What should I do when my sons cheated in a writing contest?

Question

My wife and I are a remarried couple. I have a daughter and a son and she has a son. I am an editor-in-chief of a big magazine. Recently my magazine organized a writing contest. In order to avoid arousing suspicion, we regulated that the family of the magazine staff shouldn't participate. The prize was a remote control race car model. My 2 sons wanted to win the prize very much. So they faked a story about how bad their step-mother treated them. They didn't sign their own names but "2 miserable boys". The essay was written just so so but it moved all the staff. So we took them as a winner though we couldn't find them. Afterwards the event was reported widely and many people began to look for these two boys. My 2 sons feared so they made a video asking people not to look for them again. They uploaded the video onto the internet. But they made a mistake. One envelope on the desk told where we were. Then reporters came to my house to interview them and my wife and I got informed of the whole event. My wife got very angry..... What should I do now?

The elder boy is 15 years old and the other is 10. And the contest stipulated that the writing must be of autual events so they cheated.

Answer 1

Apologize through the press and assure everyone "out there" that your magazine in no way had any knowledge of the boys' ruse and that they will face very firm consequences for their behavior.

Obviously, they are disqualified from the contest and you choose an alternate winner, and also release plenty of press releases about that.

For the boys: they need to write an apology to the readers of your magazine to appear on the letters to or letter from the editor page of the next issue.  You actually may be able to do well selling ads for the perimeter of that page or the preceding or following page as an aside.

Also, for the boys, they are to have no allowance, video games, computer time, going to parties or other events they might be invited to, or television for a year, which can be reduced to six months with good behavior and grades in school.  They can possibly spend time with their friends, but they are not to play video games, go on the computer, or watch TV at the friends' house either and if you find out they did, another week will be added to their time.

That seems harsh but their action could have ruined your career as a publisher and the consequences need to have a lifelong impact so they do not think they can pull such a prank again.

Answer 2

Tsk, Tsk. Bad Karma always comes around. Well nothing to do now. Public apology maybe?? Start the contest over. You risked losing your job. Well was the risk worth it?

P.S Cheaters never win!

P.S.S Good Luck! Hope you still keep your job!

Answer 3

Tell them to make their story credible, their step-mother will validate their misery by using their story as her guide for their treatment. They actually become "2 miserable boys" and your wife gets to vent. Everybody wins.

Answer 4

They should publicly come clean, not only because they lied to the magazine about being mistreated, but they ignored the position it would put you in.

On top of it all though, and I say this without knowing exactly what they wrote, but assuming that it may have touched on being physically, emotionally or verbally mistreated by their step-mother I think it's important that they realize that abuse is a reality which many kids face.

Not to say they haven't learned, but hopefully they understand the ethical reasons why using the misfortunes of another for gain is wrong.

Answer 5

Make them publicly apologize to your wife, to the magazine, and to the newspaper for lying and cheating. I would make them write a letter to the newspaper for them to publish and have them go to the magazine and apologize in person to the staff who selected their "winning" writing. And don't let them keep the prize. Make them give it back. They lied and shouldn't be rewarded for lying and need to learn that it is not acceptable and nothing good comes from it.

Answer 6

They need to be disciplined. I hope they were disqualified. They broke rules, they risked your reputation at your place of employment. And at their ages they know better. When I was reading this before I got to the ages I was picturing two younger children maybe 7 - 9 years old not a 15 year old and 10 year old. They definitely know better.

How awful for your wife, her being angry is completely understandable and if you do not discipline them for it I wouldn't blame her for becoming upset with you. They need to learn that every action good or bad has a consequence. The youth today do not learn that from their parents and it is key to making them responsible adults that make a positive contribution to society.

Answer 7

Well its very simple, have them announce publically that they made the story up to win the car.