Originally Posted by L-Pink

A Washington Post writer won a Pulitzer prize based on a totally made up story, big journalistic scandal at the time.

"In 1980, Cooke joined the "Weeklies" section staff of the Washington Post under editor Vivian Aplin-Brownlee. Cooke falsely claimed she had a degree from Vassar College and a master's degree from the University of Toledo and she claimed that she had received a journalism award while at the Toledo Blade. While Cooke had attended Vassar for a year, she had only received a bachelor's degree from Toledo."

"In a September 28, 1980, article in the Post, titled "Jimmy's World",[1] Cooke wrote a profile of the life of an 8-year-old heroin addict. She described the "needle marks freckling the baby-smooth skin of his thin, brown arms." The story engendered much sympathy among readers, including Marion Barry, then mayor of Washington, D.C. He and other city officials organized an all-out police search for the boy, which was unsuccessful and led to claims that the story was fraudulent. Barry, responding to public pressure, lied and claimed that Jimmy was known to the city and receiving treatment; Jimmy was announced dead shortly after."

"Although some within the Post doubted the story's veracity, the Post defended it and assistant managing editor Bob Woodward submitted the story for the Pulitzer Prize. Cooke was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing on April 13, 1981."


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