New York Times admits 'failure' over hit podcast 'Caliphate'

The

acknowledged on Friday that its successful

podcast "

" was built largely on false testimony, with the prestigious outlet citing a "

."

Published in 2018, the 12-episode program was intended to dive into the heart of ISIS with, as its main entry point, a Canadian who claimed to have joined the organization in 2016. The podcast was an audience success, awarded with several prestigious awards, including the Peabody Award.

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The man who called himself Abu Huzayfah, by his nom de guerre, said that he had carried out two executions during his time in the ranks of the Islamic State group.

But in September, Abu Huzayfah, whose real name is Shehroze Chaudhry, was arrested by Canadian police and charged with "

".

"

"

managing editor

Dean Baquet said in an interview on Friday.

The daily then carried out its own internal investigation and "

", explained the leader.

“

” he continued.

However, the

chose not to remove the podcast, but to add "

"

mentions

, in order to give listeners the necessary context.

A new episode has also been added to the series, in which Dean Baquet reviews the affair in detail and explains that the Times was guilty, according to him, of an "

".

The journalist at the head of the "

"

project

, Rukmini Callimachi, a specialist in terrorist issues at The Times, will not be punished, the editor said.

The one whose signature no longer appears in the newspaper since the start of the controversy will, on the other hand, change section, he said.

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, “the“ Pravda ”of American progressivism”

The case is of importance to the

, which has invested heavily in the podcast since early 2017 and the launch of "

", its flagship program.

At the end of July, the group notably announced the acquisition of Serial Productions, at the origin of the first great success of the podcast era, “

”, in 2014, downloaded more than 600 million times.

The

sees this booming medium as a source of revenue, mainly advertising, but also an entry point for online subscriptions, particularly among young adults.