The mayor, the fountain, and the metadata: when Ariel Weil gets tangled up

That some politicians lie is self-evident. That they attack journalists, questioning their ethics while lying, also happens. But that they do it as foolishly as Ariel Weil, Mayor of Paris Centre, did—now that is not so common.

Foolishly, because Ariel Weil does not know us well: we are not the kind to turn the other cheek. And foolishly, because his blatant lie is astonishingly easy to prove.

Let’s return to the facts. For several weeks, we have been walking through Paris, examining—one by one—all the decorative fountains managed by the City of Paris, in order to update…