The books editor for The Stranger committed an unconscionable act of journalistic fraud last week in a feature article entitled "The Liars' Club," an investigation by Stranger journalists has found. The egregious fabrication represents a profound betrayal of trust and a low point in the 12-year history of the newspaper.

The editor, Christopher Frizzelle, 23, misled readers and Stranger colleagues by submitting a piece that purported to be an exclusive interview with disgraced journalists Jayson Blair, formerly of the New York Times, and Stephen Glass, formerly of the New Republic, conducted in a bar in Brooklyn, New York. The Stranger has since discovered that Frizzelle did not travel to New York City, and spent the last two months writing the piece far away from there, in his Capitol Hill apartment. He fabricated comments. He concocted scenes. He lifted material from other newspapers and magazines. He altered a photograph to create the impression he had been somewhere, and had seen someone, when he had not.

And he used these techniques to write falsely about emotionally charged moments in recent journalistic history, thus making light of the anguish felt by staffers at the New York Times, once one of the most respected publications in America.

In an inquiry focused on correcting the record and explaining how such fraud could have been sustained within the ranks of The Stranger, Stranger journalists have so far uncovered new problems in at least 73 of the 74 articles and columns Mr. Frizzelle wrote since he started writing for the newspaper in February 2003. In the final months, the audacity of the deceptions grew by the week, suggesting the work of a troubled young man veering toward professional self-destruction.

Mr. Frizzelle was a young man with a flair for keen observation and colorful anecdotes. We now know to a moral certainty that last week's feature, "The Liars' Club," like most of the articles Mr. Frizzelle submitted in his yearlong career at The Stranger, was a blend of fact and fiction. His mistakes became so routine, his behavior so unprofessional, that by August 2003, Emily Hall, The Stranger's arts editor, dashed off a two-sentence e-mail message to newsroom administrators that read, "We have to stop Christopher from writing for The Stranger. Right now." Ms. Hall's e-mail message was in response to Mr. Frizzelle's July 2003 feature, "Open House," about a literary arts center called Richard Hugo House. A subsequent investigation has revealed that Richard Hugo House does not exist.

The Stranger became aware that "The Liars' Club" was fabricated after a high-ranking editor at the Seattle Weekly read the piece and expended some effort last Thursday trying to convince a news editor at the media website Mediabistro.com to remove the website's link to Mr. Frizzelle's story. Mediabistro.com then informed Stranger executives of the revelations that the Seattle Weekly editor's careful reading of the article brought to light.

These revelations, about "The Liars' Club" and Mr. Frizzelle's previous fabrications, prompted Stranger editor Dan Savage to hold a town-hall-style meeting of newsroom staff last Friday afternoon where he accepted blame for the breakdown of communication and oversight that allowed a Stranger writer to commit such an obvious act of journalistic fraud.

Savage began the meeting by saying, "The thought has crossed my mind that I'm a goddamn idiot." Before opening the session to questions, Mr. Savage made a preemptive attempt to address whether Mr. Frizzelle's sexual orientation--Mr. Frizzelle is gay--had played a role in his being hired away last winter from the now monthly Seattle Weekly to write about literary issues.

"Our paper is super gay, and by all accounts Frizzelle appeared to be a handsome and well-endowed homosexual," Mr. Savage said. "Does that mean I personally favored Christopher?" He added, "Hell yes it does. You have a right to ask if I, a gay guy from Chicago, with those convictions, gave him one chance too many by not even reading his feature before running it. When I look into my heart for the truth of that, the answer is yes."

Staffers leaving the meeting expressed optimism about the hopes of salvaging morale in the editorial department. "It struck me as an unusually raw, emotional, and candid session," one said. "[Publisher] Tim [Keck] and Dan didn't exactly accept responsibility for what happened, but given what inveterate liars those guys are, even admitting the deception is a real achievement."

As a result of his deceptions, Christopher Frizzelle was fired late Friday morning. Later in the day, Mr. Savage announced the appointment of The Stranger's new books editor, Christopher N. Frizzelle.