Stephen Glass, former journalist for The New Republic, was denounced by the journalism community in 1998 after the majority of his published articles were revealed to have been fabricated. These violations went unchecked for years, undermining the credibility of journalism in the public’s eyes.

According to a 2011 article in CNN, Glass admitted to fabricating 43 of his pieces after Forbes reporter Adam Penenberg uncovered the falsifications in the article “Hack Heaven.” He made up entire stories which also appeared in Harper’s Magazine, Rolling Stone, and George.

“I didn’t know … that he’d made up nearly all of the bizarre and amazing stories, that he was the perpetrator of probably the most elaborate fraud in journalistic history, that he would soon become famous on a whole new scale,” said Hanna Rosin, Glass’ former coworker and best friend at The New Republic.

Glass joined The New Republic as an editorial assistant in 1995. According to a 2003 CBS News article, Glass became a compulsive liar in order to attract excitement and praise as the star beginner.

“I remember thinking, ‘If I just had the exact quote that I wanted to make it work, it would be perfect,’” said Stephen Glass during a 60 Minutes exclusive interview. “I wanted every story to be a home run.”

Choosing to pursue law after his decimated journalism career, Glass failed to enter the New York or California bar in 2002 and 2007 respectively. He ultimately became a paralegal for law firm Carpenter, Zuckerman & Rowley.