A big fat scandal just exploded over at ABC News and the Nixon Institute.
The French academic Alexis Debat consulted with both places as a Middle Eastern expert, and allegedly faked a number of interviews he did with American leaders over the last few years.
He was recently fired by ABC when they couldn't verify his credentials. According to ABC reporters, Debat blames one fabricated interview on a Chicago journalist named Rob Sherman, a freelancer living at an allegedly non-existent address.
Potentially, these imaginary interviews and fabricated sources could have been influencing American policy in the Middle East. The Washington Post sums up how murky experts like him are becoming respected, dangerous sources. A lesson about the power of your ideas:
"Debat's career seemed to be flourishing in the well-trafficked intersection of academia and the media. He directs the terrorism and national security program from a downtown office at the Nixon Center, set up by the former president shortly before his death. He wrote for its magazine, the National Interest, whose honorary chairman is Henry Kissinger."
In related, crazy news, disgraced non-fiction writer James Frey has found a new career as a novelist, landing a deal just yesterday.
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Debat's work was of high quality and he got caught into some of the intricacies of DC machineries. His work was of excellent quality. Never anyone said:"well, hey, where is this guy coming from with this information?" because his credentials are real. The sad thing is that his complete credibility and work is now being questioned because he got caught in the game. What about the so called Middle east experts who do not speak a word of Arabic and have never set foot in the Middle East? What about the so called Strategists and hip people alike in the academia who know how to schmooze their way around without a substantial work to back them? What about the fact that the most famous saying in DC is "What matter is who you know not what you know"? You don't hear anyone of them being called fakes or impostors? This is not FEMA case. Debat had credential and high quality work to back his status and fame. It is regretabble that he got caught lying. Finally, this is the only incident that we know of, the other interviews were all real, so please before preaching about making up things get your sources correct too.
Posted by: Anonymous | September 14, 2007 1:35 PM | Permalink to Comment