Bjørn Benkow
Encyclopedia
Bjørn Leo Benkow was a Norwegian journalist who became infamous for notoriously faking interviews with celebrities. Among the persons Benkow claimed to have interviewed are Bill Gates
, Michael Schumacher
, Oprah Winfrey
and Margaret Thatcher
, all of them denying that the interviews took place. Benkow claimed that he interviewed Michael Schumacher in his home in Switzlerland and Bill Gates on a plane to Munich, among other things. In reality, he fabricated the interviews in his own home. He sold his fabricated interviews to several Scandinavian newspapers.
There was suspicion he had fabricated an interview with Margaret Thatcher already in 1992, Thatcher denying that an alleged interview took place. In the summer of 2006, it was revealed that Benkow had fabricated several interviews. After spokespersons for several of the celebrities had denied that such interviews took place, Benkow admitted to having fabricated the interviews.
His uncle is the politician Jo Benkow
.
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
, Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher
Michael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
, Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
and Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
, all of them denying that the interviews took place. Benkow claimed that he interviewed Michael Schumacher in his home in Switzlerland and Bill Gates on a plane to Munich, among other things. In reality, he fabricated the interviews in his own home. He sold his fabricated interviews to several Scandinavian newspapers.
There was suspicion he had fabricated an interview with Margaret Thatcher already in 1992, Thatcher denying that an alleged interview took place. In the summer of 2006, it was revealed that Benkow had fabricated several interviews. After spokespersons for several of the celebrities had denied that such interviews took place, Benkow admitted to having fabricated the interviews.
His uncle is the politician Jo Benkow
Jo Benkow
Jo Benkow is a Norwegian politician and writer, notable for being an important person in the Conservative Party of Norway, and the President of the Parliament 1985-1993....
.