The Lessons of the Atlantic’s Ruth Shalit Barrett Retraction

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the positive COVID tests for the Dodgers’ Justin Turner and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. WNBA player Renee Montgomery then joins to talk about the More Than a Vote campaign. Finally, they revisit Ruth Shalit Barrett’s article about rich parents and niche sports, which the Atlantic has now retracted.

• Support Hang Up and Listen by subscribing to Slate Plus.

• Joel will host Slow Burn Season 6, on the 1992 L.A. riots.

• Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence will miss a second game after testing positive for COVID-19.

• Lawrence was one of the leaders in college football’s “we want to play” campaign.

• Where the University of Wisconsin football team’s COVID outbreak came from.

• Nick Greene in Slate: “COVID Hit the World Series in Game 6. What if the Rays Had Forced a Game 7?”

• Most Los Angeles Times readers were angry with Justin Turner for celebrating on the field without a mask after testing positive for COVID-19.

• Follow Renee Montgomery on Twitter and check out her foundation and More Than a Vote.

• Montgomery was the first WNBA player to opt out of the 2020 season.

• Montgomery wrote an open letter to Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler; Loeffler did not respond.

• In an extraordinary editor’s note, the Atlantic retracted a story about niche sports and college admissions, saying the author, Ruth Shalit Barrett, had “deceived” the magazine and its readers.

• The retraction came after Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple documented numerous falsehoods, embellishments, and other discrepancies in the story.

• In an interview with the New York Times, Shalit Barrett said she was “so very sorry that this is where things have ended up.”

• Joel, Stefan, and Josh discussed the Atlantic article on the Oct. 19 episode of Hang Up and Listen.

• On Twitter, Joel noted “drive-by racism” in Shalit Barrett’s story and J.A. Adande recalled a 1995 story by her centering on a discredited argument about race.

• David Carr wrote in the Washington City Paper in 1999 about Shalit’s banishment from journalism after admissions of plagiarism.

Hang Up and Listen’s weekly Kevin Meridas:

Joel’s Kevin Merida: Remembering Billy Tubbs, who (briefly) led TCU to basketball prominence.

Josh’s Kevin Merida: Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel took advantage of an NFL rule that really needs to be changed.

On this week’s bonus segment, Joel, Stefan, and Josh discuss the athletes and coaches who’ve endorsed Donald Trump and what Tommy Tuberville’s former players say about the coach-turned-politician.

Podcast production and edit by Melissa Kaplan.

You can email us at hangup@slate.com.

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