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{{Short description|American journalist and author}}
'''Kevin Deutsch''' is an American criminal justice journalist and author.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Kevin-Deutsch/e/B00MBRB2DE|title=Amazon.com: Kevin Deutsch: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle|publisher=}}</ref> The sourcing and veracity of his news articles and his book ''Pill City'' have become the subject of a high-profile dispute, with multiple articles suggesting Deutsch has repeatedly fabricated sources, quotes, and events.
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
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'''Kevin Deutsch''' is an American criminal justice journalist and author. He is the author of ''Pill City'', an account of how two teens used opioids looted during the ] to sell drugs using an Uber-like app and found a nationwide criminal syndicate.<ref name="rollingstone" /> The sourcing and veracity of some of his news articles and his book ''Pill City'' became the subject of a high-profile dispute in 2017 involving allegations Deutsch repeatedly fabricated sources, quotes, and events.<!-- sources --><ref name="rollingstone">{{cite magazine |last=Rich |first=Jim |date=April 11, 2017 |title=The Fake News Story No One's Talking About: Reporter Kevin Deutsch has been accused of fabricating sources in stories for major publications – so where's the outrage? |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/inside-the-fake-news-story-no-ones-talking-about-w475648 |magazine=] |access-date=September 27, 2017}}</ref><!-- quotes --><ref name="imediaethics572" /><!-- events --><ref name="bcitypaper" /> Deutsch denied the claims and defended his work as accurate,<ref>{{cite news |first=Kevin |last=Deutsch |url=https://observer.com/2017/03/kevin-deutsch-plagiarism-allegation-response/ |title=Kevin Deutsch: The Truth Is on My Side |date=March 6, 2017 |work=]}}</ref> as did his publisher, St. Martins Press.<ref name="rollingstone" />


== Career == == Career ==
===Journalism===
⚫ Deutsch's first book, ''The Triangle: A Year on the Ground with New York's Bloods and Crips'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781493016952/The-Triangle-A-Year-on-the-Ground-with-New-York's-Bloods-and-Crips|title=The-Triangle-A-Year-on-the-Ground-with-New-Yorks-Bloods-and-Crips|publisher=}}</ref> is an account of the year the author spent covering a Bloods-Crips gang war on Long Island.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4930-0760-8|title=Nonfiction Book Review: The Triangle: A Year on the Ground with New York's Bloods and Crips by Kevin Deutsch|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/2014/12/14/were_baghdad_ready_inside_the_street_gangs_of_long_island/|title="We’re Baghdad-ready": Inside the street gangs of Long Island|first=Laura|last=Miller|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://qns.com/story/2015/05/04/reporter-from-lic-writes-book-on-inside-look-at-new-yorks-ongoing-gang-war/|title=Reporter from LIC writes book on inside look at New York's ongoing gang war - QNS.com|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ensuingchapters.com/category/authors/kevin-deutsch/|title=Kevin Deutsch - Ensuing Chapters|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kevindeutsch.us/blog/columbus-dispatch-calls-triangle-gripping|title=The Columbus Dispatch calls 'The Triangle' "Gripping" - KevinDeutsch.us|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://quick-book-review.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-triangle-by-kevin-deutsch.html|title=Quick Book Reviews: "The Triangle" by Kevin Deutsch – War of the Invisible Men|first=David Ben|last=Efraim|date=1 March 2015|publisher=}}</ref> It received positive reviews from critics, including a starred review from ''Publisher's Weekly'' magazine. His second book, ''Pill City: How Two Honor Roll Students Foiled the Feds and Built a Drug Empire'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://us.macmillan.com/pillcity/kevindeutsch|title=Pill City - Kevin Deutsch - Macmillan|publisher=}}</ref> chronicles the story of how opiates stolen during the Baltimore riots sparked a wave of inner-city addiction and violence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kevin-deutsch/pill-city/|title=PILL CITY by Kevin Deutsch - Kirkus Reviews|publisher=}}</ref> Deutsch, born Kevin Shulman, writes under his mother's name. He received a Sunshine State Award for travel writing for a story he wrote about his father, attorney Howard Shulman.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/051907/D8P7RSI01.shtml=}}</ref>
Deutsch worked as a breaking news and police reporter at the '']'' from 2003 to 2005.<ref name="imediaethics572" /> He worked at the '']'' from 2009 to 2012,<ref name="waposkeptical" /> followed by law enforcement reporting for '']'' until 2016.<ref name="Newsday" /> He has also worked as a staff writer at '']'', '']'',<ref>{{cite news |first=Tanisia |last=Morris |url=https://riverdalepress.com/stories/Ex-Press-reporter-tackles-gang-violence-in-new-book,55917 |title=Ex-'Press' reporter tackles gang violence in new book |work=] |date=December 11, 2014 |access-date=April 3, 2021}}</ref> and '']''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Staff Profile: Kevin Deutsch |newspaper=The Miami Times |date=2023 |url=https://www.miamitimesonline.com/users/profile/kevin%20deutsch/ |access-date=14 October 2023}}</ref> He was hired as a reporter by ]'s the '']'' in 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Connor |first=Richard L. |date=December 28, 2022 |title=Happy New Years! |work=] |url=https://www.riograndesun.com/opinion/happy-new-years/article_3d65d308-86d4-11ed-87fd-6fa1360bac6b.html}}</ref>


