USA Today Removes 23 Articles After Audit Finds Former Reporter Fabricated Quotes

thewrap.com:

“After receiving an external correction request, USA Today audited the reporting work of Gabriela Miranda. The audit revealed that some individuals quoted were not affiliated with the organizations claimed and appeared to be fabricated.

The existence of other individuals quoted could not be independently verified. In addition, some stories included quotes that should have been credited to others,” a statement posted on the site Thursday reads.The 23 articles now have a message that reads,“Editor’s note: This story has been removed from our platforms because it does not meet our standards.”The newspaper also announced it will be adopting new processes and oversights to prevent this kind of egregious error from happening again.An unnamed source told the New York Times that Miranda, “took steps to deceive investigators by producing false evidence of her newsgathering, including recordings of interviews.”USA Today did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment..