Allegedly using, I should say, although read the piece and you’ll see there isn’t much doubt. Delightful from beginning to end, especially the exchanges between the author, Michael Gluckstadt, and the man responsible for the Reuters piece, Mark Egan. As you’ll see, Egan isn’t just a reporter for the company. And the mysterious Johnny S. isn’t the only problem with the article.

What’s the link between this and the fauxtography scandal? The gratuitousness of the embellishment. Adnan Hajj’s original undoctored photo was plenty dramatic in its own right; he wasn’t adding smoke to a smokeless pic, he was making the smoke more sinister, or trying to in his own hackish way. Same deal here: there’s no easier assignment than man-on-the-street reactions to a TV show, but they wanted a killer quote and whichever stringer or assistant helped Egan out with this got a little too cute with it.

Thanks to Casey B. for the tip. Exit question: Where’s Johnny now? Exit answer: You know where. With Tommy.