===Author===
Deutsch has worked on staff at ''Newsday'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/books/the-triangle-kevin-deutsch-goes-inside-hempstead-s-gang-wars-1.9808136|title=Hempstead's gang wars focus of new book|publisher=}}</ref> ''The New York Daily News'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/authors?author=Kevin-Deutsch|title=Kevin Deutsch - Writers - NY Daily News|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/media/story/2013/01/news-successfully-quashes-subpoena-for-a-reporter-in-hero-cop-peter-figoski-murder-case-000947|title='News' successfully quashes subpoena for a reporter in 'hero cop' Peter Figoski murder case|publisher=}}</ref> ''The Miami Herald'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/fred-grimm/article83555062.html|title=Orlando massacre roused the whole spectrum of American grievances|publisher=}}</ref> ''The Palm Beach Post'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/news/killer-lightning-strikes-6455462|title=Killer Lightning Strikes|first=Bob|last=Norman|date=27 April 2006|publisher=}}</ref> and ''The Riverdale Press''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://riverdalepress.com/stories/Ex-Press-reporter-tackles-gang-violence-in-new-book,55917|title=Ex-‘Press’ reporter tackles gang violence in new book|publisher=}}</ref> His work as a freelancer has also appeared in ''The New York Times'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/nyregion/fentanyl-epidemic-long-island.html?_r=0}}</ref> ''Newsweek'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/user/10994|title=Kevin Deutsch|publisher=}}</ref> ''The Village Voice'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/authors/kevin-deutsch-9262019|title=Kevin Deutsch - New York News, Food, Culture and Events - Village Voice|publisher=}}</ref> ''The Forward'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forward.com/author/kevin-deutsch/?attribution=author-article-listing-1-byline|title=Kevin Deutsch|publisher=}}</ref> ''Columbia Journalism Review'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cjr.org/q_and_a/immersion_journalism_ted_conover.php|title=Q&A: Ted Conover on mastering the art of immersion journalism|publisher=}}</ref> and ''The New York Post''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nypost.com/2014/11/23/how-the-love-of-a-high-school-girl-sparked-a-gang-war/|title=How the love of a high school girl sparked a gang war|first=Kevin|last=Deutsch|date=23 November 2014|publisher=}}</ref> Deutsch has been interviewed about American street gangs and drug trafficking,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3184452/|title=Kevin Deutsch|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wnyc.org/story/year-ground-new-yorks-bloods-and-crips/|title="A Year On The Ground With New York's Bloods and Crips"|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vice.com/read/how-new-york-citys-gang-culture-is-changing-818|title=How New York Gang Culture Is Changing - VICE - United States|date=18 August 2015|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/2014/09/05/ferguson-recruitment-boon-gangs-265884.html|title=For St. Louis Gangs, Ferguson Has Become a Recruiting Tool|first=Kevin Deutsch On 8/20/14 at 12:28|last=PM|date=20 August 2014|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/2014/10/17/drug-war-long-islands-hempstead-getto-free-market-tec-9s-276000.html|title=‘You Ready to Step Up?’|first=Kevin Deutsch On 10/8/14 at 6:58|last=AM|date=8 October 2014|publisher=}}</ref> and has received prizes for his writing about crime and national news events, including an Associated Press award for justice beat reporting.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/04/winners_of_new_york_state_associated_press_association_writing_and_photography_c.html|title=Winners of New York State Associated Press Association writing and photography contest for 2013|publisher=}}</ref>
⚫ Deutsch's first book, ''The Triangle: A Year on the Ground with New York's Bloods and Crips'' (2014),<ref>{{cite book |last1=Deutsch |first1=Kevin |url=https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781493016952/The-Triangle-A-Year-on-the-Ground-with-New-York's-Bloods-and-Crips |title=The Triangle: A Year on the Ground with New York's Bloods and Crips |date=2014 |publisher=] / ] |isbn=978-1-4930-0760-8 |language=en-us}}</ref> is an account of the year the author spent covering a gang war between the ] and the ] on Long Island.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4930-0760-8 |title=Nonfiction Book Review: The Triangle: A Year on the Ground with New York's Bloods and Crips by Kevin Deutsch |magazine=] |date=October 20, 2014 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.salon.com/2014/12/14/were_baghdad_ready_inside_the_street_gangs_of_long_island/ |title="We're Baghdad-ready": Inside the street gangs of Long Island |first=Laura |last=Miller |work=] |date=December 15, 2014 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Darcangelo |first1=Vince |url=https://ensuingchapters.com/2015/01/07/dispatches-from-the-war-on-drugs/ |title=Dispatches from the War on Drugs |website=Ensuing Chapters |language=en |date=January 7, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://quick-book-review.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-triangle-by-kevin-deutsch.html |title=Quick Book Reviews: "The Triangle" by Kevin Deutsch – War of the Invisible Men |first=David Ben |last=Efraim |website=Quick Book Reviews |date=March 1, 2015}}</ref> It received positive reviews from critics, including a starred review from ''Publishers Weekly'' magazine. His second book, ''Pill City: How Two Honor Roll Students Foiled the Feds and Built a Drug Empire'' (2017),<ref>{{cite web |title=Pill City |url=https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250110046/pill-city |website=]}}</ref> chronicles the story of how opiates stolen during the Baltimore riots sparked a wave of inner-city addiction and violence.<ref>{{cite web |title=PILL CITY |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kevin-deutsch/pill-city/ |website=] |language=en}}</ref>


