% criminal behaviour.
I suppose what i was fumbling towards, is that it's a long time since I saw somebody so completely misrepresenting - and plagiarising - as this, and from a journo who (unlike the pondvermin on the NOTW and the Sun) presents himself as credible and authoritative, and with integrity

 

[frogwoman]

yep and because he's come to be seen as left wing despite his cheerleading the iraq war

 

[Streathamite]

I was under the impression that this was standard practice among journalists? this and telling lies.

by and large, not outside of the tabloids, no it isn't