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Media manipulator Joey Skaggs has confirmed that the world championship was a hoax
Matjaz Rogelj has obviously also hoaxed the hoaxer
Ministry of education has granted Matjaz Rogelj almost 14 million tolars
Dnevnik Online, by Brane Salamon and Domen Caharijas, February 28, 2001 Ljubljana, 28. The Matjaz Rogelj affair was exposed by Dnevnik with the question whether he has really become the world computer championship in a competition that is unknown to local experts or foreign media. The only reports about the championship were the same ones that the STA press agency forwarded on basis of news reported by Rogelj himself. All later conclusions of the Slovene media, that followed our trail, only proved, that the Slovene "success" in Brazil was questionable. A hoax planned for a long time Yesterday the truth was revealed about the hoax that Joey Skaggs had been planning for four years. This is the case of a media manipulator who has fooled much media, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, CBS and even CNN. Whenever he prepared one of his hoaxes, everything was masked with almost impeccable facts. When everything was published and the public in an uproar, he would tell them his message: that the media are frequently prepared to publish anything just to attract an audience. "It is true, I am behind this media hoax about the world computer championship. I must say that it hurts a little that you have discovered it already, since we have planned it for years and years. And I must say, quite extensively. We had hoped that the hoax would run for quite some time," said Joey Skaggs. He also admitted that some aspects were intentionally left incomplete as they represented the "key" to the solution of the puzzle. "This is the very proof that I actually always hope that the media will catch us in the act, since if they do, they are doing their job," says Joey Skaggs who we dragged out of bed in early morning hours (his local time) in Hawaii. But this time the hoax has acquired a more sinister connotation since Matjaz Rogelj has received a total of over 10 million tolars for his participation at the non-existent world championship. "I must stress that I never do my hoaxes for payment or to con money out of somebody. So far I have not earned a single cent from any of my hoaxes. I do not know whether Matjaz has earned money from this as you say, but I do know that he has not spent the money on this hoax. If he really received funds, I am very angry, since I have never permitted that fraud would be a part of my hoax," the master of hoaxes Joey Skaggs told us yesterday. He also admitted that several people have helped him with the hoax, including Matjaz Rogelj whom he met at the "Josef Stefan" Institute. "Now I feel as if Matjaz Rogelj has hoaxed me. The whole affair has become unpleasant for me too, since I have obviously attracted people into my media hoax who had a completely different agenda. If what you say proves true, Matjaz will have to answer some unpleasant questions from the Slovene authorities. But I must stress again that I do not condone criminal activities. Any idiot can be a crook, but only a few of us can execute a media hoax," says Skaggs. He also added that Rogelj probably will not want to call him any more after this Anyway, Matjaz Rogelj no longer answers our calls either. Alkalaj holds silent We had already experienced a Skaggs hoax in 1998 when the Ljubljana IJS supposedly performed unethical biogenetic research on people. Even at that time we at Dnevnik had doubted the veracity of the news, which did not resound around the world but only in Slovenia. The great global media manipulator Joey Skaggs is obviously not above undertaking very local hoaxes, since he carried out the performance with Miso Alkalaj, computer expert and publicist. Even before that they had agreed on the present media hoax, which has been running since 1996, from the time of the virtual European computer championship organized by the non-existent Sat 5 Institute from New York. At that time they acquired the cooperation of the young Matjaz Rogelj who suddenly became the European computer champion. The hoax had no serious response four years ago, but it was planned for the long run, until this year's "world championship" in Rio de Janeiro. This is where the "European champion" travelled and he himself reported to the Slovene media on the happening in Brazil and about his victory. Miso Alkalaj did not want to answer our questions yesterday, he said only that he "does not wish to give statements to anybody about this" (world championship and Matjaz Rogelj). Unfortunately, the national press agency was again involved in this hoax by publishing the unchecked information about the Slovene victory in Brazil. Tadej Labernik confirmed to us that they have published the first news about Matjaz Rogelj's participation in the world championship without checking it, which makes him "very angry", and that he told his editors and journalists that this should be a good lesson for them for the future. On the other hand he thinks that Joey Skaggs should concentrate on media hoaxes in America and leave us alone. Ministers did not verify The question is also what was really happening at the Ministry of Education and Sports during the offices of Pavle Zgaga, Lovro Sturm and Slavko Gaber. The admission that the Ministry had financially assisted Matjaz Rogelj on the basis of verified information, which has now turned out to be a hoax, will certainly demand a thorough answer from the Ministry. One also wonders how many similar requests for financial assistance were granted by the Ministry, if all other requests were processed in a similar manner as Rogelj's. Ministrstvo za solstvo, znanost in sport (MSZS) (Ministry of Education, Science and Sport) financially assisted Matjaz Rogelj, as evident from the contracts, for "expert training for world competition in computer science." According to the opinion of sources within the Ministry, who wish to remain anonymous due to the great "brouhaha," the written applications were a veritable "patchwork" that should not warrant serious consideration, much less financial assistance. "Contracts were granted on the basis of recommendations from the director of (Rogelj's) high school and documentation of the (non-existent, e.c.) SAT 5 Institute in New York. We assume that, apart from written proof, the former ministers had acquired appropriate information from other