Atlantic Article on a Crisis in Elite College Sports

[jimbogumbo]

Erik Wemple of the WaPo is pointing out substantial issues with this reporting: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/10/30/atlantics-troubled-niche-sports-story/

[writingprof]

Erik Wemple of the WaPo is pointing out substantial issues with this reporting: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/10/30/atlantics-troubled-niche-sports-story/

I refuse to believe that a legacy media outlet would make up or exaggerate facts!

[Hegemony]

There's now quite a disclaimer and apology at the beginning of the article!

[writingprof]

There's now quite a disclaimer and apology at the beginning of the article!

In this case, I think the magazine is mostly right to blame the writer.  However, anytime you find yourself altering someone's byline to disguise the fact that she has ruined her name with previous journalistic deceit and malfeasance, you probably need to stop and reconsider before hitting "publish."

[fourhats]

The New York Times has also picked it up: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/01/business/media/atlantic-ruth-shalit-barrett.html?action=click&module=Latest&pgtype=Homepage

However, it's not clear from the article that the author fabricated anything. It appears possible that the parent in the story gave her false information about having a son.

[marshwiggle]

The New York Times has also picked it up: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/01/business/media/atlantic-ruth-shalit-barrett.html?action=click&module=Latest&pgtype=Homepage

However, it's not clear from the article that the author fabricated anything. It appears possible that the parent in the story gave her false information about having a son.

What it says:

"When we asked Barrett about these allegations, she initially denied them, saying that Sloane had told her she had a son, and that she had believed Sloane," the editor's note said. "The next day, when we questioned her again, she admitted that she was 'complicit' in 'compounding the deception' and that 'it would not be fair to Sloane' to blame her alone for deceiving The Atlantic."

So whether it was Barrett's idea or not, she knowingly published incorrect information. And The Atlantic's supposed "fact-checking" was obviously bogus or totally incompetent.

[Hibush]

The story was clearly embellished to make it more dramatic, and some details modified to (unsuccessfully) conceal the source. Nevertheless, the intensity with which Shalit's new neighbors in Connecticut's "gold coast" spend time and money on their children's exclusive sports for social and academic advancement appears to be pretty accurately described.

For those on the receiving end of the resulting applications, or students, what are the consequences?  It must be different to get "feedback" from the squash coach at a small school than from the football coach at a D1 school. Does the intensity carryover into calls from parents? Is there any special approach to engage these student-athletes in fruitful classroom discussion?

[namazu]

There's now quite a disclaimer and apology at the beginning of the article!

And now a full retraction.

[Langue_doc]

According to the New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/01/business/media/atlantic-ruth-shalit-barrett.html?action=click&module=Latest&pgtype=Homepage

[dismalist]

So what?

As was asked up-thread, what is the effect of lying about the existence of someone's son on the fact that some humans think they are clever enough at gaming some colleges' admissions, and foolish enough to spend boatloads of cash on such an arms race?

[marshwiggle]

So what?

As was asked up-thread, what is the effect of lying about the existence of someone's son on the fact that some humans think they are clever enough at gaming some colleges' admissions, and foolish enough to spend boatloads of cash on such an arms race?

In a climate where all kinds of people all over the political spectrum are concerned about "fake news", the last thing society needs is "news" organizations either intentionally or out of laziness allowing incorrect information to be presented as though it's fact.

It's basically turning all "journalism" into clickbait.

[jimbogumbo]

The article has now been retracted.

[jimbogumbo]

Sorry! Didn't see the earlier post.

[dismalist]

... She was described as a stay-at-home mother with three daughters and a son ...

Aw, c'mon, the reporter only lied about the son, so she got it 75% right or 25% wrong. That's a passing grade, isn't it?

What bugs me is that a mistaken personal detail leads to cancelling an article that showed that some rich people were rather stupid. So this latter bit of information is lost.

Maybe I'm paranoid, but just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not after me!

[spork]

It sounds like the article's author instructed "Sloane" to lie to the Atlantic's fact checkers, which led the Atlantic's editors to decide that it was impossible for them to determine whether other parts of the story were true or false.