Janet Cooke ft. Mike Sager

At first, Janet Cooke was known as a promising, young, Pulitzer-Prize-winning reporter at The Washington Post. Then, she became infamous when she returned her Pulitzer for committing one of journalism’s cardinal sins: fabrication. Today, her name is invoked in textbooks and in classrooms as a warning, a maleficent totem in journalism’s history, and as a vehicle for discussions about ethics and diversity in the newsroom. In this episode, Lena and Alissa focus instead on Janet’s upbringing and inner life which influenced her bad choices. Alissa also chats with journalist Mike Sager about his memories of the scandal, his close friendship-slash-relationship with Janet, and the important but often overlooked details he uncovered when writing about her story. Mentions: Shannon Wilsey (aka Savannah) episode from season 3. More Info: We're dedicating this season of The C-Word to reproductive rights. Join us! The goal is to raise funds for the National Network of Abortion Funds (AbortionFunds.org), a collective of almost 100 organizations who remove barriers to abortion care through direct service and political organizing. Donate here: https://donate.abortionfunds.org/give/323375/#!/donation/checkout?c_src=thec-word In partnership, Luminary will match donations (up to $10,000) toAbortionFunds.org