<p>
</p>
<p>Nice repartee!</p>
<p>Just a minor setback. She’s already part of “the club” and has nothing to worry about. Reminds me of that girl who plagiarized an entire book to get into Harvard. They didn’t find out until she had already begun classes, but by that time she was already in “the club”. “Proper disciplinary measures” were taken and she ended up at Georgetown Law, LOL. If anything, this is a great signal to employers that she is willing to play the game.</p>
<p>Why would she make up names and fabricate quotes? Perhaps the people she spoke to did not want their names to appear in a newspaper. Maybe the people she spoke to did not provide quotable quotes. Maybe they said, “huh? bridge? what bridge? I don’t give no #### about no ######ing bridge.” so, for the sake of a story, maybe she made stuff up. She also has an online magazine, Liberette (liberettemag.com) , and is the reigning Miss Black Connecticut (we will see if this incident dethrones her).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Actually, she did not plagiarized an entire book. Just “borrowed” from several ones. Just enough to get in at Georgetown Law and score a nice summer gig. Might be great as an IP attorney at a New York firm. </p>
<p>In the meantime, she made this line famous.</p>
<p>How [fill the blanks] Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life</p>
<p>[How</a> Jonah Lehrer Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life > jonah lehrer, Kaavya Viswanathan | IvyGate](<a href=“http://www.ivygateblog.com/2012/06/how-jonah-lehrer-got-kissed-got-wild-and-got-a-life/]How”>http://www.ivygateblog.com/2012/06/how-jonah-lehrer-got-kissed-got-wild-and-got-a-life/)</p>
<p>NJres - Maybe the people she interviewed did say ######## about the bridge. Or maybe its a real pain to get to on a 90plus degree day (It is). Whichever maybe is the reason for it, its unacceptable. Making stuff up for the sake of the story is taboo. I think journalism, for the most part, is still the profession, together with medicine, that prides itself on honesty and integrity. And the thinking public does expect the truth out of journalism. Which is why Britain is mercilessly going after the WSJ owner. You can fabricate things in politics, the general public expects it. But not in the fourth estate.</p>
<p>I also just clicked on the link in post #20 and read the full story that she wrote. Hers is an example of how one can slant a story to portray your favorite viewpoint. To someone like me who has actually used that bridge since the mid-80’s regularly, there are so many inaccuracies in her story, even without the made up quotes.</p>
<p>The thing I find odd is this story being taken up by multiple big name media. Yes, she was an intern who did a poor job and WSJ revoked her internship. I’m fine with the story to this point. That’s life. But she was just an intern , not a paid professional. WHY would this story blow up into a bigger story in multiple big name newspapers?</p>
<p>^ Because it’s WSJ, not Podunk Press.</p>
<p>^
Exactly. The WSJ is one of maybe three or so big “flagship papers” in the country for respected and widely used journalism. If you screw up there, it catches a lot more attention than it would, say, coming from the local paper in Eugene, OR.</p>
<p>I asked my journalist cousin-in-law what she thought of this. Her response? It’s “professional suicide” in journalism and that Membis better be developing a new career plan <em>now</em>.</p>
<p>I wish no ill for Membis and hope she has learned her lesson and will find (ethical) employment and satisfaction in another field. It was very unethical, inappropriate, and stupid, of course, but I don’t think it should indefinitely close all doors for her, either (though it will likely close many).</p>
<p>She can become Rupert’s assistant.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Since pure garbage rags like the HuffPo started winning journalism recognition, you can shelve such romantic view of honesty and integrity. The 2012 version makes yesterday’s National Enquirer look like the Economist.</p>
<p>Next, we will be expected to think that HBO’s The Newsroom is close to our real world. ;)</p>
<p>Maybe she could get a job with House Hunters!?</p>
<p>It’s a fascinating tale when seemingly intelligent and smart kids lose their moral compass and basically cheat to gain something they would most likely could have gained under their own horsepower. Someone ought to gather up all these kids and analyze them to figure out what might be the reasons. What goes around comes around…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>if an entire generation lacks moral backbone, the fault can probably be placed with the people that raised that generation. just sayin</p>
<p>^ post of the month, IMO</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Wow, that would be sad. But, seriously, what legitimate media outlet is going to hire her? The WSJ, the New York Times and their ilk don’t have to look that hard to find J school graduates who can write and report, and who know better than to (and have the integrity not to) make up sources! Come on.</p>
<p>The quotes are in language that seems really off for who she claims is saying it. For example, a 17 yr old would not have referred to “folks.” She also referenced the span in her article, but then gave a quote of someone referring to the span. The article was not even that great and should have been a red flag to anyone reading it. I don’t think she is that great. Maybe she will be able to pick up and go on. But I am betting she is just a repeat offender who finally got caught.</p>
<p>@ absweetmarie</p>
<p>sorry this is how “the club” works. I wish it weren’t true but she has the degree and probably a fabulous resume as well. Maybe she is done for in this industry, but I’m willing to bet she has a bright future ahead…</p>
<p>disclaimer: i am naturally bitter to the HYP’s being a U of C student</p>
<p>I think part of the reason the story got so much traction is that she’s a Yalie and pageant girl. It’s fairly exquisite Schadenfreude all around. Someone from UMD getting kicked off the Baltimore Sun wouldn’t have drawn any attention.</p>
<p>
No, it wasn’t. I wonder what her past history is of this sort of thing?</p>
<p>No commentary on this specific case but I will say that many of the top newspapers and magazines, especially/particularly those in the BOS/NY/DC belt, use H/Y as a ‘sorting’ mechanism for hiring new employees or even interns. IMHO they tend to overlook the Northwestern/Univ. of Missouri/Univ. of Maryland grads (all three are top journalism programs) with lots of reporting intern experience at various dailies (summers) and go for people who were writers or associate editors at the Daily News or the Crimson.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong - both the DN and the Crimson are excellent, top-notch, incredibly run student newspapers, wholly independent (fiscally and editorially) from their universities, composed of smart, driven, talented young people who couldn’t even major in journalism if they wanted to (not an option at either school).</p>
<p>HOWEVER there is something to be said for the kinds of experience one gets from busting their behind covering the metro desk at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette or the Baltimore Sun or the (Memphis) Commercial Appeal during a summer internship, IMHO. Shoe-leather stuff. Unfortunately, IME, that kind of experience can be undervalued compared to the name of a school on a resume and, well, this kind of thing happens as a result (because Ms. Lembis would have been found out - and fired - three years ago during her first summer internship with a small paper in Western Connecticut – or else she would have realized how terribly wrong it was to do so and learned to get quotes).</p>