Michael Finkel

Michael Finkel is an American journalist and memoirist.

Finkel wrote for The New York Times until 2001, when he was discovered to have created composite characters for a story he had written on the African slave trade,[1] and was fired.[2] (In contrast with major attention given to the plagiarism of his New York Times colleague Jayson Blair in the next week, Finkel's dismissal was announced with a short paragraph in a back section.)

Finkel learned that Christian Longo, an Oregon man who had murdered his own wife and three children in December 2001, had used "Michael Finkel" as an alias during his several weeks as a fugitive. After Longo's capture the next month, Finkel communicated with him. Finkel says that, before the trial, Longo had hoped that the journalist would bring out "the real story" to help him win acquittal; after conviction, the convict gave Finkel interviews admitting his guilt. Finkel wrote a memoir on the relationship, True Story. A film adaptation was released in April 2015.

In 2008, Finkel and photographer John Stanmeyer won the National Magazine Award for photojournalism[3] for "Bedlam in the Blood: Malaria",[4] published in the July 2007[5] National Geographic.

References

  1. ↑ Finkel, Michael (November 18, 2001). "Is Youssouf Malé A Slave? with Editors' Note". Retrieved April 18, 2015. (registration required (help)).
  2. ↑ Wiegand, David (June 11, 2005). "After getting fired by the New York Times for lying in print, a reporter stumbled on the story of his life". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Winners & Finalists". American Society of Magazine Editors. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
  4. ↑ Finkel, Michael. "Bedlam in the Blood: Malaria". National Geographic. Retrieved April 18, 2015. (subscription required (help)).
  5. ↑ Shafer, Jack (July 27, 2007). "The Return of Michael Finkel". Slate. Retrieved April 18, 2015.