FRAUD

Intercept Reporter Faked Dylann Roof Story

Part of ex-reporter’s “pattern of deception.”

A reporter for The Intercept was revealed to have fabricated quotes used in his stories and created fake email accounts impersonating his editors. Calling it a “pattern of deception,” Intercept Editor in Chief Betsy Reed laid out, in full detail, the extent of former staff reporter Juan Thompson’s ethical lapses, including his attempts to defraud sources and create entirely fake stories built around seemingly nonexistent people. Among the stories the online outlet has retracted in the wake of Thompson’s deception: an interview with “Scott Roof,” the supposed cousin of Charleston shooter Dylann Roof. After calling the gunman’s family, the Intercept learned that no such “Scott” existed.