James Scott, a reporter for the Charleston Post and Courier, was recently in Augusta covering The Master's tournament protests. He quoted a protester who said his name was "Heywood Jablowme" and the quote made it into the article. Scott was immediately scolded, publically and nationally, for having missed "the oldest joke in the fifth grade." He writes about it: "According to the 99X Web site, the stunt was mentioned in over 100 newspapers and numerous TV stations. That makes me feel a little better at night when I curl up in the fetal position and whine myself to sleep." [Update: a reader notes that the NY Post fell for "Heywood Jablowme" once as well, a year and a half ago.]
Embarrassing lesson: duped reporter learns the hard way [Charleston Post and Courier via Romenesko]