"Fearless Pursuit of Truth"? Hah!

Share this

A new annual journalism award has been created in honor of Michael Kelly, who edited publications including The New Republic, National Journal, Atlantic Monthly before he was killed while covering the war in Iraq. The Michael Kelly Award will recognize a journalist "whose work exemplifies a quality that animated Michael Kelly's own career: the fearless expression and pursuit of truth." It's rather ironic, since Kelly is the guy who nurtured the embarrassing career of Stephen Glass, one of the most notorious journalistic frauds of the past century. The Daily Howler has taken a genuinely fearless look at Kelly's career, calling him "a relentless dissembler and the equivalent of a loud, angry drunk. He did deep damage to his country's discourse - and as such, he harmed the public interest."