The New Republic Magazine was first published in 1914.
lt has been a fixture of American political commentary ever since.
ln May of 1998, its staff was comprised of 15 writer/editors.
Their median age was 26.
The youngest among them was Stephen Glass.
There`s so many showoffs in journalism...
...so many braggarts and jerks.
They`re always selling, always working the room...
...always trying to make themselves look hotter than they actually are.
The good news is, reporters like that make it easy to distinguish yourself.
lf you`re even a little bit humble...
...a little self-effacing or solicitous, you stand out.
So you bring a coworker lunch if he`s under deadline.
You remember birthdays.
lt`s true, journalism is hard work. Everybody`s under pressure.
Everybody grinds to get the issue out. Nobody gets any sleep...
...but you are allowed to smile every once in a while.
Even Woodward and Bernstein went out for a burger now and then...
...and they won a Pulitzer.
Some reporters think political content makes a story memorable.
l think it`s the people you find, their quirks, their flaws...
...what makes them funny, what makes them human.
Journalism is just the art of capturing behavior.
MONlCONDOMS
To Wrap Around Your Slick Willy!
You have to know who you`re writing for.
And you have to know what you`re good at.
l record what people do.
l find out what moves them, what scares them...
...and l write that down. That way, they`re the ones telling the story.
And you know what?
Those kind of pieces can win Pulitzers too.
HlGHLAND PARK HlGH SCHOOL
HARPER`S - Rolling Stone THE NEW REPUBLlC
Contributing writer for Harper`s Magazine...
...contributing writer for George Magazine...
...contributing writer for Rolling Stone...
...and, of course...
...associate editor of The New Republic Magazine...
...in Washington D.C.
Sorry if l`m beaming, but l was his journalistic muse.
lt`s true.
-Just seven years ago, he was sitting-- -Right there.
l`m sorry.
Right there.
And l was doing the exact same thing you guys are doing:
Grinding out pieces and then...
...having horrid nightmares of Mrs. Duke and her infamous red pen.
And see what happens when greatness is demanded of you?
Now he`s at The New Republic.
And now l`m at The New Republic.
ln May, the editors of The New Republic Magazine....
The Washington Post, The New Republic, The Boston Globe--
But the bill was blasted in The New Republic this week.
PEDDLlNG POPPY
BY STEPHEN GLASS
MAlN TlTLE
HACK HEAVEN By Stephen Glass
So l said, ``Network news, network news....
That`s that show that`s on between those Fixodent commercials, right?``
Shut him up.
-Hey, Steve. -Hey, Steve.
Hey, guys.
-Gloria, that necklace is you. -Thanks, doll.
l got some new merchandise for your girlfriend.
When l get this piece done.
-How`s it coming? -Horrible.
lt`s the fundamental nature of the magazine, Lew.
Melanie, can l get some copies, please?
People want photographs, they can buy Newsweek.
They do buy Newsweek, and Time and U.S. News & World Report...
...and our losses are a joke.
Let me guess, he`s on you again about a redesign.
-Cover page and graphics. -And photographs.
Let me remind you, Steve...
...this magazine hasn`t changed its look since the `80s.
-How is it? -lt`s good.
-You hate it. -No, it`s good. lt`s just a little rough.
No, it`s the worst thing l ever wrote. That`s horrible.
lf you don`t help me, l won`t send it in.
When`s it due?
Tomorrow.
l may have to kill myself.
l mean, The New York Times Magazine.
Will you guys help me with it? Please?
-Of course. -Of course.
Thank you.
Call for you on three, sweetie. Someone from Policy Review.
When did you start talking to Policy Review?
l`m not. lt`s probably nothing. Send it to my voice mail.
And, sweetie...
...Caitlin just told me that she needs gifts for two showers next week.
-Think you have something for her? -l`ll get my box.
-l couldn`t resist. -So you want to do this now?
Yeah, in a second. l just have to return a quick phone call.
l got you some gum.
lf l were to throw a party...
...where all we did was play Monopoly, would you guys come?
-Could l be the little shoe? -Of course.
The lawyers have asked us to tone down the cover on Serbia.
Yeah, they fear charges of libel.
l know a little bit of libel law.
lt`s only relevant if said person has been out of the public eye.
Well, yeah, so there`s Serbia, hidden, unknown to the world at large...
...until it appeared on the cover of The New Republic.
-With our weekly circulation of 80,000. -Eighty-one five.
-You done with it, Rob? -Two days, tops.
Yes, two days from Hanukkah.
Hey, it`s basically finished, for the most part.
Next up. Amy?
Just finished the piece on ethanol subsidies.
There are 16,800 magazines in this country...
...but only one calls itself the in-flight magazine of Air Force One.
And that`s the thrill of working at The New Republic.
You`re underpaid, the hours are brutal...
...but what you write gets read by people who matter.
Presidents, lawmakers--
Your work can actually influence public policy.
That`s an amazing privilege and a huge responsibility.
l`m sorry, they don`t want the whole journalistic-responsibility speech.
Do you?
You just wanna know how to get your name in print, right?
Sounds familiar.
Okay. Let me take you through the life of your typical piece...
...so you can see where the hurdles are.
We`ll use one l wrote last year...
...about a bunch of young Republicans at a conservatives convention.
Journalism is about pursuing the truth...
Spring Breakdown
...and l would never encourage you to do anything sneaky or dishonest...
...in pursuit of a story, such as assuming a phony identity.
1997 CPAC Conference, Washington`s Omni Shoreham Hotel
l don`t know, man, it seemed like a pretty good turnout to me.
No, man, conservatism`s dead.
-Dead? -We`re lost.
Damn straight!
On a story like that, your notes are crucial.
You have to record everything you see and hear...
...every quote, every detail...
...all the way down to the mini-bottles in the fridge.
We`re like this guy who has to pee:
Lost in the desert looking for a tree.
-lt`s true. -Completely true.
You guys know what you`re shopping for, right?
Totally.
Get us a real heifer.
The fatter the better. Bad acne would be a bonus.
Let`s do it!
Let`s get the harpoon !
TlTLE: Young Conservatives Project
Spring Breakdown
-Hey, Steve. -Hey, Chuck.
What are you working on?
The piece Gabriel García Márquez wrote about the Falklands war.
How about you?
Young Republicans at the CPAC conference.