== Questions about sources == == Questions about sources ==
Following the release of Deutsch's second book, ''Pill City'', reporters from '']'' and '']'', challenged the veracity of the book's narrative.<ref name="bcitypaper">{{Cite news|url=http://www.citypaper.com/blogs/the-news-hole/bcpnews-inconsistencies-raise-questions-about-pill-city-a-baltimore-tale-of-drugs-and-murder-20170217-story.html|title=Anonymous Sources, Pharmacy Pills, and Gang Wars: Inconsistencies raise questions about "Pill City," a Baltimore tale of drugs and murder|last=Jr.|first=Edward Ericson|work=citypaper.com|access-date=2017-03-04|language=en-US}}</ref> along with the Baltimore TV writer/producer ],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.themillions.com/2017/02/fake-pill-city.html|title=Fake Pill City - The Millions|date=2017-02-22|work=The Millions|access-date=2017-03-15|language=en-US}}</ref> On February 10, 2017, ''The Baltimore Sun'' published an article quoting government officials that cast doubt on the book, and Deutsch's practice of changing the names of individuals and places he documented.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-pill-city-book-20170210-story.html|title=Baltimore officials question claims in new book about 2015 pharmacy thefts|last=Fenton|first=Justin|newspaper=baltimoresun.com|access-date=2017-02-24|language=en-US}}</ref> The doubts were extensive - David Simon said "After reading, I think this book is, by and large, a wholesale fabrication."<ref name="waposkeptical">. ''The Washington Post''</ref> Core elements of the book could not be substantiated, including "the dates, circumstances and victims involved in homicides Deutsch describes in detail."<ref name="waposkeptical" /> The ''City Paper'' was not able to confirm the existence of almost any person described in the book, including incidental characters not involved in crime who would have no reason to fear exposure.<ref name="bcitypaper" /> Despite a detailed explanation of events in the Shock Trauma department at the ], no record exists of Deutsch visiting it.<ref name="bcitypaper" /> Of the murders described in the book, several did not appear to match any of Baltimore area's recorded murders during the year-long time period.<ref name="bcitypaper" /> Alleged old-time drug lords as well as allegedly famous murdered preachers, people who should have been well-known, could not be identified.<ref name="bcitypaper" /> Following the release of Deutsch's second book, ''Pill City'', reporters from '']'' and '']'' challenged the book's veracity.<ref name="bcitypaper">{{Cite news |url=http://www.citypaper.com/blogs/the-news-hole/bcpnews-inconsistencies-raise-questions-about-pill-city-a-baltimore-tale-of-drugs-and-murder-20170217-story.html |title=Anonymous Sources, Pharmacy Pills, and Gang Wars: Inconsistencies raise questions about ''Pill City'', a Baltimore tale of drugs and murder |last=Ericson Jr. |first=Edward |work=] |access-date=March 4, 2017 |date=February 17, 2017}}</ref> On February 10, 2017, ''The Baltimore Sun'' published an article quoting government officials that cast doubt on the book, and Deutsch's practice of changing the names of individuals and places he documented.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-pill-city-book-20170210-story.html |title=Baltimore officials question claims in new book about 2015 pharmacy thefts |last=Fenton |first=Justin |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |access-date=February 24, 2017 |date=February 10, 2017}}</ref> Core elements of the book could not be substantiated, including "the dates, circumstances and victims involved in homicides Deutsch describes in detail".<ref name="waposkeptical" /> The ''City Paper'' was not able to confirm the existence of almost any person described in the book, including incidental characters not involved in crime who would have no reason to fear exposure.<ref name="bcitypaper" /> Despite a detailed explanation of events in the trauma department at the ], no record exists of Deutsch visiting it.<ref name="bcitypaper" /> Of the murders described in the book, several did not appear to match any of Baltimore area's recorded murders during the year-long time period.<ref name="bcitypaper" /> The ''City Paper'', despite inquiring with both the police and other experts on the Baltimore underworld, was unable to verify the existence of characters who might possibly have been analogues for "old-school drug kingpin Jimmy Masters" nor a "nationally famous" Reverend Grier, despite a detailed description of a high-profile and well-attended funeral for Grier in the book.<ref name="bcitypaper" />


