Free Republic

A longtime columnist of the Sacramento Bee who resigned amid controversy last month may have invented the existence of 43 people she wrote about over several years, an internal investigation found. The paper announced yesterday it had completed a probe into Diana Griego Erwin's writing, stating: "We have been unable to verify the existence of 43 people she named in her columns. This doesn't prove these people don't exist, but despite extensive research we have been unable to find them." Bee Executive Editor Rick Rodriguez wrote that recent tightening in editorial standards at the paper led to questions about the...

The Public Editor: Specifics allow readers to judge for themselves By Armando Acuña -- The Public Editor Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, May 22, 2005 The resignation of Diana Griego Erwin over allegations that she fabricated material in her work as The Bee's metro columnist moved many readers to ask for more specific information about the columns in question. "As a reader, I'm owed that," said Steve Papinchak, a private investigator for a federal contractor. The way the story has played out so far, "I just have to trust that The Bee did an impartial investigation." Arden Fair Mall The...

The National Society of Newspaper Columnists still wants Diana Griego Erwin as a speaker next month, despite her Wednesday resignation from The Sacramento Bee over allegations that the paper could not verify the existence of some people mentioned in her columns. Erwin, who has denied fabricating sources, told the NSNC today that she's still coming to its June 23-26 conference in Grapevine, Texas. She is scheduled to speak the morning of June 24. "She's one of the best columnists in America -- and she has a real story to tell now," said Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist/conference host Dave Lieber, who...

Newspaper Columnist Resigns After Inquiry The Sacramento Bee says Diana Griego Erwin could not confirm the identities of her sources. The writer says she did nothing wrong. By James Rainey Times Staff Writer May 13, 2005 The Sacramento Bee announced Thursday the resignation of an award-winning columnist, the latest in a series of cases across the nation in which journalists had been forced from their jobs because of questions about the veracity of their reporting. In an explanation to readers, Bee Executive Editor Rick Rodriguez wrote that Diana Griego Erwin could not adequately answer questions that first arose last month...