Pretty standard stuff.
Hotel ballrooms, boring speeches, chicken dinners.
Which is why everybody spends their time in the suites upstairs...
...committing felonies.
Oh, yeah?
Yeah, l went to one. The ballroom is empty.
Every delegate under the age of 25...
...was up on the fifth floor getting loaded.
Drugs, binge drinking, hookers.... Gets pretty ugly.
-Sounds great, Steve. -So does yours.
Okay, well.... l gotta get back to work.
-Have a good lunch. -Thanks.
Hold it. l have to give myself a demerit for poor scene-setting.
Let me explain. A year ago, Chuck Lane and l were peers.
He hadn`t become editor yet.
Michael Kelly was editing the magazine then.
Sorry, Mrs. Duke. l know how you feel about clarity.
We`ve gotta start calling some other places.
l don`t think l can eat this stuff every day.
lt was the Cannon Building. You had it as Russell. l fixed it.
Thank you.
-l really liked it, Ames. -But boring, right?
No, l really, really liked it.
-Yes, dear? -Somebody for you on three.
Someone from Harper`s.
-When did you start talking to them? -l`m not. lt`s probably nothing.
-Send it to my voice mail. -Very good.
By the way, Glo, that lipstick is the bomb.
Thanks, doll.
What is it, Midnight Mist?
-l really got to stop doing that. -What?
All l do is give people more reasons to assume l`m gay.
l mean, lately, it`s everyone.
The other night, l went to dinner with this guy from The Post.
-Who? -l can`t tell you. He made me promise.
We`re walking around afterwards...
...talking about Medicare for God`s sakes.
Then, the next thing l know, we`re standing on the corner of 18th and T...
...and he somehow managed to slip his tongue down my throat.
And l`m like, ``Wait a minute, how`d this happen?``
-l don`t understand. -Yeah, neither did l.
-Hey. -Michael.
-Got a minute? -Of course.
We have a problem with the ``Spring Breakdown`` piece.
Just got a letter from David Keene. He ran the CPAC conference.
-He`s made some-- -Are you mad at me?
He`s made some pretty serious charges. We need to answer them.
Okay. My notes are at home. l can be back in 20 minutes. ls that too long?
Do your notes have anything about the minibars? That would help.
l think so. No, l`m sure. Why?
He claims the Omni Shoreham doesn`t even have minibars.
l saw them. No, there were little bottles of booze all over the room.
Okay. l`ll get Aaron and Rob into it and start the fact-check again.
-l`ll get my notes. -Thank you.
l`m sorry, we`ll have to finish this later.
No, no, l understand. Thank you.
What`s wrong?
Just tell me.
Keene was right, Michael.
l messed up. l made a huge error.
l don`t know what to say. lf you want me to resign, l will.
l want you to tell me what happened.
They don`t have minibars at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.
l guess l just saw all those little bottles and l made an assumption...
...which l know we`re never supposed to do.
l`m really sorry.
Those guys were drinking out of a rented refrigerator, a mini-fridge.
-That`s it? -Yeah.
-The rest of the piece is solid? -Well, yeah, of course.
Go home, Steve. Your resignation will not be required.
-Really? You`re not mad? -Of course not.
-Do you want my notes? -Have a good night.
Thanks, Michael.
Thanks for backing me.
lt`s what editors do.
Good night.
Hi. Front desk, please.
Hi, l need some information.
Do the suites at your hotels have minibars?
Well, can a guest rent something like that...
...like a mini-refrigerator or something?
They can.
Okay, thank you very much.
She says, ``l didn`t invite Vernon Jordan that evening...
...because my guests of honor were girls from Smith College.
Some of them were virgins, and l wanted to keep it that way.``
You`re gonna put that in the article, right?
Gosh, Alec, l don`t know.
l mean, you know, George is such a dignified publication.
You wouldn`t want something that gossipy?
No. Absolutely not.
Of course l`m putting it in.
Thank you, Stephen. You`re going to make me look very, very smart.
The Fritos are running dangerously low. l`ll be right back.
You can`t hide in here all night, Ames.
Can l ask you something?
What is this? l found it in the freezer.
You said you hated how the Diet Coke at parties...
...was always at room temperature.
How if you wanted it cold, you`d have to put it on ice.
Then it would get too watery. Don`t you remember?
Yeah, l do, but l said that a couple of years ago.
Steve, l`m gonna call it a night, but thanks for having me.
-Thanks for coming. -Alphabetized beer. That`s perfect.
Drive safe, Alec.
-Who`s he? -Associate editor of George.
When did you start talking to George?
l`m really not.
lt`s probably nothing.
lf they stoop any lower...
...soon there won`t be a difference between Time and People.
You say that like there is a difference between Time and People.
-Exactly. -Thank you, Steve.
What?
GEORGETOWN UNlVERSlTY LAW CENTER
Are you mad at me?
l told you, l do not respond to, ``Are you mad at me?``
l`m not your kindergarten teacher.
We`ve been over this a thousand times already.
You can`t go to law school.
You don`t wanna go to law school, remember?
l know. lt`s only nights. l wouldn`t have to stop working or anything.
-l`ll just put these down. l`ll be back. -No! l wanna talk about this.
l told you, it`s my parents, okay? They never shut up about it.
lf l don`t go, they won`t let me be a journalist.
``Let you``? You`re 24 years old, Stephen.
You don`t know how things go where l grew up, Caitlin. There are rules there.
lf your son`s not a doctor or lawyer, you`re nothing.
You`re writing for The New fucking Republic. lsn`t that good enough?
Not in Highland Park.
-l`m sorry, l-- -Stop apologizing for everything.
l was looking through your mail. You should be pissed at me.
-l`m not. -You`re gonna throw this out, right?
l can`t. l`m sorry.
Every station on the radio is talking about it:
Mike Tyson biting Evander Holyfield.
And these are supposed to be news stations.
So on Tuesday l started calling a few, and finally l got through to one...
...a Bible talk station in Kentucky.
l managed to convince the screener that l was a behavioral psychologist...
...who specializes in human-on-human biting.
l told the guy l`d done all this extensive research...
...on people who chomp flesh under extreme stress.
What did they say?
They put me on the air. l took calls for 45 minutes.
Oh, my God.