The ''Baltimore Sun'' article also included an extended video interview with Deutsch, in which he defended his work and his use of anonymous sourcing, which he said was needed to protect the safety of interviewees.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/92551191-132.html|title=Interview with 'Pill City' author Kevin Deutsch|last=Sun|first=Baltimore|newspaper=baltimoresun.com|access-date=2017-02-24|language=en-US}}</ref> The "Author's Note" in Deutsch's book includes a section detailing his methodology. It states that "In order to disguise the identities of interviewees, most of their names have been changed. For that same reason, certain locations, physical descriptions, and other identifying details have been altered or obscured." <ref></ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://medium.com/@pillcitybook/pill-city-how-two-honor-roll-students-foiled-the-feds-and-built-a-drug-empire-410e9254f46#.ma6u7xy2i}}</ref> The ''Baltimore Sun'' article also included an extended video interview with Deutsch, in which he defended his work and his use of anonymous sourcing, which he said was needed to protect the safety of interviewees.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/92551191-132.html |title=Interview with 'Pill City' author Kevin Deutsch |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |access-date=February 24, 2017 |date=February 10, 2017}}</ref> The "Author's Note" in Deutsch's book includes a section detailing his methodology. It states that "In order to disguise the identities of interviewees, most of their names have been changed. For that same reason, certain locations, physical descriptions, and other identifying details have been altered or obscured".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_O2dDAAAQBAJ&q=changed|title=Pill City: How Two Honor Roll Students Foiled the Feds and Built a Drug Empire|first=Kevin|last=Deutsch|date=January 31, 2017|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=9781250110046|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://medium.com/@pillcitybook/pill-city-how-two-honor-roll-students-foiled-the-feds-and-built-a-drug-empire-410e9254f46|title=Pill City: How Two Honor Roll Students Foiled the Feds and Built a Drug Empire|first=Kevin|last=Deutsch|date=February 15, 2017}}</ref>


Within a week of the ''Baltimore Sun'' story, both '']'' and '']'' announced separate internal reviews of Deutsch's past writing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.newsday.com/long-island/note-from-the-newsday-editor-1.13137281|title=Note from Newsday's editor|newspaper=Newsday|access-date=2017-02-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/investigations/bs-md-ci-pill-city-folo-20170216-story.html|title=Newsday, New York Times reviewing work of 'Pill City' author|last=Fenton|first=Justin|newspaper=baltimoresun.com|access-date=2017-02-24|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.citypaper.com/blogs/the-news-hole/bcpnews-questions-mount-over-pill-city-author-s-previous-reporting-20170303-story.html|title=Questions mount over "Pill City" author's previous reporting|last=Weigel|first=Brandon|work=citypaper.com|access-date=2017-03-04|language=en-US}}</ref> Within a week of the ''Baltimore Sun'' story, both '']'' and '']'' announced separate internal reviews of Deutsch's past writing.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.newsday.com/long-island/note-from-the-newsday-editor-1.13137281 |title=Note from Newsday's editor |newspaper=Newsday |access-date=February 24, 2017 |date=February 16, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/investigations/bs-md-ci-pill-city-folo-20170216-story.html |title=Newsday, New York Times reviewing work of 'Pill City' author |last=Fenton |first=Justin |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |access-date=February 24, 2017 |language=en-US |date=February 17, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.citypaper.com/blogs/the-news-hole/bcpnews-questions-mount-over-pill-city-author-s-previous-reporting-20170303-story.html |title=Questions mount over "Pill City" author's previous reporting |last=Weigel |first=Brandon |work=] |access-date=March 4, 2017 |language=en-US |date=March 3, 2017}}</ref> Baltimore TV writer/producer ] said "After reading, I think this book is, by and large, a wholesale fabrication."<ref name="waposkeptical">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/a-journalist-on-the-crime-beat-becomes-the-subject-of-some-skeptical-journalism/2017/09/15/c5139096-9711-11e7-82e4-f1076f6d6152_story.html |title=A journalist on the crime beat becomes the subject of some skeptical journalism |newspaper=The Washington Post |first=Paul |last=Farhi |date=September 17, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.themillions.com/2017/02/fake-pill-city.html|title=Fake Pill City - The Millions|date=February 22, 2017|work=The Millions|access-date=March 15, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>


On February 24, 2017, ''The New York Times'' published an editors' note on the sole article Deutsch wrote for the paper, detailing its investigation and conclusion: On February 24, 2017, ''The New York Times'' published an editors' note on the sole article Deutsch wrote for the paper, detailing its investigation and conclusion:


⚫ {{block indent|In response , editors and reporters at The Times conducted a detailed review of the fentanyl article . The main facts and thrust of the article, including the official data and quotes from the authorities, were confirmed. However, after extensive reporting efforts, The Times also has been unable to locate or confirm the existence of two people who were named and quoted: Jeffrey Sheridan, described as a resident of Oyster Bay, N.Y., who works as an addiction counselor and whose 34-year-old nephew died from a fentanyl overdose on Staten Island in 2015; and Andrew Giordano, described as a 26-year-old resident of Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, who overdosed on a fentanyl-heroin mixture.
{{block indent|An article on Dec. 29, 2016, described the rise of deadly fentanyl overdoses on Long Island, based largely on official data and interviews with law-enforcement officials. It was written by a freelance writer, Kevin Deutsch, an author and former staff reporter for The Daily News and Newsday.

Several weeks earlier, The Baltimore Sun had published a report that raised questions about claims in a new book by the reporter about the drug trade in Baltimore. The Sun reporters had informed The Times that, in the course of researching the claims in Mr. Deutsch’s book, they had reviewed the Times article and had been unable to locate two sources quoted by name in that article. The main facts of the article were upheld, and the story was not retracted.

