Der Spiegel published around 60 stories from a fraudster
Not the first time in the German-speaking journalism world, Tom Kummer was another famous example (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Kummer).The key is that access to really great international stories is super hard for journalists from smaller markets. They benefit though from publishing their stuff in local language, so no one notices. I bet that there is far more of this going on, this guy just got too big due to his awards.Audiences in local markets thirst for bigger than life stories, in local language. Simply translating NYT does not work.Whenever you read articles that mimic a very literary, prosaic style I'd be very careful. All those young journos read David Foster Wallace and Hunter S. Thompson, plus all the great Pulitzer pieces. But, then they sit somewhere in boring Middle-Germany and either a) write boring local stuff or b) make up grandiose stories.Note that this has a long tradition in Germany, starting with famous author Karl May, who wrote legendary adventure books about the Wild West and the Orient - while never leaving Germany (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_May). Those books were written in a style suggesting being travel diaries, making a lot of readers believe in him being a real protagonist.