Where does he find these people?
lt`s kind of stupid, l know. lt`s silly. l`ll probably just kill it.
-That mean you`ll help me with it? -Why, do you have finals this week?
Okay, moving right along. Chuck. What do you have for us?
That`s a bit of a hard act to follow.
Very hard act to follow. Okay....
l`m starting the piece on Haiti...
...and l`ll be going to....
Don`t let me interrupt.
-Hey, Marty. -Michael.
l`m gonna be going down to Port-au-Prince for a few days.
Marty Peretz. Our boss.
He`s a little scary.
How about the commas in dates? Are we supposed to circle those too?
Let`s just get this done, okay?
What the hell is this?
Marty told us to circle all the commas in the last issue...
...to show us how we used them improperly.
-What? -He said they should appear in pairs.
Apparently, the issue is rife with errors.
-Rife. -That`s what he said.
l see.
l`m not angry, Marty, l`m embarrassed for you.
These people work grueling hours for meager pay.
They deserve a thank you...
...not another one of your world-famous tantrums.
l`d resign before l`d let you bully them like that again, and l will.
Do you understand that?
Okay. Thank you.
The great comma debate is history...
...so we can all go back to work.
There are good editors, there are bad editors. You`ll have both.
My hope for you, though, is that once...
...at least once, you get a truly great one.
A great editor defends his writers...
...against anyone. He stands up and fights for you.
Michael Kelly was that kind of editor. He had that kind of courage.
And that`s what hung him.
-Hello? -Chuck, it`s Marty Peretz.
-Got a minute? -Of course, how are you?
l`m in a bit of an uncomfortable situation...
...and l thought you might be able to help me out.
-Sure. -lt`s about Mike.
He and l-- lt hasn`t been working out for some time now, as you know.
The tone of the magazine, l think it`s gotten too nasty.
lt`s strayed from the traditions that make it great...
...and l`m gonna be making a change.
l see.
l`d like you to step in for him, Chuck. l`d like you to become editor.
Editor?
There`s a catch, of course. Mike doesn`t know any of this yet.
lt`ll be two or three days before l tell him.
lt`ll have to remain between us till then. Would that be a problem?
-Mike`s a friend. -l appreciate that, Chuck.
But l can`t remove him until l know who will be his replacement...
...for continuity`s sake. So this is how it has to be.
l`m gonna have to think about this and discuss it with Catarina.
Of course, of course. Listen--
Marty, have you thought about the impact this might have on the staff?
-He`s earned a lot of loyalty there. -Mostly by fighting with me.
The point is, l haven`t earned that kind of loyalty--
l`ll be in New York tomorrow. We`ll go over all this in detail.
-Will you call me at the hotel? -Yeah.
l really appreciate this, Chuck, your discretion.
-Night. -Night, Marty.
So l just got off the phone with Marty...
...and l`ve been fired, effective immediately.
l`m to be out of the building by 5 p.m.
Chuck Lane has been chosen to replace me.
Chuck is not an editor. He`s barely even a writer.
There`s no way l`ll be able to work for him.
We should have seen this coming.
The way he laughs whenever Marty tells a joke in the meetings.
They`re never funny, but there`s Chuck, completely howling.
-He`s so political. -And stiff. And humorless.
And how pissy does he get when you try to fact-check one of his pieces?
l`m sorry, but we have an obligation to get our facts straight.
Okay, let`s not overdo it.
This is still a great magazine. lt`s still an important magazine, and...
-...Monday morning he`ll be running it. -l`m gonna barf.
All right, let me get out of here, okay?
Well, l just want to thank you all again. Truly.
l`ve loved every second of this.
-Good luck, Mike. -You too, Chuck.
Hi.
-Hey. -Hi.
l`m sorry about what happened when he left.
l just didn`t know what to do.
Thanks.
You need a hand with the boxes, l`ll be in my office.
So Chuck took over.
And the job, for the first time ever, began to feel like a job.
But l`m being unfair.
The truth is l wrote 14 pieces while Chuck was editing the magazine.
And the last of them was the biggest story l ever wrote.
ls anyone interested in hackers?
Because l met this kid named lan Restil.
Biggest computer geek of all time.
He hacked his way into the database of a company called Jukt Micronics...
...and posted naked pictures of women and the salary of all Jukt employees...
...on Jukt`s website with a note saying:
``The Big Bad Bionic Boy has been here, baby!``
Outstanding!
Jukt decided it`d be cheaper to hire him...
...as a security consultant than to try to stop him.
They met with him at the hotel where the National Hackers Conference was.
lt was the chairman from Jukt, Restil, Restil`s mother and Restil`s agent.
-No. -Yes. Hackers have agents too.
l was at the table with these guys.
Restil`s just laying out all of his demands.
l want a Miata.
-l want a trip to Disney World. -l want X-Men comic book #1.
l want a lifetime subscription to Playboy.
And throw in Penthouse.
They`re complying with every word.
Excuse me, sir. Pardon me for interrupting.
We can arrange more money so you can buy the comic book.
And when you`re of a more appropriate age...
...you can buy the car and pornographic magazines on your own.
Cool.
After they have the meeting...
...he goes back into the conference, where all the hackers have gathered.
And they`re treating him like he`s a rock star.
Then Restil jumps up on a table, and he`s like:
l want a Miata!
And he`s gyrating his hips like this: ``l want a Miata!
l want my Playboys! l want a trip to Disney World!
Show me the money!
Show me the money!``
Turns out there are now 21 states considering versions of a law called...
...the Uniform Computer Security Act, which would criminalize...
...immunity deals between hackers and the companies they`ve torched.
Meanwhile, Restil`s agent claims a client list of over 300...
...one of whom was once paid a million dollars and a monster truck.
That`s unbelievable.
lt`s really silly, l know.
l`m not even sure if l`m gonna finish it.
HACK HEAVEN By Stephen Glass
The offices of Forbes Digital (New York City)
Wednesday, May 6, 1998
Shit.
-You rang? -Yes, l rang.
Why didn`t you get this?
Yeah...
...that....
l don`t know.
lan Restil - Jim Ghort ``Big Bad Bionic Boy``
Nevada law-enforcement officials big-time software firm - called Jukt
Jukt Micronics - Search
There were no matches for ``Jukt Micronics``
Hey?
