He has his B.A. in history on his office wall along with all of his other diplomas. I'll have to mention to him that it's pretentious. 
LOL, please do!
But seriously, it's not universally pretentious of course. In fact, in many professions the display of one's professional credentials, certificates, and associated diplomas is expected as a sort of vote of confidence. I would expect a doctor to frame his M.D. diploma prominently over his desk. Academic credentials are highly important in that field.
In other cases a baccalaureate diploma is a common enough possession that to see it displayed prominently almost asks if there's a good story behind it. No one in my field displays their bachelor's diploma in their offices; we've all got one, so what's the point?
No offense intended to anyone who proudly displays his diploma. You earned it.
Are there really reporters who would pay that much to validate his credentials?
I think it would depend on how much they'd already published assuming he was legitimate.