In this essay, I offer 3 examples of published and documented lies made by Cori Shepherd Stern in order to further her career. This reckless disregard for truth goes to credibility, intent, and narrative manipulation.

1. Fraud in Academia

In this Lancet Paper that she co-authored, she is credited as Cori S Stern, BA. She does not have a BA.

Evidence: She was profiled in this magazine from her alma mater. Standard practice includes listing the year of graduation after the alumnus name. Her name does not have a year listed after it because she dropped out and did not graduate.

2. Fraud in Employment Credentials

Dr. Arthur Ammann, the world renown pediatric immunologist who was the to first diagnose AIDS in children, described meeting Cori Shepherd Stern in his book Lethal Decisions: The Unnecessary Deaths of Women and Children from HIV/AIDS.

“Early in the morning of May 15, 2003, I received a phone call from Cori Stern. She had been on assignment in Nigeria for National Geographic when she came across Faith Alive, a clinic in Nigeria,

According to Dr Amman’s published book, she told him — over the phone — that she had been “on assignment for National Geographic.” There is no evidence she has ever been employed or contracted by National Geographic

With those five little words, “on assignment for National Geographic,” she borrowed the authority and credibility of one of the most trusted brands in journalism. And nobody ever fact checked her.

3. Fraud in Filmmaking

Situation: Health Minister of Rwanda receives a call during her interview for Bending the Arc . It is the first suspected case of Ebola but later turns out to just be malaria.

When Stern is asked about that call she said:

Q: What are some of your fondest memories from this project?

Stern: One really important moment in the film for me was Ebola—we got that on camera and people have asked me, ‘Was that staged? Is that real?’ When Agnes got that call, that was real. That blew me away that we had that moment on camera of her actually getting the call about Ebola. It was a crucial moment.

She said: “That was real… it was about Ebola It was a crucial moment.” That’s an affirmative factual claim. Yet, the primary subject – Agnes Binagwaho – says the exact opposite, while Stern sits right beside her!

Venue: Skoll World Forum – Panel with former health minister of Rwanda, Agnes Binagwaho, Vice Chancellor, University of Global Health Equity

Agnes Binagwaho: “It was not ebola. It was very bad malaria.”

Documentaries are allowed to choose emphasis, compress time, and edit reactions. They are not allowed to falsely represent real-world events or market a knowingly inaccurate moment as factual. Once a filmmaker knows a moment is false and continues to present it as real, that’s no longer storytelling—it’s knowing misrepresentation.

If she lies (or knowingly embellishes) about this, she cannot be trusted when her claims are even more outrageous.