Hey.
ls it pronounced ``juked`` or ``jukked``?
lt`s pronounced ``give me back my article.``
Dang.
Adam, can you give a man a minute?
Oh, yeah. l`m sorry.
lt`s just that this New Republic piece is a fucking sieve.
l checked on Jukt Micronics...
...which is supposedly a major company in California.
l went through every search engine on the web. No matches found.
So l called 411, every area code in the state.
There`s no listing for a company called Jukt Micronics.
Tried the California Tax Franchise Board.
There`s no record of taxes ever being paid by a company called Jukt.
Tried the state comptroller`s office. No license was applied for...
...by a company using that name.
l called all the hackers l know...
...asking if any had heard of a National Assembly of Hackers...
...or of a hacker named Big Bad Bionic Boy.
Nothing. l even tried lan Restil himself.
There`s no listing for the kid in D.C., Virginia, Maryland....
There`s no record of him ever attending a public school before.
-More? -Please.
This guy, Joe Hiert, was described by Glass as a former basketball agent.
No one by that name was ever registered with the NBA.
And none of my hackers knew of him.
Look, l even checked the names of every government--
l was just getting some coffee.
l checked names of every government employee quoted...
...against a book listing the names of all government employees in the U.S.
None of the Glass sources were listed.
-But there is one thing that checks out. -What`s that?
There does appear to be a state in the Union named Nevada.
Stephen Glass
David, for chrissakes.
Oh, God, l`m sorry, Stephen.
l just wanted to see if you`d read it yet, and it was sitting right here.
-Don`t hate me, okay? -Stephen, you shredded it.
l`m trying to spare you a spanking, David.
You`ve got blind quotes all over the place.
Your facts are shaky. l mean...
...the line about the turnover at DOT was low by 4.5 percent. l checked.
Of course you did.
Rob and Aaron would kill you over that kind of stuff.
This is The New Republic, remember? Nothing slides here.
lf you don`t have it cold, you don`t turn it in, ever.
-Okay. -Look...
...bring me your notes later. We`ll go through it.
There`s a lot about it that l liked.
-Really? -Really.
And get back to work, okay? The mailroom floor needs scrubbing.
Okay. Hey, thanks, Stephen.
You have one unheard message. First message.
Hi, Stephen, this is Adam Penenberg from Forbes Digital Tool.
l just got done reading your hacker article.
First of all, congratulations. l mean, everybody here just loved it.
But we wanted to do a companion piece to it, sort of a day-two story...
...and l`m having some trouble tracking down lan Restil.
You think l could get a phone number on him from you?
Look, l think it`s good that you tried this.
lt`s good to stretch.
l just....
l don`t think you`re writing to your strengths.
-Can l...? -l mean....
l wonder why you`d wanna stray from the things you do so well.
Have you noticed the way Steve`s phone has been ringing lately?
Did you see all those editors at the correspondents dinner?
-The way they were circling him? -ls that what you want, Amy?
To get a bunch of smoke blown up your ass by a pack of editors?
Yes. Yes, it is.
Caitlin...
...he`s going to double his salary freelancing like that.
These guys don`t want policy pieces anymore.
They want color. They want nuance, humor.
Amy...
...you don`t write funny.
lt`s a little funny.
lsn`t it?
-l was just looking for Stephen. -He`s in his office.
-You got a minute, Steve? -Yeah.
You have numbers for your sources on ``Hack Heaven``?
But they`re at home.
-Can l get them? -Of course.
Did l do something wrong? Are you mad at me?
No, l just need the phone numbers.
Okay.
Okay. Okay, l`m trying to keep cool about all this.
But you know the Uniform Computer Security Act in the Glass piece?
Supposed to be under debate in 21 state legislatures?
l just checked all 50. No such act.
-Beautiful. -And Julie Farthwork...
...from the Computer Security Center? Not too sure she exists either.
Same with Jim Ghort of the Center for lnterstate Online lnvestigations.
And l`ve got nothing on the National Assembly of Hackers or Frank Juliet.
-Man. -Do you know why this is so great?
Do you see the irony?
The snobbiest rag in the business, in-flight magazine of Air Force One...
...and their star goes and gets completely snowed...
...by a bunch of hackers.
God couldn`t have written this any better.
-Adam? -Yeah?
Long as l`m grinding away on this, any chance you`d share your byline?
Forget it.
We are in uncharted territory here, Adam.
An online magazine going after a giant.
You should have someone beside you to take some flak in case it blows up.
-Gosh, that`s touching. -You`re completely swamped.
-You`re behind on the Polese piece. -l`ll get to it.
Look, everything that l`m working on is so...
...dull.
-And this is spectacular. -Andy, no.
lt`s not like you found this story yourself.
Kambiz just handed it to you.
lf l hadn`t been at the dentist, it`d be me about to get famous.
Why don`t you just share the wealth, okay? Shit.
That came out a lot uglier than l meant it. Sorry.
-Hey. -Hey.
Well, lan Restil e-mailed me right back.
lt might be tough to put you in touch directly...
...or at least until next week. This is his email:
``Your story screwed up my deal. l don`t to talk to you.``
l think he meant ``don`t want to talk to you.``
``l`m on vacation with my parents, so leave me alone.``
What kind of parent goes on vacation with their kid in early May?
That`s a good question. l guess you have to know his mom.
She`s a little quirky.
That`s his email address if you want to write him yourself.
These are all my notes.
That`s for the National Assembly of Hackers.
Don`t be thrown if all you hear is like a dark, deep, heavy breathing. lt`s--
l don`t know, their outgoing voice-mail message.
Don`t ask me why.
And then that`s the number for Jukt Micronics.
The chairman`s name is George Sims.
l can`t figure why this Penenberg guy would have such a hard time finding it.
But you know, whatever.
That`s the URL to their website.
And then l can`t seem to find Joe Hiert`s number.
l was looking all over at home.
lt`s somewhere, l know. l`ll get that tomorrow.
-lf that`s okay. -Sure.
He`s Restil`s agent.
Should l...? l`ll give you some privacy.
No, have a seat. 650, is that Palo Alto?
No, Silicon Valley.
You`ll probably get a voice mail. l usually do.
You`ve reached the offices of Jukt Micronics.
Please leave a message.
lt`s Charles Lane from The New Republic in Washington D.C.
l`d like to speak to George Sims, if l could.
