"New Yorker" writer resigns after fabricating Bob Dylan quotes
A staff writer for The New Yorker has resigned after admitting to making up quotes from Bob Dylan in his bestselling book Imagine: How Creativity Works, the New York Times reports.
The celebrated journalist had already apologized earlier this year for recycling his own material in articles, blogs and the book, which is about how neuroscience explains creative genius. On Monday (July 30), questions around is editorial integrity arose after Tablet published a story in which Lehrer admitted to fabricating quotes from the folk icon.
"Three weeks ago, I received an email from journalist Michael Moynihan asking about Bob Dylan quotes in my book Imagine, ” Lehrer said in a statement. "The quotes in question either did not exist, were unintentional misquotations, or represented improper combinations of previously existing quotes. But I told Mr. Moynihan that they were from archival interview footage provided to me by Dylan’s representatives. This was a lie spoken in a moment of panic. When Mr. Moynihan followed up, I continued to lie, and say things I should not have said."
"The lies are over now. I understand the gravity of my position," he continued. "I want to apologize to everyone I have let down, especially my editors and readers. I also owe a sincere apology to Mr. Moynihan. I will do my best to correct the record and ensure that my misquotations and mistakes are fixed. I have resigned my position as staff writer at The New Yorker."
In a statement to the Times, New Yorker editor David Remnick called the resignation "a terrifically sad situation." The book's publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has halted shipments and is pulling the e-book from online retailers.
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Kevin Ritchie
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