⚫ In response, editors and reporters at The Times conducted a detailed review of the fentanyl article. The main facts and thrust of the article, including the official data and quotes from the authorities, were confirmed. However, after extensive reporting efforts, The Times also has been unable to locate or confirm the existence of two people who were named and quoted: Jeffrey Sheridan, described as a resident of Oyster Bay, N.Y., who works as an addiction counselor and whose 34-year-old nephew died from a fentanyl overdose on Staten Island in 2015; and Andrew Giordano, described as a 26-year-old resident of Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, who overdosed on a fentanyl-heroin mixture.

⚫ Mr. Deutsch maintains that the interviews and the descriptions are accurate. But he has not been able to put The Times in contact with either source, or to provide any further material to corroborate the account. At this point, editors have concluded that The Times cannot vouch for the accuracy of those sources, and that material has been removed from the online version of the article.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/pageoneplus/editors-note-february-25-2017.html|title=Editors’ Note: February 25, 2017|date=2017-02-24|work=The New York Times|access-date=2017-03-13|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>}}


⚫ Mr. Deutsch maintains that the interviews and the descriptions are accurate. But he has not been able to put The Times in contact with either source, or to provide any further material to corroborate the account. At this point, editors have concluded that The Times cannot vouch for the accuracy of those sources, and that material has been removed from the online version of the article.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/pageoneplus/editors-note-february-25-2017.html|title=Editors' Note: February 25, 2017|date=February 24, 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 13, 2017|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>}}
Following these findings, on March 2, 2017, the media watchdog group iMediaEthics confirmed that the '']'' was conducting an internal review, examining all 572 stories from Deutsch's career with the company.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.imediaethics.org/exclusive-572-stories-fmr-ny-daily-news-crime-reporter-review-nyt-admits-source-fail/|title=Exclusive: 572 Stories by Fmr NY Daily News Crime Reporter Under Review After NYT Admits Source Fail - iMediaEthics|date=2017-03-02|work=iMediaEthics|access-date=2017-03-04|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mediaite.com/online/ny-daily-news-newday-and-nyt-investigating-past-work-by-writer-whose-sourcing-is-now-being-questioned/|title=NY Daily News, Newsday, and NYT Investigating Past Work by Writer Whose Sourcing Is Now Being Questioned|website=www.mediaite.com|language=en|access-date=2017-03-04}}</ref> The group later shared a statement from ''Newsweek'', confirming that it would review the three stories Deutsch had written there as well.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.imediaethics.org/exclusive-now-8-missing-sources-crime-reporter-kevin-deutschs-coverage-quits-teaching-job-last-minute-newsweek-does-review/|title=Exclusive: Now 8 missing sources in crime reporter Kevin Deutsch's coverage, quits teaching job last minute, Newsweek stories also under review - iMediaEthics|date=2017-03-13|work=iMediaEthics|access-date=2017-03-15|language=en-US}}</ref> The ''New York Daily News'' review was ultimately inconclusive; it noted that many of Deutsch's stories were five-to-seven years old, making the details contained therein impossible to accurately assess. so did not mount a review similar to the one ''Newsday'' performed.<ref>. iMediaEthics.</ref><ref name="waposkeptical" />


Deutsch has stood by all of his reporting, stating that he used the exact names given to him by his interviewees.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.imediaethics.org/exclusive-now-8-missing-sources-crime-reporter-kevin-deutschs-coverage-quits-teaching-job-last-minute-newsweek-does-review/|title=Exclusive: Now 8 missing sources in crime reporter Kevin Deutsch's coverage, quits teaching job last minute, Newsweek stories also under review - iMediaEthics|date=2017-03-13|work=iMediaEthics|access-date=2017-03-15|language=en-US}}</ref> On his website, Deutsch defended his article, writing that the reason the ''Times'' had been unable to find the subjects was because "each interviewee gave me a name other than their legal name."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.kevindeutsch.us/blog/new-york-times-letter-editor}}</ref> On March 2, 2017, the media watchdog group iMediaEthics confirmed that the '']'' was conducting an internal review, examining all 572 stories from Deutsch's career with the company.<ref name="imediaethics572">{{Cite news|url=http://www.imediaethics.org/exclusive-572-stories-fmr-ny-daily-news-crime-reporter-review-nyt-admits-source-fail/|title=Exclusive: 572 Stories by Fmr NY Daily News Crime Reporter Under Review After NYT Admits Source Fail - iMediaEthics|date=March 2, 2017|work=iMediaEthics|access-date=March 4, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mediaite.com/online/ny-daily-news-newday-and-nyt-investigating-past-work-by-writer-whose-sourcing-is-now-being-questioned/|title=NY Daily News, Newsday, and NYT Investigating Past Work by Writer Whose Sourcing Is Now Being Questioned|website=]|language=en|access-date=March 4, 2017}}</ref> The group later shared a statement from ''Newsweek'', confirming that it would review the three stories Deutsch had written there as well.<ref name="sources">{{Cite news|url=https://www.imediaethics.org/exclusive-now-8-missing-sources-crime-reporter-kevin-deutschs-coverage-quits-teaching-job-last-minute-newsweek-does-review/|title=Exclusive: Now 8 missing sources in crime reporter Kevin Deutsch's coverage, quits teaching job last minute, Newsweek stories also under review - iMediaEthics|date=March 13, 2017|work=iMediaEthics|access-date=March 15, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> The ''New York Daily News'' review was less extensive than the ''Newsday'' review and noted the impossibility of verifying five-to-seven year old stories that were often written under multiple bylines after staff turnover, but did not find any obvious "red flags" in its review.<ref>. iMediaEthics.</ref><ref name="waposkeptical" /> Deutsch has stood by all of his reporting, stating that he used the exact names given to him by his interviewees.<ref name="sources" />


