At a Knight Foundation event in Miami, disgraced writer Jonah Lehrer delivered a public apology, speaking for the first time at length about his various fabrications and plagiarism. "My failures were my fault alone," he said in the grueling speech. "I have learned a difficult truth about myself; I have learned about parts of me that I tried for too long not to see," he said. "But entangled in that truth is a possibility for improvement. Not redemption, not forgiveness." He blamed arrogance for his mistakes, and admitted he might not yet be cured of it.
The speech was steeped in regret, Lehrer sounding more like a recovering alcoholic than a contrite professional. Making matters worse was the massive screen behind him, which projected uncensored tweets about Lehrer as he spoke.
They were pointedly harsh — some, from the writer who publicized Lehrer's fabrications, Michael C. Moynihan, accused him of making things up in real time:
The stream appeared to be uncensored — a test Twitter post with the #infoneeds hashtag appeared in just a few seconds — and the tweets were relentless. The screen changed the event from an apology into a ritual humiliation:
Lehrer was reportedly paid $20,000 for the appearance.