OUTRAGE: The Tawana Brawley Hoax

After Tawana Brawley, a fifteen-year-old girl, was found alive in a plastic garbage bag near Wappingers Falls, N.Y., and thought to be the victim of a vicious racial crime, six New York Times reporters decided to look more closely at the circumstances of the alleged crime. M.A. Farber, co-author, discussed the findings of the book, which is based on over 1,000 personal interviews, including Reverend Al Sharpton who became a key supporter of Ms. Brawley’s story. The authors contend that the entire “hoax” was contrived by the teenager and her mother to cover up a long absence by the girl, and thus avoid possible domestic violence as punishment. The other five authors not interviewed are: Robert McFadden, Ralph Blumenthal, E.R. Shipp, Charles Strum, and Craig Wolff. close