On July 12, 2017, ''Newsday'', where Deutsch was on staff for more than four years, released the conclusions of its review of Deutsch's writing there. ''Newsday'' said that review was prompted by the Baltimore article questioning Deutsch's second book. ''Newsday'' found that in 77 or more than 600 articles written by Deutsch, 109 individuals he quoted could not have their existence confirmed. The editors said the main points of the articles were confirmed and cited many reasons that people might not give a real name to a police reporter. No corrections were issued, but ''Newsday'' appended individual editor's notes to each of the 77 articles online, detailing which sources it could not locate after approximately four months of effort.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.newsday.com/news/editor-s-note-to-our-readers-1.13796846|title=Editor’s note to our readers|work=Newsday|access-date=2017-07-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.poynter.org/2017/newsday-releases-review-of-kevin-deutschs-reporting/466569/|title=Newsday releases review of Kevin Deutsch’s reporting|date=2017-07-12|work=Poynter|access-date=2017-07-14|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.imediaethics.org/newsday-109-sources-former-crime-reporter-kevin-deutsch-stories-cant-found/|title=Newsday: 109 Sources Can't be Found in Kevin Deutsch Crime Reporting - iMediaEthics|date=2017-07-12|work=iMediaEthics|access-date=2017-07-14|language=en-US}}</ref> On July 12, 2017, ''Newsday'', where Deutsch was on staff for more than four years, released the conclusions of its review of Deutsch's writing there. ''Newsday'' said that review was prompted by the Baltimore article questioning Deutsch's second book. ''Newsday'' found that in 77 of more than 600 articles written by Deutsch, 109 individuals he quoted could not have their existence confirmed. The editors said the main points of the articles were confirmed and cited many reasons that people might not give a real name to a police reporter. No corrections were issued, but ''Newsday'' appended individual editor's notes to each of the 77 articles online, detailing which sources it could not locate after approximately four months of effort.<ref name="Newsday">{{Cite news |url=http://www.newsday.com/news/editor-s-note-to-our-readers-1.13796846 |title=Editor's note to our readers |work=] |access-date=July 14, 2017 |date=July 12, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.poynter.org/2017/newsday-releases-review-of-kevin-deutschs-reporting/466569/|title=Newsday releases review of Kevin Deutsch's reporting|date=July 12, 2017|work=Poynter|access-date=July 14, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.imediaethics.org/newsday-109-sources-former-crime-reporter-kevin-deutsch-stories-cant-found/|title=Newsday: 109 Sources Can't be Found in Kevin Deutsch Crime Reporting - iMediaEthics|date=July 12, 2017|work=iMediaEthics|access-date=July 14, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>


In response, Deutsch issued a statement on his website stating: "For me, journalistic ethics are sacrosanct. They've remained so throughout my fifteen-year criminal justice journalism career—a career I'm extremely proud of. I stand behind every word I've published. None of my work has been found to be inaccurate, nor any story I've worked on ever retracted. Newsday’s review confirmed the accuracy of the more than 630 stories I wrote for the paper--stories Newsday is standing behind."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.kevindeutsch.us/blog/my-response-newsdays-review-7</ref> Deutsch has also suggested that his competitors are simply jealous of his work.<ref name="waposkeptical" /> Deutsch issued a statement on his website stating: "For me, journalistic ethics are sacrosanct. They've remained so throughout my fifteen-year criminal justice journalism career—a career I'm extremely proud of. I stand behind every word I've published. None of my work has been found to be inaccurate, nor any story I've worked on ever retracted. Newsday's review confirmed the accuracy of the more than 630 stories I wrote for the paper--stories Newsday is standing behind."<ref>{{cite web |title=My response to Newsday's review |url=http://www.kevindeutsch.us/blog/my-response-newsdays-review-8 |website=KevinDeutsch.us |accessdate=August 9, 2020}}</ref> Deutsch has also suggested that his competitors are simply jealous of his work.<ref name="waposkeptical" />


''The Washington Post'' and ''Rolling Stone'' both published articles which noted that Deutsch had worked for news organizations for years before Deutsch's alleged sourcing problems were brought to light.<ref name="rollingstone"> ''Rolling Stone''.</ref> They both hypothesized that Deutsch's coverage of marginalized communities meant he faced less accountability.<ref name="waposkeptical" /> Such sources are more difficult to track down, and readers are happy to accept information that fits their expectations. David Simon was more blunt; he wrote "Nobody is going to fact check poor black people. That's the bottom line... you can say anything you want about the black underclass."<ref name="rollingstone" /> Articles in ''The Washington Post'' and ''Rolling Stone'' both noted that Deutsch had worked for news organizations for years before sourcing allegations surfaced,<ref name="rollingstone" /> and hypothesized that Deutsch's coverage of marginalized communities meant he faced less accountability.<ref name="waposkeptical" /> Such sources are more difficult to track down, and readers are happy to accept information that fits their expectations. David Simon was more blunt; he wrote "Nobody is going to fact check poor black people. That's the bottom line... you can say anything you want about the black underclass."<ref name="rollingstone" />


