Few things scare journalists more than getting a story wrong. It’s our job to report the truth, and when any error makes it onto the page, it feels like a personal failure. 

But others fabricate and embellish their stories with ease. Stephen Glass of The New Republic was a serial fabulist who flew too close to the sun. Then there was Jayson Blair of The New York Times, who not only lied but also plagiarized his work until a victim pushed back.

But no one has shaken up the industry quite like Janet Cooke.

Cooke was one of the first people of color who landed a job through affirmative action policies at the time. She faced tremendous pressure to deliver stories and excel at the Post. But then, under Bob Woodward, she published “Jimmy’s World,” the story of an 8-year-old heroin addict in Washington. It was a heartbreaking article that resulted in a citywide search for the boy and a Pulitzer Prize.

It was all a lie.

The Post had to return the Pulitzer; the scandal rocked the public’s trust in journalism, and Cooke left the industry in disgrace.

The book, “ Janet’s World,” written by her ex-boyfriend and Post staffer Mike Sager, includes the only in-depth interview Cooke has given and offers an inside look at one of journalism's biggest disasters.