Jonah Lehrer, writer for the 'New Yorker', resigned on Monday after it was revealed that he fabricated quotes from Bob Dylan in his best-selling book, 'Imagine: How Creativity Works'.
Publisher Houghton Mifflin also pulled the book from store shelves after Lehrer confessed to fabricating quotes he attributed to legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in his book.
"The quotes in question either did not exist, were unintentional misquotations, or represented improper combinations of previously existing quotes," the 31-year-old writer admitted. "I said that they were from archival interview footage provided to me by Dylan's representatives."
"This was a lie spoken in a moment of panic. The lies are over now. I understand the gravity of my position."
"I want to apologize to everyone I have let down, especially my editors and readers. I have resigned my position as staff writer at The New Yorker."
Lehrer's fake Dylan quotes were first called into question by journalist Michael Moynihan, who said last month that Lehrer had committed "self-plagiarism" by lifting segments from the book and putting them onto The New Yorker's website without any attribution.
"To some, it was a tenuous charge like 'being accused of stealing food from your own refrigerator'," wrote Moynihan. "Others highlighted the pressures brought to bear on young writers to produce more and more content."
"This is a terrifically sad situation," says New Yorker editor David Remnick. "But, in the end, what is most important is the integrity of what we publish and what we stand for."
Jonah Lehrer, writer for the 'New Yorker', resigned on Monday after it was revealed that he fabricated quotes from Bob Dylan in his best-selling book, 'Imagine: How Creativity Works'.
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