The Chronicle of Higher Education isn't known for producing the most entertaining content, but its new exposé on the the ubiquitous "student-loan debt expert" Drew Cloud is comedic gold.
The self-described debt expert and journalist Cloud, the Chronicle notes, "is everywhere." His first-rate research, published on his website "The Student Loan Report," is frequently cited by mainstream media outlets, including The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, CNBC, Forbes, and Business Insider, while his name is "a fixture in the smaller, specialized blogosphere of student debt."
The Chronicle explains how they figured out that Cloud is as incorporeal as his name suggests:
When the Chronicle pressed Matherson on whether he regretted inventing a fake person to promote his loan refinancing company, he said that Cloud was a just a convenient way to connect to readers and post info on a Wordpress website.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/29907/meet-expert-often-quoted-mainstream-media-outlets-james-barrett
The self-described debt expert and journalist Cloud, the Chronicle notes, "is everywhere." His first-rate research, published on his website "The Student Loan Report," is frequently cited by mainstream media outlets, including The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, CNBC, Forbes, and Business Insider, while his name is "a fixture in the smaller, specialized blogosphere of student debt."
The Chronicle explains how they figured out that Cloud is as incorporeal as his name suggests:
After The Chronicle spent more than a week trying to verify Cloud’s existence, the company that owns The Student Loan Report confirmed that Cloud was fake. "Drew Cloud is a pseudonym that a diverse group of authors at Student Loan Report, LLC use to share experiences and information related to the challenges college students face with funding their education," wrote Nate Matherson, CEO of LendEDU.
Before that admission, however, Cloud had corresponded at length with many journalists, pitching them stories and offering email interviews, many of which were published. When The Chronicle attempted to contact him through the address last week, Cloud said he was traveling and had limited access to his account. He didn’t respond to additional inquiries.
Before that admission, however, Cloud had corresponded at length with many journalists, pitching them stories and offering email interviews, many of which were published. When The Chronicle attempted to contact him through the address last week, Cloud said he was traveling and had limited access to his account. He didn’t respond to additional inquiries.
When the Chronicle pressed Matherson on whether he regretted inventing a fake person to promote his loan refinancing company, he said that Cloud was a just a convenient way to connect to readers and post info on a Wordpress website.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/29907/meet-expert-often-quoted-mainstream-media-outlets-james-barrett