They already have our number.
l guess you already have our number. Thank you.
l`m sorry. We`ve just spoken a million times now.
lt`s actually his voice on the answering machine.
Sims is so hands-on...
...that he won`t even let his secretary do an outgoing message.
-Who`s next? -Penenberg.
-This is Adam. -Hi, it`s Chuck Lane.
-Hi, Chuck. -l`ve got a phone number for you.
-A phone number for what? -For George Sims at Jukt Micronics.
-You got a pen? -Yeah, sure.
Okay, thanks.
lt`s a phone number for Jukt Micronics.
You`ve reached the offices of Jukt Micronics.
Please leave a message.
Do me a favor.
Call this number the same time l do, okay?
Ready? Go.
You`ve reached the offices of Jukt Micronics.
Please leave a message.
-What`d you get? -lt`s a voice mail.
l get a busy signal. Hang up.
Try again, okay? Redial.
-Busy signal. -l got a voice mail. Hang up.
A major software company with one phone line?
-How you doing? -Good.
He`s up to 103.
Oh, shit.
Come here, buddy.
-Should l give him a bath? -That would be great.
Yeah.
How you doing?
-Hello? -Hello, this is George Sims.
-May l speak with Charles Lane? -One moment, please.
Honey, it`s George Sims.
l`ll take him.
Come on, sweetheart. Yes, yes, yes.
-Oh, you`re such a good boy. -Hello?
Yeah, this is George Sims from Jukt.
Am l speaking with Charles Lane?
Mr. Sims, thank you for calling me back--
l don`t have time for this, actually. We`re trying to have an office party.
Look, if you were calling for a comment on your story...
...l don`t have one other than to say l wish you never ran the stupid thing.
That stuff was off the record, and your reporter knows it. That Glass guy.
-l`m calling to verify information. -l`m not verifying anything.
Bottom line is l`d like you guys to basically get lost, okay?
Hello?
-Hey. -David.
-Oh, l`m sorry, Steve. -Shit.
l didn`t mean to startle you. Thought you`d like some coffee.
-What are you doing here? -Working late. Working on my article.
-So l don`t get shredded again. -Thank you.
You`re welcome. So l always forget to ask you :
How are your studies coming?
They`re fine. l`m just buried.
You`re buried. Right. Okay, l should probably let you get back to it.
-ls there anything else you need? -No. Good night, David.
All right. Night, Steve.
l got it.
-Hello? -Chuck, it`s Steve.
-Hi, Steve. -Hey, sorry to be calling so late.
l was just wondering, did you get a call...
-...from the Jukt guy, George Sims? -l did, yeah.
Yeah, l was sitting here, and l realized that l`d given him...
...your home number without asking you first, and l wanted to apologize.
lt`s fine.
Sort of a prick, you think?
l couldn`t really tell, because he hung up so fast.
Are you at home, Steve?
-No, why? -l left a message on your machine.
The Forbes guys want to talk to us again.
There`s a conference call at 9 a.m.
Sure. Sounds like a party.
Yeah.
-Okay. Night, Chuck. -See you in the morning.
That`s weird.
Friday, May 8, 1998
THE NEW REPUBLlC
-Morning. -Hey.
-Want a laugh? -Sure.
-The website for Jukt Micronics. -Oh, good.
Yeah, you might not think so when you see what`s on it.
l don`t think Mr. Sims liked our piece that much.
lt is with great frustration that we read the article ``Hack Heaven``....
And l found this, too, on my fridge for some reason.
lan Restil`s agent, Joe Hiert.
JOE HlERT Super-Agent to Super-Nerds
l`d like to pause. You can`t really go into journalism...
...without first understanding how a piece gets edited at a place like TNR.
This is the system Michael Kelly brought from The New Yorker...
...a three-day torture test.
lf your article`s good, it`ll make it better.
lf your article`s shaky, you`re in for a long week.
A story comes in, and it goes to a senior editor.
He or she edits it on computer...
...then calls in the writer to make revisions.
Then it goes to a second editor, and the writer revises it again.
Then it goes through a fact-check, where every fact...
...every date, every title, every place or assertion is checked and verified.
Then it goes to a copy editor, where it is scrutinized once again.
Then it goes to lawyers who apply their burdens of proof.
Marty looks at it too.
He`s concerned with any comment the magazine makes.
Then production lays it out in column inches and type.
Then it goes back on paper, back to the writer, back to the copy editor...
...back to editor one and editor two...
...back to the fact-checker, back to the writer and back to production again.
Throughout, the lawyers read and re-read...
...looking for red flags, anything that feels uncorroborated.
Once they`re satisfied, the pages are reprinted, and it happens again.
Every editor, the fact-checkers, they all go through it one last time.
Now, most of you will start out as interns somewhere...
...and interns do a lot of fact-checking, so pay close attention.
There`s a hole in the fact-checking system, a big one.
The facts of most pieces can be checked...
...against some type of source material.
lf an article`s on ethanol subsidies...
...you can check against the congressional record...
...trade publications, LexisNexis, footage from C-SPAN.
But on other pieces...
...the only source material available...
...are the notes provided by the reporter himself.
Steve.
This doesn`t look like a real business card to me.
Yeah, l know. That`s the kind of clown this guy is.
He won`t even pay to have real cards made.
All right.
-My office at 9, okay? -Yeah.
Good morning.
A few others we can`t seem to locate:
Julie Farthwork, Frank Juliet and lan Restil`s agent, Joe Hiert.
We called the numbers you gave us and got voice mails.
And the e-mails were sent back no address or account closed.
Really? Because l`ve e-mailed them about a million times each.
Hiert`s online all day long.
Did you ever get them directly?
No. l always left messages and spoke to them when they called back.
And the references in the article to Nevada law-enforcement officials....
You only spoke to Jim Ghort?
-Yes. -You have a number for him?
-Yeah, definitely. -By the way...
...what was your basis for writing that Jukt was a bigtime software company?
l didn`t. That was added by the copy desk.
Was the hackers conference where you met the Jukt executives--?
That part of the article is misleading. l was never in the Restils` home.
You weren`t there with the Jukt executives?
No. l didn`t mean to imply that l had been.
Sorry about that. Did the fax come through okay?
Yes, it did.
l think the address was garbled. We can`t find the site.
-You wanna read it back to me? -Sure.
