Non-fiction is an easier sell, so why would anyone try to get fiction published? That being the case, it makes a world of sense for Jay Forman to position an article as reality when in fact the whole thing existed solely in his head.
A couple of grad students at Columbia University broke the story, proving that a 2001 article that Mr. Forman had written for Slate was a complete fabrication. He said it was true, about a trip to Lois Key, and fishing for monkeys. But it wasn't. Hard to believe, isn't it, that someone would believe such a nonsense, but there were those in charge of Slate who did indeed think Mr. Forman had been after the big fish...or would that be monkey?
Must be a bit of an embarrassment for Jack Shafer, who was the editor at the time. He's since moved up the ladder, to editor-at-large and columnist, but the higher ups must be questioning his judgment, and now, his abilities. Not only did Mr. Forman fudge the original article, he maintained his innocence when confronted, and it took a pair of Columbia journalism students to wring a confession out of the man. He said he was "troubled", or perhaps more likely, desperate to get a publication credit in a prestigious venue such as Slate. Aren't we all just as troubled, then?
One might reasonably surmise that the idea of fishing for monkeys is rather far-fetched and not exactly possible. Yet Mr. Shafer did not seem to question his author too heavily, and he no doubt was so pressed for time that he could not possibly do the legwork to investigate the whole monkey fishing notion. And so, he was burned badly by someone he needed to trust.
Will Mr. Forman suffer the pains of Hell and damnation for his slick bit of business? He'll certainly not be working as an investigative journalist anytime soon, but if he chooses to write short stories or other fictions, he's got himself a brilliant credential. Fiction so well-crafted that a savvy editor fell for the ruse...hook, line, sinker, and monkey.
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