First, the Branding Iron editorial staff would like to apologize for mistakes made in the story titled “Equifax Security Attack,” which appeared in the Oct. 27 edition. Cole Ehmke was attributed as an Equifax employee. He is not in fact an Equifax employee. In addition, quotes were attributed to Mr. Ehmke that were not his words. Finally, the information found in the article came from other publications rather than as a product of independent research and interviews.
It is with deep regret that the Branding Iron now retracts this story. This paper serves as a learning lab for young students and aspiring journalists and as such, a great deal of leniency is given to our writers. This provides the opportunity for them to make mistakes and grow.
However, we take plagiarism and false statements very seriously. We acknowledge that there is a line between simple mistake and unethical behavior. In this case, that behavior led to a story that was unfit to be published and that could have impacted the credibility of those mentioned therein. As a result, the writer of the story has been let go and the editorial staff is developing trainings for our young writers to prevent similar mistakes from happening in the future.
The blame does not fall entirely at the feet of the writer. It is the obligation of the Editorial Staff to ensure these stories are never published. We are deeply sorry to Mr. Ehmke and our readers that we failed to do so here. We will endeavor going forward to live up to the high ethical standards that all journalists should.
We ask for and appreciate your patience while we grow as both people and professionals.
-Branding Iron Editorial Board
