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Comment by ectopod | Hacker News Reader

It just means that Amy Sedghi interviewed him, and then wrote it from a first person pov. It's not unusual.

Why aren't there any pictures of this imposter? Surely respecting his privacy isn't warranted since he's public with his imposter persona.

Not surprised I'm getting downvoted by people that support abusers.

The claim is unusual. My guess is this article (or the alleged events it describes) is part of someone's art project or experiment.

Well, the person telling a story is a real person and it's been printed in not only the Guardian but the BBC and I assume elsewhere. These are news organizations that do at least a modicum of fact-checking.

And the guy is clearly a real scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0g9Hm1cAAAAJ&hl=en...

I noticed that. It's why afaic the most plausible explanation — considering the incredible claims — is that this is part of some experiment that has socially redeeming value.

  These are news organizations that do at least a 
  modicum of fact-checking.

Depending on the situation, it could be impossible for a fact-checker to prove that the two people in the story had an agreement and a prior relationship. Not to mention, it's a novelty item in the 'Lifestyle' section, not a report on an arms accord or something.

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