aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South

Friday, December 30, 2005

Prediction: “Little Red Book” liar will be named

The other day I said my gut reaction was that the student should be named.  Today, after reading the full story, I’m not as sure:

On Saturday, Dec. 24, The Standard-Times reported that story—on Page One—under the headline, “Federal agents’ visit was a hoax.”

Again, we didn’t name the student, at the request of the university. We also worried about the student’s mental state and about the careers of professors Williams and Pontbriand, who were deeply embarrassed by the story and the wide play it got in the news media, on the Web and talk radio.

“I wasn’t involved in some partisan struggle to embarrass the Bush administration,” Dr. Williams said. “I just wanted the truth.”

Now I’m thinking it would be good and kind to allow the student his anonymity but because this has become too big a media event that’s not likely. Someone will dig up and publish the name.

Via Romenesko:

Standard-Times editor Bob Unger writes about the “Little Red Book” hoax and reports the student who falsely claimed he was interrogated by homeland security agents after checking out Mao’s book sent this e-mail to reporter Aaron Nicodemus: “The fact is that my being panicked about this hole (sic) event led me to unfortunately prop up my story (i.e., fabricate it), for that I have to apologize to you and to my professors. I have spoken to my family about the whole issue and the fact is that they were understandibly (sic) angry. My name has been dishonored within my family and so I will spend the rest of the winter trying to restore even a little bit of it back, at least.”