I have been surprised by some of the reaction to the news that the Independent’s star columnist and interviewer Johann Hari had played fast and loose with the conventions of journalism. It’s very difficult to defend what he did.
I always think it’s a little unseemly for journalists to pass judgement on their fellow hacks. But this really is an extraordinary case.
As the Telegraph reports, The Orwell Prize is now investigating Hari and whether to withdraw his award from 2008. It is worth reading the statement in full:
“The Orwell Prize became aware of allegations concerning Johann Hari, the winner of the Orwell Prize for Journalism 2008, on Monday 27th June. (Johann Hari has also been shortlisted for the Prize in the past, and entered this year’s Prize.) Given the seriousness of the allegations that have been made, we feel we have no choice other than to investigate further.
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