The smoking gun

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The Smoking Gun ( German as: "The smoking gun iron" as a synonym for clear evidence) is an English-language site , the daily documents, records and photos give published which provide information on court cases, police investigations and political processes. Often half-truths or allegations by celebrities are compared in a kind of dossier with the written and pictorial evidence that can actually be found.

history

The website was founded in 1997 by William Bastone and Daniel Green, who previously worked as reporters for the New York weekly newspaper The Village Voice . They decided to only publish actual documents and photos instead of the ever-increasing mass of rumors and quotes common in the media.

concept

The Smoking Gun publishes court files , arrest records and mug shots , which are often surprising or humorous , but occasionally also relativize or refute the statements of certain people (not infrequently celebrities). Historical documents and dossiers that deal in detail with a specific issue are also published.

Examples of the work of The Smoking Gun are the uncovering of contradictions in the alleged autobiography of the US author James Frey or the fact that many politically active actors such as Ben Affleck have never found it necessary to exercise their right to vote .

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