sources (the gentleman had in the year 1996 cited co organizers and sponsorship of eminent companies as references); also, they founded their decision on the "undivided media support for the young genius": a number of articles, appearances in radio and TV shows are available, and the fills rouge of all of them since 1996 to last year was why doesn't the state support this proven computer genius of international rank," the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports stated yesterday. "On the basis of three contracts the Ministry has paid out to Mr. Rogelj: the tolar equivalent of 15,000 US$ by the contract of 1997; 5 million tolars by the contract of 1999; and 5 million tolars by the contract of the year 2000. Today, February 27, the Ministry has sent to the address of Mr. Rogelj a demand that he should within 7 days provide proof that the funds were expended in accordance with the contractual intent, since the contracts contain a clause providing for return of these funds with interest "should expenditure not in accordance with stated intent be determined," the representatives of the Ministry stated sharply yesterday. Where is the money? The company Hermes Softlab confirmed that based upon his application they financed Rogelj's trip to Australia in 1997, since they believed that he was a young expert (worthy of support). Details remain undisclosed since the people responsible are either unavailable or are no longer with the company. In any case, they (Hermes) were not satisfied with Matjaz Rogelj's work (at Hermes) during his vacation and had also ignored his application to sponsor his trip to the world computer championship in Brazil. The company Delo Revije printed a written statement in their Stop magazine that they have co financed Rogelj's trip to South America. Certainly most of the answers will have to be provided by Matjaz Rogelj himself when he reappears in public. Over 50,000 US$ has to be accounted for, and apologies should be made to the President of the state who had immediately sent him congratulations on (Rogelj's) "victory". In the meantime, (the text of) congratulations was removed from the President's web site. Of course, Joey Skaggs has every right to fool the media with his manipulations, and consequently, to misguide the public. But the matter "loses its virginity" once suspicion of possible fraud enters. Even if Matjaz Rogelj refunds the money, several issues will remain open: not because of the interest or the shame of the Ministry or the companies involved, but because of the moral lesson. What if Matjaz Rogelj, the unsuspecting student, is not the only one who participated in this fraud? Too many questions have surfaced with the disclosure of the truth about the computer champion, we at Dnevnik are satisfied just with the fact that we were the first to uncover the truth and serve it to our readers. Researchers "envy" Rogelj What do people from the scientific community think about this latest hoax from computer world, since they so frequently (unsuccessfully) compete for state funding? Dr. Vito Turk, the director of the Josef Stefan Institute: "Joey Skaggs has never officially visited our Institute, I do not know whether he was here privately. As far as allocation of taxpayer's money is concerned, these are usually assigned on basis of procedures, though it might happen that in extraordinary cases stipends are granted on basis of certain documents, and it may be that these are forged. If this had in fact happened, then the matter is now a case for organs of prosecution. Therefore I would not assign all the blame to the Ministry of Education." Dr. Peter Tancig, Association of Researchers of Slovenia: "The whole case is so absurd that I do not wish to comment on it. Large sums are involved (if the Ministry has really granted them). It is only the merit of the professional work of journalists who were not satisfied with the content of the first news about the "happening" that the case was researched with the assistance of the latest technology." Dr. Danilo Zavrtanik, the president of the Polytechnic Nova Gorica: "I could say that this is characteristic of Slovenia that only those who came from abroad are (considered to be) of some value, while those at home who know something are never even asked: obviously Joey Skaggs realized this too and has again performed a hoax at the expense of Slovenia. If the people from the Ministry of Education had asked somebody from the Faculty of Computer Science, they would have received the answer that they had not heard about this championship, or maybe they would have learned even more. Until it becomes clear that there are some smart people living in Slovenia, such a case can repeat itself. I know what sieves a research project of 300 research hours must pass through to get the funds from the Ministry, and that is the right way." Dr. Oto Luthar, director of ZRC SAZU: "If the Ministry has truly granted 40,000 US$ to Matjaz Rogelj and this is not another hoax, than it is a large sum of money. As one of the compilers of the programme for pre- and postgraduate studies abroad, which has found its place in the budget memorandum of 2001 and also in the program of LDS, I am very pleased that gifted young people will have the chance to study abroad. But the procedures should be conducted in a strictly formal manner and there are problems in this area since procedures are not carried out systematically. Because of cases like this one the people will lose even what little confidence they may still have towards the state apparatus. The message of this case is: it can be done, why shouldn't I try it too? Even in public tenders the funds are not granted on basis of the quality of programs proposed, but on "uncle principle", on basis of political or other associations. This is only one of the most evident cases that shows how matters are not in order." Dnevnik's journalists are world champions too Since Rogelj's naughtiness was performed on the web, the e-zines have carefully monitored the affair. This is how Dnevnik's exposure was commented upon yesterday by Gambit Online: "Brane Salamon and Domen Caharijas of Ljubljana's Dnevnik newspaper probably will not become as famous as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in the Watergate affair, but they do have the satisfaction that they are the world champions in the speed of uncovering Joey Skaggs' hoax." Copyright Dnevnik, 1998, 1999, 2000 (C)
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