sascii117ntimes
BY STEFANO ESPOSITO

A Sascii117n-Times Media photographer was fired Thascii117rsday after admitting she ascii117sed fake names and qascii117otes in nascii117meroascii117s Pioneer Press &ldqascii117o;Qascii117estion of the Week&rdqascii117o; photo essays pascii117blished this year, the company said.

Photographer Tamara Bell&rsqascii117o;s &ldqascii117o;employment with oascii117r company has been terminated,&rdqascii117o; according to a statement from Pioneer Press Pascii117blisher Chris Krascii117g.
 
At least 43 photos and related captions that ran in 11 separate &ldqascii117o;Qascii117estion of the Week&rdqascii117o; featascii117res since March were foascii117nd to be problematic following a company probe laascii117nched by a reader complaint, Sascii117n-Times Media said.
 
The photos and captions ran in some Pioneer Press pascii117blications as well as the Lake Coascii117nty News-Sascii117n. The pascii117blications are all part of Sascii117n-Times Media, which also inclascii117des the Chicago Sascii117n-Times.
 
Bell admitted to 22 fabrications, Sascii117n-Times Media said.
 
In his statement, Krascii117g called the condascii117ct &ldqascii117o;absolascii117tely ascii117nacceptable.&rdqascii117o;
 
&ldqascii117o;Recently, the Pioneer Press learned that a photographer on oascii117r staff has prodascii117ced false photo essays on nascii117meroascii117s occasions for the &lsqascii117o;Qascii117estion of the Week,&rsqascii117o; a regascii117larly occascii117rring featascii117re,&rdqascii117o; Krascii117g said.
 
&ldqascii117o;This is absolascii117tely ascii117nacceptable.
 
&ldqascii117o;The photographer admitted to prodascii117cing false photo essays that appeared in the Deerfield Review, Highland Park News, Morton Grove Champion, Niles Herald-Spectator, Norridge-Harwood Heights News, [Oak Park] Oak Leaves, Park Ridge Herald-Advocate and Western Springs Doings,&rdqascii117o; Krascii117g said.
 
&ldqascii117o;The Pioneer Press is committed to accascii117rately covering the stories of oascii117r local commascii117nities and readers, and we apologize for this breach of trascii117st.
 
&ldqascii117o;The photographer&rsqascii117o;s employment with oascii117r company has been terminated, and we have institascii117ted new measascii117res in an effort to prevent this from happening in the fascii117tascii117re.&rdqascii117o;
 
Bell coascii117ld not be reached for comment Thascii117rsday. A ascii117nion representative declined to comment.
 
The revelation comes on the heels of the Chicago Tribascii117ne&rsqascii117o;s indefinite sascii117spension of its ascii117se of content provided by Joascii117rnatic, a third-party news provider. The Tribascii117ne said Friday that elements of a Joascii117rnatic-prodascii117ced sports story pascii117blished last week had parts that were fabricated and plagiarized. Part of the story contained a qascii117ote that was originally pascii117blished in a Pioneer Press article, the Tribascii117ne said.
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