Here’s a recap, from the New Yorker’s Isaac Chotiner, about the publication process for big articles:
“I spoke to numerous people who played some role in the production of Ward’s article, which for such a story always includes fact checkers, editors, and lawyers. None felt able to go on the record to discuss the magazine’s handling of the piece, but several said that Ward had not gathered evidence that would stand up in court, and others echoed Carter’s remarks about Ward’s journalism. ‘Vicky had zero credibility with the fact-checking and legal departments,’ one person who worked at Vanity Fair at the time told me. ‘They had too many bad experiences.’ Another then staffer said that Ward had provided inaccurate quotations and had had disputes with sources about when they were speaking on the record. A third person, who worked extensively with both Ward and Carter, told me that he thought Vanity Fair could have done more to pursue the Farmers’ allegations, but also that Ward seemed not to understand ‘basic journalistic rules.’”
“I spoke to numerous people who played some role in the production of Ward’s article, which for such a story always includes fact checkers, editors, and lawyers. None felt able to go on the record to discuss the magazine’s handling of the piece, but several said that Ward had not gathered evidence that would stand up in court, and others echoed Carter’s remarks about Ward’s journalism. ‘Vicky had zero credibility with the fact-checking and legal departments,’ one person who worked at Vanity Fair at the time told me. ‘They had too many bad experiences.’ Another then staffer said that Ward had provided inaccurate quotations and had had disputes with sources about when they were speaking on the record. A third person, who worked extensively with both Ward and Carter, told me that he thought Vanity Fair could have done more to pursue the Farmers’ allegations, but also that Ward seemed not to understand ‘basic journalistic rules.’”