== References == == References ==
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Latest revision as of 02:00, 20 April 2024

American journalist and author

Kevin Deutsch in the Bronx, New York, July 2020

Kevin Deutsch is an American criminal justice journalist and author. He is the author of Pill City, an account of how two teens used opioids looted during the 2015 Baltimore riots to sell drugs using an Uber-like app and found a nationwide criminal syndicate. The sourcing and veracity of some of his news articles and his book Pill City became the subject of a high-profile dispute in 2017 involving allegations Deutsch repeatedly fabricated sources, quotes, and events. Deutsch denied the claims and defended his work as accurate, as did his publisher, St. Martins Press.

Career

Journalism

Deutsch worked as a breaking news and police reporter at the Miami Herald from 2003 to 2005. He worked at the Daily News from 2009 to 2012, followed by law enforcement reporting for Newsday until 2016. He has also worked as a staff writer at The Riverdale Press, The Palm Beach Post, and The Miami Times. He was hired as a reporter by New Mexico's the Rio Grande Sun in 2022.

Author

Deutsch's first book, The Triangle: A Year on the Ground with New York's Bloods and Crips (2014), is an account of the year the author spent covering a gang war between the Bloods and the Crips on Long Island. It received positive reviews from critics, including a starred review from Publishers Weekly magazine. His second book, Pill City: How Two Honor Roll Students Foiled the Feds and Built a Drug Empire (2017), chronicles the story of how opiates stolen during the Baltimore riots sparked a wave of inner-city addiction and violence.

Questions about sources

Following the release of Deutsch's second book, Pill City, reporters from The Baltimore Sun and Baltimore City Paper challenged the book's veracity. On February 10, 2017, The Baltimore Sun published an article quoting government officials that cast doubt on the book, and Deutsch's practice of changing the names of individuals and places he documented. Core elements of the book could not be substantiated, including "the dates, circumstances and victims involved in homicides Deutsch describes in detail". The City Paper was not able to confirm the existence of almost any person described in the book, including incidental characters not involved in crime who would have no reason to fear exposure. Despite a detailed explanation of events in the trauma department at the University of Maryland Medical Center, no record exists of Deutsch visiting it. Of the murders described in the book, several did not appear to match any of Baltimore area's recorded murders during the year-long time period. The City Paper, despite inquiring with both the police and other experts on the Baltimore underworld, was unable to verify the existence of characters who might possibly have been analogues for "old-school drug kingpin Jimmy Masters" nor a "nationally famous" Reverend Grier, despite a detailed description of a high-profile and well-attended funeral for Grier in the book.

The Baltimore Sun article also included an extended video interview with Deutsch, in which he defended his work and his use of anonymous sourcing, which he said was needed to protect the safety of interviewees. The "Author's Note" in Deutsch's book includes a section detailing his methodology. It states that "In order to disguise the identities of interviewees, most of their names have been changed. For that same reason, certain locations, physical descriptions, and other identifying details have been altered or obscured".

Within a week of the Baltimore Sun story, both Newsday and The New York Times announced separate internal reviews of Deutsch's past writing. Baltimore TV writer/producer David Simon said "After reading, I think this book is, by and large, a wholesale fabrication."

On February 24, 2017, The New York Times published an editors' note on the sole article Deutsch wrote for the paper, detailing its investigation and conclusion:

In response , editors and reporters at The Times conducted a detailed review of the fentanyl article . The main facts and thrust of the article, including the official data and quotes from the authorities, were confirmed. However, after extensive reporting efforts, The Times also has been unable to locate or confirm the existence of two people who were named and quoted: Jeffrey Sheridan, described as a resident of Oyster Bay, N.Y., who works as an addiction counselor and whose 34-year-old nephew died from a fentanyl overdose on Staten Island in 2015; and Andrew Giordano, described as a 26-year-old resident of Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, who overdosed on a fentanyl-heroin mixture. Mr. Deutsch maintains that the interviews and the descriptions are accurate. But he has not been able to put The Times in contact with either source, or to provide any further material to corroborate the account. At this point, editors have concluded that The Times cannot vouch for the accuracy of those sources, and that material has been removed from the online version of the article.

On March 2, 2017, the media watchdog group iMediaEthics confirmed that the New York Daily News was conducting an internal review, examining all 572 stories from Deutsch's career with the company. The group later shared a statement from Newsweek, confirming that it would review the three stories Deutsch had written there as well. The New York Daily News review was less extensive than the Newsday review and noted the impossibility of verifying five-to-seven year old stories that were often written under multiple bylines after staff turnover, but did not find any obvious "red flags" in its review. Deutsch has stood by all of his reporting, stating that he used the exact names given to him by his interviewees.

