Michelle Delio

It's taken us a long time to post on this subject. A respected freelance journalist is undergoing a thorough examination of her career. Why? Because two stories that she posted for the MIT Technology Review were corrupted by false testimony provided by an anonymous source. The Review retracted the stories -- the right move -- and an investigation into Delio's oeuvre has ensued.

We've hesitated to write about this because we are a long-time fan of Ms. Delio's work, and we are most inclined to believe that she is innocent. The media/PR blogger world has been quite silent on this subject, and we think we know why: Ms. Delio's record suggests that this is not Stephen Glass territory, and as media bloggers we must pause before fanning the flames that threaten to consume yet another journalist.

POSTSCRIPT:

Adam Penenberg, a contributor to WiredNews.com and a journalism professor at N.Y.U., will be conducting an investigation into the hundreds of article that Delio wrote for that publication. Penenberg, you may recall, was the Forbes.com reporter in 1998 who broke the story of Stephen Glass's fabrications in The New Republic.

POST-POSTSCRIPT:

Infoworld has modified its online version of Michelle Delio's cover story this week, noting that "certain quoted material has been removed because its veracity could not be confirmed." The subject of the cover story? Corporate blogging, as noted here. A strange twist of fate: one of the most important stories on corporate blogging -- the new engine of corporate transparency -- is collateral damage in the war for transparency.

Comments

[IChiWawa]

Here's a bit more in case you didn't see it.

BOSTON (AP) -- A fact-checking investigation commissioned by MIT's Technology Review magazine has raised further doubts about sourcing and accuracy in stories written by a freelance journalist.

Just three of 10 stories Michelle Delio wrote for Technology Review's Web site could be verified by a journalism professor hired by the magazine to examine the stories published between December and March.

[xyz]

Respected? You have to earn respect with honest work. IN news, making up supporting quotes does not earn you respect, it earns you the sack.

[Adam P]

What's not noted anywhere is that Adam Penenberg was/is Delio's personal 'guru': she took evening classes from him continually.