Do journalists invent quotes to put in their stories? Well, yes, it has
always happened – but certainly no one would ever condone it and
generally it was considered to be the refuge of a scoundrel. However,
according to Phil Muncaster’s IT Week blog, he has a journalist chum
who "sprinkles made-up quotes liberally into his stories."
So – who is Phil’s chum? And how many people are having quotes attributed to them that are, erm, bogus?
Link: IT Week blog: Phil Muncaster.
Of
course, there are other methods – a mate of mine (not working at IT
Week, I hasten to add) sprinkles made-up quotes liberally into his
stories, which is only slightly less ethical than deliberately seeking
out a reliable source to round out a story.