So many people (mostly younger - but I know that will come off as ageist) take "the easy way out" - they don't put in the "real" work, but expect to get the "real" results!

It's one thing to have a "lazy" reporter ... it's another thing entirely to have a reporter who just makes shit up!

This should have been caught earlier... as you mention, USA Today has an excellent reputation to protect... they did the right thing, taking down all of her stories that didn't check out 100%... but this should have been caught earlier!

This doesn't make the whole paper suspect... but it is a black-mark on an otherwise mostly-clean & generally trusted record... those black marks can be VERY HARD to get rid of!