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Meta Minton: Was student editor in on hoax?

Saturday, August 27, 2005 1:48 AM CDT

A lot of the media - state, local and national - have been chasing Michael Brenner, the former Daily Egyptian editor and self-proclaimed father figure to a cute little camouflage-wearing blonde girl thought to be named "Kodee."

In the circles of journalism, the big question seems to be - was the former editor of the Southern Illinois University Carbondale student newspaper "in on it"? Did he know Kodee was a phony as was her story about a father fighting in Iraq?

Did Brenner fall victim to a Jayson Blair version of fame-seeking and like Jayson Blair crash and burn instead?

For the moment, Brenner is enjoying his five minutes of fame.

In a phone interview from his grandparents' home in Indiana on Friday, Brenner told me he was fielding offers from ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN. They want to fly him to New York City. They want to put him on camera.

I had prepared a list of questions I wanted to ask the unemployed sportswriter.

When he returned my call, I'll admit I was ready to try to catch him in some kind of lie.

One of the first questions I asked Brenner was where he was on Aug. 10, the day the soldier earlier reported by the Daily Egyptian to be Dan Kennings had been "killed" in Iraq.

"Wisconsin," he replied.

Having spent a lot of time in Wisconsin, I asked him where exactly he was in Wisconsin on Aug. 10.

"Rhinelander," he said.

This strange story had suddenly gotten a lot stranger.

"Do you know what a Hodag is?" I asked.

Brenner sounded puzzled.

"It's like a big, green monster," he answered.

We began comparing notes and discovered that we both had been in the northwoods of Wisconsin for several overlapping days in the second week of August.

I wrote about Rhinelander, where my family has an old cottage, in my Aug. 13 "Editor's Desk" column.

I knew a lot more about the Hodag than Brenner. I spent nearly every childhood summer in Rhinelander. This had been Brenner's first visit.

I told him the Hodag is Rhinelander's version of Bigfoot and that the Hodag was more than 7 feet long and had first been spotted by timberman Gene Shepard in 1896.

Wisconsinites started nervously looking over their shoulders when they were in the woods, fearful of a Hodag attack. Brave men ventured out with pitchforks in an attempt to search for and ultimately kill the beast.

Others thought Shepard had made up the story.

"Did you get your photo taken with the Hodag?" I asked.

Brenner said he had.

I challenged him to produce the photo. He did.

The big question: As journalists continue to attempt to unravel the Kodee mystery, many are asking, "Why?"

Why did the people who played roles in the hoax get involved? What was the motive?

I spoke to a lot of fellow journalists who have been poking around in this case and most of them seem to be willing to give Brenner the benefit of the doubt.

I am still skeptical.

Here's my problem: One moment, Brenner says he's distraught. Then a second phone rings (he was juggling two phones most of Friday afternoon) and his voice turns giddy.

Frankly, he seems flattered by all of the media attention. Rather than draw the curtains in shame and retreat (as did Colleen Hastings/Jaimie Reynolds on Friday) Brenner seemed to revel in it.

In the last of many phone conversations I had with Brenner on Friday, he told me that he had committed to be on "Good Morning America" and "Nightline" on Monday. ABC had won the battle of the networks. According to him.

The long run: Gene Shepard lied. There was no Hodag in the forest.

However, Rhinelander to this day rejoices in this fictional monstrous green mascot.

Did Brenner lie? Was he in on it?

Or was he, as he has maintained, an "idiot"?

I'd love to know what you think.



META MINTON is editor of The Southern Illinoisan and may be reached at (618) 351-5033 or meta.minton@thesouthern.com@thesouthern.com