Templeton admits to Gutierrez that he was unsuccessful in his job interview and reverses his position on "The Sun", stating that it is not a bad paper. Haynes is briefly impressed by Templeton when he hits the streets and writes an excellent profile of a homeless Gulf War veteran who suffers from PTSD incurred when an IED hit his patrol unit in Fallujah, Iraq. Templeton also claims in the same episode to have checked on a fraud case, and Haynes later finds out Templeton's explanation for the story doesn't check out. The vet later comes in and says Templeton lied about his story as well, saying such things as the vet was in a "Black Hawk Down"-level firefight and saying they had coffee instead of chocolate milk. Templeton says the vet has changed his story. To fact check it, Haynes goes to the Walter Reed Center in D.C. and talks to a wounded veteran who backs up the interviewed vet, saying he's not a liar. Templeton continues to fabricate information for the fake serial-killer case, hatched by McNulty, and the detective quickly realizes Scott is a fabulist. However, in the end Haynes and Gutierrez both receive demotions for questioning Templeton's work, while Templeton wins a Pulitzer Prize for his "reporting" on the homeless in Baltimore. Critics have stated that Templeton is based on reporter Jim Haner. In January 2000, Haner wrote a story which the "Sun" retracted several days later due to inaccuracies. Show creator and writer David Simon, a former "Sun" reporter, stated that he believed that Haner invented quotes and events without punishment from his editors. The character also appears to reference some famous cases of journalists falsifying stories to advance their careers, such as Stephen Glass at "The New Republic", Janet Cooke at the "Washington Post", and Jayson Blair at "The New York Times".