Westport freelance writer files $1M defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic

A Westport-based freelance writer has filed a $1 million lawsuit against The Atlantic after the magazine retracted one of her articles and raised doubts about her “trustworthiness” and character.

According to a New York Times report, Ruth Shalit Barrett authored “The Mad, Mad World of Niche Sports,” an investigative article on how wealthy Connecticut parents sought to get their children into Ivy League universities through athletic endeavors. The article was published on The Atlantic”™s website in October 2020 and in its November 2020 print issue, but the publication retracted the piece when Erik Wemple, the media critic for the Washington Post, openly questioned its accuracy.

In its retraction, The Atlantic also questioned Barrett”™s “trustworthiness,” claiming she encouraged a source to lie while adding that she was accused of plagiarism in the 1990s when she was a reporter at The New Republic writing under the Ruth Shalit byline ”“ The Atlantic article identified her as Ruth S. Barrett.

In her lawsuit, Barrett stated the only “falsehood” in her piece was creating a nonexistent son for a family at the request of a source who wanted to disguise their identity. She added that Wemple”™s criticism of her was rooted in an “antagonistic relationship” with the writer when they worked together at the Washington City Paper in the 1990s.

In her lawsuit, Ruth Shalit Barrett accused The Atlantic and Donald Peck, its print editor at the time, of destroying her reputation and is seeking $1 million in damages. In a statement, a spokesperson for The Atlantic said, “We completely reject the allegations and believe the suit is meritless, will be filing a motion to dismiss, and are confident we will ultimately prevail.”