TUPAC SHAKUR - WERE CUTBACKS THE CAUSE OF NEWS FIASCO?

Raising new questions about the ramifications of recent editorial cutbacks at broadcast and print news organizations, the Los Angeles Times acknowledged Wednesday that a story it published linking Sean "Diddy" Combs to the murder of rap singer Tupac Shakur in 1994 was based on probably forged documents that were not subjected to the usual levels of review. In an article in which it admitted being the victim of a hoax and in which it apologized to Combs, the Times said, "Other investigative stories published by The Times in recent years have in some cases received the scrutiny of at least one more editor and often of the managing editor or editor of the newspaper." The documents used by the newspaper were exposed as forgeries by The Smoking Gun website, whose editor, Bill Bastone, was quoted by The Times as saying that he had warned writer Chuck Phillips after his report first appeared on the newspaper's website and before it appeared in print that it didn't "feel right."

27/03/2008