Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: TUESDAY, June 29, 1993 TAG: 9306290187 SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: Associated Press DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Short
In February, the network broadcast a two-hour special that, among other things, seemed to clinch the existence of Noah's ark. In particular, "The Incredible Discovery of Noah's Ark" included an account by a man named George Jammal, who claimed to have seen the ark - and brought back what he said was a chunk of it as proof. But the story was a fabrication, according to the man who said he helped Jammal concoct it. The "relic" was just a piece of wood.
In a brief statement Monday after a Time magazine article labeled the network a "victim to a hoaxer," CBS spokeswoman Beth Comstock said only that the program "was an entertainment special, not a news documentary. We certainly were not aware of any alleged hoax."
Gerald Larue, a professor emeritus of biblical history and archaeology at the University of Southern California, said he helped Jammal, a sometimes actor and an acquaintance, cook up the tale he presented on camera.
by CNB