The Root, News Report, Posted: Jun 27, 2012

An intern at the Wall Street Journal who is Miss Black America - Connecticut, graduated from Yale University and said she wanted to "represent African American women in a positive light," is no longer at the Journal after the newspaper said she fabricated sources and quotes just three weeks into the internship, according to news reports Tuesday.

"The paper wrote that it had removed an article by the intern, Liane Membis, that was published on June 17 because 'many of the names contained in the article about the re-opening of the 103rd Street Pedestrian Bridge in Manhattan were fabricated' and 'the quotes couldn't be independently verified.' The note concluded: 'Ms. Membis is no longer working at The Wall Street Journal,' Christine Haughney reported for the New York Times.

Although "Bridging a Local Divide" was pulled from the Journal website, Talking Biz News said it had been provided a copy by a Journal staffer.

The piece includes quotes from East Harlem residents such as:

" 'Sometimes I just come up on this bridge and stop and look around, right up here on the top,' said Katrina Maple, 64 years old. 'It's calming and relaxing. It feels like we finally got our backyard back.'

On the Washington Post website, Erik Wemple reprinted the quote and asked, "Do people talk like that?"

Read the rest of the story here.