Against the former “mirror”Reporter Claas Relotius there was, apparently, already more than a year ago in-house objections. Editors of Spiegel TV, the television production company of the news magazine, were in the first half of 2017, blatant contradictions in one of his programs encountered, such as the “time” according to their own research reports. His superiors decided, but the Point is not to pursue.

The report, his colleagues suspicious, is about two boys, brothers, as Relotius writes, were recruited in Northern Iraq from the “Islamic state” as child soldiers and trained suicide bombers. The Reporter tells her story under the title lion boy, the on 18. February 2017 in the mirror appeared, While the Boy named Khalid 2016 sprinkled on instructions of the IS in Kirkuk in the air, decided I’m not his brother Nadim immediately prior to the attempt to detonate his explosives belt and surrender to the police.

brothers

a Few weeks later, reporters from “Spiegel TV flew” in the area to film the story. There is research, it turned out, according to “time”-that Nadim and Khalid exist, but no brothers. Upon their return, the TV Reporter Relotius’ superiors reported their discoveries. Then should be reported to Relotius at “Spiegel TV” and vehemently for his research have occurred. It is unclear so far who learned exactly from the Hints and who decided not to pursue them. At this time, Relotius employed.

On 30. April 2017 was a “mirror TV”-report sent, in which the Young Nadim interviewed and Khalid as “another child soldier” is mentioned, your connection but it will not be described in detail.

Embezzled donations

Relotius has now admitted that his Lion cub-Reportage is invented in many Parts, and as the basis of a short Interview with the boys, Nadim served. The head of the Department of society and Relotius’ boss, Matthias Geyer, said on the request of the “time”: “Me has not reached to any time any where any note that with Claas Relotius’ stories is something wrong.”