Logo

Disgraced Journalist, Accused of Plagiarism and Fired From The New Yorker, Explains Why He Did It

Feb 13, 2013  •  Post A Comment

Disgraced journalist Jonah Lehrer, who was fired from his job at The New Yorker after it was discovered that he fabricated quotes and plagiarized material, addressed his downfall for the first time in public, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Lehrer blamed arrogance and a "tendency to believe my own excuses" during a speech sponsored by the Knight Foundation in Miami. Lehrer received $20,000 for the speech, which the foundation described as a typical honorarium for a speaker at a Knight event.

Lehrer said that any future writing would be "fact-checked and fully footnoted."

He also blamed his high IQ for his downfall. "Being smart, having a high IQ, can actually make you more vulnerable to [biases]," he said. "Self-awareness is not enough, not even close."

He added that he thought about quitting writing, but now is writing for a few hours a day.

Your Comment

Email (will not be published)