You gave us, ``members.aol.juktn.html.``
-Wait. Was that an M? -l`m sorry?
After ``Jukt,`` was that an M as in ``Micronics``?
No, it was an N, as in ``not working.``
-Try M. -Okay.
-Sorry about that, l was just rushing. -Of course.
But l do find myself wondering, Stephen...
...why would a major software company put their site...
...where only AOL members access it, as opposed to the entire web?
l have no idea.
l don`t have a site. l don`t know about them.
l would trust you guys know better than me.
Okay.
Looks like we have the Jukt website up now.
Jukt Micronics
l have to say, Stephen, this looks very suspicious to me.
-How so? -Quite frankly, it doesn`t look real.
lt looks like a site that was created to fool someone.
l don`t know much. Could they do that?
-Of course. -Very easily.
So easy, in fact, it`s incredible.
Do you still want that number for Jim Ghort?
Because l just found it in my notes.
Yeah, sure.
-All right. 605-84-- -Oh, wait.
Sorry?
605, that`s not Nevada.
l guess l got him mixed up with another source.
Sorry about that one.
Oh, you know what it was?
Jim Ghort was the guy who told me about the law-enforcement officials.
l don`t know what l was thinking.
-l`m gonna have to get you that-- -Steve.
Give him the number.
This guy is toast.
All right, Stephen, in light of all this...
...how confident are you in this story of yours?
Are we off the record?
-lf you like. -Well...
...off the record...
...some of the things that you`ve brought up...
...the website...
...the idea that l was always speaking to these people through voice mail....
That is, that they were always calling me....
lt didn`t seem strange before, but clearly there are problems.
You`ve pointed them out.
One portion of it was structured in a way that....
l just, well, in light of all this....
lt`s just l`m increasingly beginning to believe that l`ve been duped.
So we hang up after he`s basically let these guys interrogate me for an hour.
And l go, ``Chuck, what happened? l mean, why didn`t you back me up?``
And he goes, ``l`m sorry, Steve. l gotta protect the magazine. l`m the editor.``
-Typical. -He`s being such an asshole.
So l`m dead, pretty much.
Yes, this is Kambiz.
Can we have a talk here, just editor to editor?
Sure, go ahead.
Completely off the record and really almost human being to human being?
Of course.
You guys have discovered something that a troubled kid has done...
...but l still don`t know how you plan to play it.
l have no interest in embarrassing you or The New Republic.
l`m not worried about me or the magazine. That`s fair.
But there`s a kid here who basically just plainly screwed up, bigtime.
His reporting was sloppy, we know.
But we`re trying to handle it internally at this point.
-Just as you would. -Listen.
We`re going to run something along the lines of a trick was pulled...
...and some hackers created an illusion.
l can`t tell you what to print or not to print. You guys are journalists.
But he could be very hurt by what you guys publish. His career.
Chuck, l understand. l do.
l would hope if l made the mistakes he made...
...people would be generous with me.
But this concerns the very field we cover.
We have to run it.
And when we do, we`re gonna need a comment from you.
So given everything that`s happened...
...how strongly are you gonna stand behind this story?
l`m looking into it.
lt`s really not that big a deal. You got fooled by a source.
lt happens. They`ll print a retraction, and that`ll be that.
Steve, it won`t hurt your career.
Of course, if you weren`t so distracted by your classes....
Yeah, l know, l really gotta quit. You`re right.
-Can l speak to you for a minute? -What about?
Let`s do it in private.
We need to take a drive to Bethesda.
-What for? -l wanna meet Joe Hiert.
l told you, nobody knows where he is.
Well, maybe if we go to the hotel where he met with Restil and Sims...
-...someone will remember him-- -There were hundreds of people there.
These Forbes guys wanna come down on you.
-This is ridiculous. -They`re very suspicious of that article.
-You know that. -Yeah.
But they`re gonna go online with their piece tomorrow.
-Okay? -Yeah.
-Now....
-Steve? Steve. -Yeah?
lf we can find Hiert, l can back them off for a day or two.
-Okay? -Okay, l`ll get my notes.
-Let`s go. -All right.
We were at this table.
Restil sat here. His mother was on his left. Hiert--
Sorry, his mother was on his right. Hiert sat there.
But Restil wanted him closer, so he slid his chair over.
Sims sat here. He had a lawyer next to him.
l forget his name. lt`s in my notes. Somebody smoked at this table.
So then Restil`s mother insisted that we move to one farther away.
Over there.
The hacker conference was near here, right?
Yeah, the building next door.
l don`t remember, how many people did you say were at this?
Looked like a hundred, might`ve been two. lt`s in my notes.
Two hundred people. Here.
Yeah, they moved in and out. l mean, most of them were kids.
That doesn`t seem credible to me.
All l know is, l was here. All of us were right here.
Excuse me, sir, can l help you?
Yes, you can.
We`re looking into a conference held here a couple Sundays ago.
Computer hackers. You remember anything like that?
Are you sure you`re in the right building?
-Yes, we`re sure. -Why is that?
Building`s closed on Sunday.
All l know is l was here. The conference was right here.
That`s why the Restils only stayed a few minutes.
Because it was such a dumb place to squeeze into.
So they went to a restaurant for dinner with some of lan`s hacker friends.
Thank you.
How many?
People at the dinner, how many?
About 10, l think, including me.
lan even put on a jacket.
-Hiert was there too? -Yeah.
-ls it near here? -Yeah, it`s across the street.
Good. Let`s cross the street.
l don`t like the way you`re treating me. lt`s like you won`t even talk to me.
-This is the place? -Yes.
l didn`t do anything wrong, okay?
l didn`t do anything wrong. You saw my notes. Everything was in there.
l got tricked. l got fooled, l`m sorry. What are you being so mad for?
-lt was 10 people. -Yes.
-For dinner. -Yes.
They`re closed at 3 on Sundays.
Yeah, l know. l know. They almost didn`t let us in.
But it was a couple minutes before 3, lan looked like he was ready to cry...
-...and so they said okay. -But for dinner?
Go in and ask them yourself, Chuck.
Okay, go in and see if they would serve a party that came in at 2:58...
...and the answer would be yes.
Forbes is gonna have all this too.
They`ll dig through the records of that building.
l`m sure they have cameras, and they`re gonna check them.
