Published SourceSource / Evidence Document

BuzzFeed Plans Repeat Of Polish CEN Story Debunk Already Written By Polish Lorry Driver

This 27 April 2015 email chain shows BuzzFeed discussing a proposed follow-up to the Polish story raised by Tomasz Oryński after publication of the CEN article. Alan White says he is “really keen” to work on “the story of man who had his life ruined by fake viral news story”, adding that it would require a trip to the village, a photographer, and probably help from a Polish speaker or fixer. Tom Phillips says he can do some preparation and look for the PCC ruling, while Robert Colvile suggests visiting the Polish village and Luke Lewis says the next stage of the investigation should be to show how people’s lives were affected by the allegedly fabricated stories. The document is significant because BuzzFeed appears to be planning a fresh reported version of a story already dug up and substantially written by Oryński, the Polish lorry driver who had contacted them. Later CEN/client email traffic indicates that the underlying issue had already been dealt with more than a year earlier, including through an upheld IPSO/PCC complaint and clarification. On that reading, BuzzFeed was not discovering a new example so much as preparing to repeat and escalate an old debunk, while investing in travel, translation and fixing to produce what appears to have been substantially the same story Oryński had already supplied. [Needs citation: the court case later confirmed, through BuzzFeed’s own follow-up work, that the story originated in a letyer deleted reader reporter article.]

Source

Part of Central European News & Mike Leidig v BuzzFeed (US Second Circuit Libel Case) – BF Case Documents

Europe Media Published 1 May 2026 at 21:09 Source: 1 November 2016

Tags

BuzzFeedCENAlan WhiteTom PhillipsLuke LewisRobert ColvileCraig SilvermanTomasz OryńskiPolish lorry driverPolish storyPolish villagePCC rulingIPSO complaintpost-publication follow-upfake viral newshuman impact anglefreelance fixertranslatormedia complaintlibel case evidence

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