On July 12, 2017, Newsday, where Deutsch was on staff for more than four years, released the conclusions of its review of Deutsch's writing there. Newsday said that review was prompted by the Baltimore article questioning Deutsch's second book. Newsday found that in 77 of more than 600 articles written by Deutsch, 109 individuals he quoted could not have their existence confirmed. The editors said the main points of the articles were confirmed and cited many reasons that people might not give a real name to a police reporter. No corrections were issued, but Newsday appended individual editor's notes to each of the 77 articles online, detailing which sources it could not locate after approximately four months of effort.

Deutsch issued a statement on his website stating: "For me, journalistic ethics are sacrosanct. They've remained so throughout my fifteen-year criminal justice journalism career—a career I'm extremely proud of. I stand behind every word I've published. None of my work has been found to be inaccurate, nor any story I've worked on ever retracted. Newsday's review confirmed the accuracy of the more than 630 stories I wrote for the paper--stories Newsday is standing behind." Deutsch has also suggested that his competitors are simply jealous of his work.

Articles in The Washington Post and Rolling Stone both noted that Deutsch had worked for news organizations for years before sourcing allegations surfaced, and hypothesized that Deutsch's coverage of marginalized communities meant he faced less accountability. Such sources are more difficult to track down, and readers are happy to accept information that fits their expectations. David Simon was more blunt; he wrote "Nobody is going to fact check poor black people. That's the bottom line... you can say anything you want about the black underclass."

References

  1. ^ Rich, Jim (April 11, 2017). "The Fake News Story No One's Talking About: Reporter Kevin Deutsch has been accused of fabricating sources in stories for major publications – so where's the outrage?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  2. ^ "Exclusive: 572 Stories by Fmr NY Daily News Crime Reporter Under Review After NYT Admits Source Fail - iMediaEthics". iMediaEthics. March 2, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  3. ^ Ericson Jr., Edward (February 17, 2017). "Anonymous Sources, Pharmacy Pills, and Gang Wars: Inconsistencies raise questions about Pill City, a Baltimore tale of drugs and murder". Baltimore City Paper. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  4. Deutsch, Kevin (March 6, 2017). "Kevin Deutsch: The Truth Is on My Side". The New York Observer.
  5. ^ Farhi, Paul (September 17, 2017). "A journalist on the crime beat becomes the subject of some skeptical journalism". The Washington Post.
  6. ^ "Editor's note to our readers". Newsday. July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  7. Morris, Tanisia (December 11, 2014). "Ex-'Press' reporter tackles gang violence in new book". The Riverdale Press. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  8. "Staff Profile: Kevin Deutsch". The Miami Times. 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  9. Connor, Richard L. (December 28, 2022). "Happy New Years!". Rio Grande Sun.
  10. Deutsch, Kevin (2014). The Triangle: A Year on the Ground with New York's Bloods and Crips. Globe Pequot Press / Lyons Press. ISBN 978-1-4930-0760-8.
  11. "Nonfiction Book Review: The Triangle: A Year on the Ground with New York's Bloods and Crips by Kevin Deutsch". Publishers Weekly. October 20, 2014.
  12. Miller, Laura (December 15, 2014). ""We're Baghdad-ready": Inside the street gangs of Long Island". Salon.
  13. Darcangelo, Vince (January 7, 2015). "Dispatches from the War on Drugs". Ensuing Chapters.
  14. Efraim, David Ben (March 1, 2015). "Quick Book Reviews: "The Triangle" by Kevin Deutsch – War of the Invisible Men". Quick Book Reviews.
  15. "Pill City". Macmillan Publishers.
  16. "PILL CITY". Kirkus Reviews.
  17. Fenton, Justin (February 10, 2017). "Baltimore officials question claims in new book about 2015 pharmacy thefts". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  18. "Interview with 'Pill City' author Kevin Deutsch". The Baltimore Sun. February 10, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  19. Deutsch, Kevin (January 31, 2017). Pill City: How Two Honor Roll Students Foiled the Feds and Built a Drug Empire. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9781250110046 – via Google Books.
  20. Deutsch, Kevin (February 15, 2017). "Pill City: How Two Honor Roll Students Foiled the Feds and Built a Drug Empire".
  21. "Note from Newsday's editor". Newsday. February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  22. Fenton, Justin (February 17, 2017). "Newsday, New York Times reviewing work of 'Pill City' author". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  23. Weigel, Brandon (March 3, 2017). "Questions mount over "Pill City" author's previous reporting". Baltimore City Paper. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  24. "Fake Pill City - The Millions". The Millions. February 22, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  25. "Editors' Note: February 25, 2017". The New York Times. February 24, 2017. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  26. "NY Daily News, Newsday, and NYT Investigating Past Work by Writer Whose Sourcing Is Now Being Questioned". Mediaite. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  27. ^ "Exclusive: Now 8 missing sources in crime reporter Kevin Deutsch's coverage, quits teaching job last minute, Newsweek stories also under review - iMediaEthics". iMediaEthics. March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  28. New York Daily News review of Kevin Deutsch: 'No red flags,' but with caveats. iMediaEthics.
  29. "Newsday releases review of Kevin Deutsch's reporting". Poynter. July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  30. "Newsday: 109 Sources Can't be Found in Kevin Deutsch Crime Reporting - iMediaEthics". iMediaEthics. July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  31. "My response to Newsday's review". KevinDeutsch.us. Retrieved August 9, 2020.


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