-l didn`t do anything wrong, Chuck. -l really wish you`d stop saying that!
Steve....
-Anyone can make a mistake. -You know, this is not right, Chuck.
Okay, l feel really attacked.
You`re my editor. You should support me.
And you`re taking their word against mine?
You`re supposed to support me!
Criticism of the president`s program has been--
Leave it off.
l`m sorry l yelled at you back there.
Chuck?
Steve!
Pull the goddamn car over.
Yeah.
All right.
There`s been so much pressure.
-l didn`t mean to get anyone in trouble. -Okay.
Okay.
You weren`t at the conference.
No.
l had a description of it from so many sources, l thought l had it solid.
Okay? And l wanted the piece to have an eyewitness feel to it for color.
So l said l`d been there myself.
And everything we told the Forbes guys--
l`m so sorry, Chuck.
l just panicked.
lf you want me to say that l made it up, l will.
lf that will help you, l`ll say it.
l just want you to tell me the truth, Steve.
Can you do that?
l`m suggesting that there might be facets that you`re not considering.
-Why are you defending him? -Nobody`s defending him, Chuck.
-Of course you`re defending him. -He`s a kid.
He doctored his notes, Lew. Just consider that for a second.
You know? He sat down and he hand-wrote a bunch of phony quotes...
...and he handed them in as source material for the fact-check.
- Doesn`t that offend you? - Of course it does.
He lied to his editor. That`s supposed to offend you too.
He`s a confused, distraught kid, obviously, Chuck.
So suspend him for a couple months, but let`s not bury him.
Suspend him.
There are also political considerations to take into account here:
The rest of the staff, the way they feel about him.
l already know all that.
What l`m saying is, if you fire him, some of these people will leave.
l don`t know if we`d still have a magazine at the end of the day.
-Hey, Caitlin. -Not now, David.
-How`s he doing? -Well, he`s a wreck, of course.
-l want him in here, Caitlin. -He`s too scared to come in here.
He thinks you want to destroy him. He knows what he did was horrible.
He knows how badly he messed up.
The part he`s most upset about is lying to you, Chuck.
He knows you took it as a sign of disrespect instead of as a panic move.
Think about the workload he`s been carrying.
All this and classes.
He hasn`t slept more than two hours in nine months.
He got a little sloppy and lied to cover his tracks.
-He`s sick about it. -Caitlin...
...the building he described, it doesn`t even exist.
He just made it up.
So....
Obviously, he needs some help.
-He needs help. -Just get him in here.
You can`t fire him.
l don`t think he`ll survive. You don`t understand, we`re all he has.
You can`t fire him, Chuck.
Thanks, Lew.
Would you guys excuse us for a minute?
Chuck isn`t firing Steve...
He`s just suspending him for two years.
l think l have to quit. Caitlin
SEND TO:
michael.kelly@nationaljourn
Sending...
--watered-down stock and, you know, within....
Steve.
What are you doing here?
l`m so dead.
l mean, l`m over.
Nobody`s ever gonna hire me again, are they?
l was so sloppy, trusting my sources like that.
And then lying about it. And to Chuck of all people.
l mean, the one guy who`s hated me all along.
l`m sure that it`s not personal.
No?
Chuck keeps a list in his head...
...of everybody who`s a Michael Kelly person.
A couple of times...
...l said some things l shouldn`t have said about you.
So now l`m on it.
That`s why he`s so set on killing me now.
Well, l have to tell you, Steve, he`s within his rights.
The things you did were fireable offenses.
l know. l`m not saying that they weren`t.
l did some terrible, terrible things.
But believe me, Michael, Chuck doesn`t care about any of it.
lt`s my loyalty to you that he`s punishing me for.
l`m such an idiot.
Now who`s gonna hire me?
Steve, l have to ask you something.
Did you ever cook a piece when l was your boss?
Did you ever lie to me?
The young-conservatives piece, the mini-bottles....
Was that true?
-Hello? -Chuck, it`s David Bach.
l`m really sorry to bother you, but it seemed important.
- lt`s fine. ls there a problem? - Well, l don`t know.
l just got off the phone with Stephen. He sounds horrible.
-Did you suspend him, Chuck? -David....
What is the problem?
He asked me if l would drive him out to Dulles later tonight.
He wasn`t sure he`d be safe driving by himself.
l just thought l should draw your attention to that.
Did he say where he was going?
Yeah, he said he`d be staying with family for a while.
-That can be only one of two places. -His parents live in Highland Park.
Yeah, or his brother out in Palo Alto.
-l`m sorry? -Yeah, his brother at Stanford.
Chuck?
You had your brother pose as George Sims.
-What? -The phony recording...
...from Jukt Micronics. lt`s a Palo Alto number...
...and your brother`s at Stanford. He posed as Sims.
No, Sims is a real guy. l`ve talked to him a million times.
-My brother and l aren`t speaking now. -Stop it. You faked Sims.
-You faked the website, voice mails... -You don`t know, Chuck.
-...Restil, Hiert, Ghort. -You got this backwards.
lt`s all crap. l can trace it. l`ll find it all billed to you--
What are you talking about? Those are all real people.
-They are? -Yeah.
Look at me...
...and say that again.
Those are all real people.
Okay.
l want you out of here.
-What? -l want you out of here.
And you can`t take anything with you.
There are some files. l have to put them on a disk.
-No. -No, they`re mine. Personal stuff!
l don`t care.
l know you don`t.
-Can l shut down--? -Don`t!
l`m in the middle of a file.
-Goddamn it. -Back away from the desk.
-Leave it, or l`ll call security. -Christ.
Okay?
Can l take my Rolodex?
Steve....
-Can l take my law books? -Sure.
Look, l`m gonna need to have your security key.
l`m not a criminal, Chuck.
Okay?
-l`m not a criminal. -Oh, l heard you.
Come on.
Chuck?
l said l was sorry.
l know.
But you have to go.
Bond traders, as a rule, do not have much time to loaf around.
And the Wall Street investment house RVL...
...takes its work ethic to a particularly--
One trader is now testing a hand-held urinal...
...normally used by cops on stakeouts--
After Mike Tyson was disqualified...
...for biting Evander Holyfield, l offered several talk shows...
...my services as a biting expert. l`m someone who knows--
The minibar is open, and empty bottles of booze...
...are scattered on the carpet--
lt was the monthly gathering...
...of the Commission to Restore the Presidency to Greatness--
Patriotic profits will have a hard time...
...holding back this merchandising bonanza--
Western Union now has a stop the Cassini hotline...
...which forwards anti-Cassini telegrams to the White House.
--called ``Loving Lewinsky`` that looks and works like a child`s doll....
-Thanks, George. Sorry for the trouble. -No problem, Steve.
Chuck?
The thing with George Sims...
...that was....
The voice you heard on the telephone...
...that was my brother. l`m sorry.
There really is a George Sims. l`ve spoken to him a million times.
He just stopped talking to me.
You know, because of the article. He was so mad about it.
l didn`t know what to do.
The guys from Forbes were putting pressure on me.
You know? And you were so mad.
l just thought that if l could get everybody off my back...
...okay, for just a day....
Just a day would give me enough time to go and find him.
You can understand that, can`t you?
You`re fired, Steve.
What?
You`re fired. You`ve lost your job.
But you can`t--
Chuck...
...will you please take me to the airport?
Jesus.
Please, okay?
You don`t have to talk to me if you don`t want to. lt`s fine.
But l can`t be by myself right now.
Okay? l`m....
l`m afraid of what l`m gonna do.
And you know, l can`t get there by myself.
l`m not going anywhere with you.
lf you feel you`re a danger to yourself, you can sit down...
...until you feel calm enough to go.
But l`m not going anywhere with you.
But l`m afraid that l`m gonna do something, okay?
-Did you hear what l said? -Yeah.
lt`s a hell of a story.
Chuck, please?
Stop pitching, Steve. lt`s over.
Okay.
``Spring Breakdown,`` ``The Jungle``...
...``A Fine Mess,`` ``After the Fall,`` ``Peddling Poppy``...
...``CheapSuits,`` ``Kicked Out,`` ``No Free Launch``...
...``Ratted Out,`` ``State of Nature,`` ``Clutch Situation``...
...``All Wet,`` ``Plotters,`` ``Praised be Greenspan``...
...``Monica Sells,`` ``Hack Heaven.``
What the hell did you do to Steve? He just called from his car, hysterical.
-l asked what was wrong. He said-- -l fired him, okay?
Not suspended, fired.
This wasn`t an isolated incident, Caitlin.
He cooked a dozen of them, maybe more.
We`re gonna have to go through them. All of them.
The only one was ``Hack Heaven.`` He told me that.
lf he were a stranger, a guy you were doing a piece about...
...pretend that guy told you he`d done it once.
Would you take his word for it?
Of course not. You`d dig, and you`d bury him!
You`d be offended if anyone told you not to.
-All those pieces were fact-checked-- -So was ``Hack Heaven``!
You`re a good reporter.
You`ve always been a smart, thorough reporter.
Why can`t you be one now?
Because what you`re telling me is impossible, Chuck.
Go upstairs.
-Read them again. -This is bullshit!
Go all the way back, because half of them ran when Mike was still here.
That`s what this is. Of course.
What are you gonna do, Chuck?
Pick us off one by one...
...everybody loyal to Mike, till you have a staff belonging to you?
ls that the kind of magazine you`d run?
When this thing blows, there won`t be a magazine.
lf you wanna make this about Mike, l don`t give a shit.
You can resent me, hate me, but come Monday morning...
...we`ll all have to answer for what we let happen here.
We`re all gonna have an apology to make.
Jesus Christ! Do you have any idea how much shit we`re about to eat?
Every competitor.... They`re gonna pounce, and they should.
Because we blew it, Caitlin.
He handed us fiction after fiction, and we printed them all as fact.
Just because...
...we found him entertaining.
lt`s indefensible.
Don`t you know that?
Monday, May 11, 1998
ls everyone in the conference room?
You know what could`ve prevented all this?
No, what?
Pictures.
How could you make up characters...
...if everyone you wrote about had to be photographed?
You know, Stephen, if you wanted to, you could do these kids a giant favor.
-Yeah? -Yeah.
You could write something boring one of these days.
Give them a little less to live up to.
l suppose l could.
l mean, we don`t want a bunch of teenagers getting ulcers, do we?
Morning.
THE NEW REPUBLlC AN APOLOG Y TO OUR READERS
lt`s funny.
l thought l was gonna have to explain all this to you.
Well....
What do you think of this guy?
Thank you.
Thanks. Thank you. Thank you.
Steve?
Stephen?
We`ve read through all the pieces now, the entire staff.
And we`ve come up with a list whose facts and sources...
...we couldn`t verify independently.
l know you can`t admit guilt of any kind...
...but l want you to confirm a few titles for me.
We won`t confirm or deny anything now--
What l`m gonna do is this:
l`m going to read to you a list of suspicious titles, one by one.
lf you raise an objection to a particular title...
...we`ll fact-check it again in the hope of removing it from the list.
lf you remain silent, we`ll assume that piece is fabricated...
...either partially or entirely, and it will stay on.
ls that clear to everyone?
Okay.
``Hazardous to Your Mental Health.``
That means it stays on the list of suspicious pieces.
Fabricated pieces.
We understand. Can we move along?
``Holy Trinity.``
``Probable Claus``?
``Don`t You D.A.R.E.``
``Spring Breakdown.``
``State of Nature``
``Rock the Morons.``
``After the Fall.``
You have to know who you`re writing for.
And you have to know what you`re good at.
l record what people do.
l find out what moves them, what scares them...
...and l write that down. That way, they`re the ones telling the story.
And you know what?
Those kind of pieces can win Pulitzers too.
Steve?
Adam Penenberg`s article appeared on-line on May 10, 1998.
lt was hailed as a breakthrough for internet journalism.
That June, The New Republic printed an apology to its readers...
...admitting that 27 of the 41 pieces that Stephen Glass had written...
...for the magazine had been either partially or entirely invented.
Michael Kelly went on to become editor of The Atlantic Monthly.
ln April of 2003, he was killed while covering Operation lraqi Freedom.
Stephen Glass graduated from Georgetown Law School...
...and is now living in New York.
ln May of 2003, he published his first novel, ``The Fabulist``...
...about an ambitious journalist who invents stories and characters...
...in order to further his career.
Chuck Lane now writes for the Washington Post.