'Of course I knew it was wrong' (how to succeed in journalism without really trying)

BOSTON GLOBE ^ | 5/22/2003 | Don Aucoin and Bella English

[Liz]

It was the summer of 1997, and Jayson T. Blair was at the center of a newsroom controversy.

Blair, then 21, was sitting in the glass-walled office of assistant managing editor Louisa Williams. The door was closed. Just six weeks into a 12-week summer internship, Blair had already cut a considerable swath through The Boston Globe. In some respects, he was exactly what editors look for in a reporter: nervy, enterprising, prolific, eager to arrive early and stay late.

[Liz]

(Boston Globe supervisors) told (Blair) of complaints about his zeal for spreading gossip and interrogating colleagues about their assignments. Other interns had accused him of poaching ideas from them and elbowing them aside for choice assignments. Overall, the consensus was that Blair perpetually had ''his nose in other people's business,'' in Williams's words. Doubly irksome to the two supervisors was the fact that some of the same complaints had surfaced during Blair's internship in the Globe's Washington bureau the previous summer. They reminded him of that, and forcefully told him it could not continue. At that point, Blair burst into tears. He promised he would change his behavior. But in the following weeks, he remained a polarizing figure among the interns working for the Globe's Metro section. The supervisors had to call him in again to discuss the same issues.

Jayson's writing the wrong book. He should pen a tome about how to get ahead even if you're a first-class schnook.

[Fracas]

After transferring from Liberty University, a Christian college in Lynchburg, Va., founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell

Any day we'll see the NYT and Chris Matthews blame Blair's problems on Jerry Falwell. OTOH, I cannot comprehend the culture shock between Falwell's college and the University of MD!

[Wonder Warthog]

"...and Thomas Blair, an inspector general at the Smithsonian Institution."

I wonder if this is part of the reason that the Smithsonian has been having so many problems of late.

[Diogenesis]

The bottom line is that his plagiarism was A=OK to the Boston Globe.

[Savage Beast]

"he boasted of his shenanigans at the Times, saying he 'fooled some of the most brilliant people in journalism.'"

So-called "journalists" of the American "mainstream newsmedia" are saddened, deeply saddened by this incident.

The wary public sees all these people as a bunch of mendacious, self-deluding slobs serving a big "Liberal"/Democrat propaganda machine.

So-called "journalists", dazzled by themselves, atop their perches of self-righteousness and self-congratulation, are blind to the obvious similarities between themselves and Jayson Blair.

One difference however--"journalists" generally don't boast of their shenanigans.

[Liz]

..... "journalists", dazzled by themselves, atop their perches of self-righteousness and self-congratulation, are blind to the obvious similarities between themselves and Jayson Blair......

Let's not forget that astute conservatives have always seen right through these self-serving liberals, and phonies like Blair. Conservatives have been constrained from speaking out b/c of the hateful PC atrocity and idiotic hate crimes laws.

Hate crime laws and PC causes chaos and protects liars and frauds like the Times and Blair. That's why they have served their usefulness and must be obliterated.

The self-same dumbos who religiously read the Times for (ahem) news are the pea-brains who were sappily duped by the Clintons, and actually voted for the two creeps.

New Yorkers put Hitlery into a Senate seat. How dumb is that?

[Liz]

Of course plagiarism was OK.....these are "tolerant and compassionate" liberals we're talking about here. (/sarcasm off)

[Miss Marple]

You know, there are repeated stories about him snooping into other reporters' personal lives, sources, etc.

This sounds awfully like someone who is trying to get the goods on someone else...blackmail, in other words.

[Liz]

Snooping? Blackmail? It's amazing the Clintons never hired Blair.

[Miss Marple]

How do you know they didn't? They have to do something with all that money in the library fund.

[Liz]

Heheh.....good zinger.

[Libloather]

"Of course I knew it was wrong. There is no reason to lie now."

The perp is going to write a book about this garbage? Can't wait...

[Savage Beast]

"astute conservatives have always seen right through these self-serving liberals, and phoneys"

Precisely.

[martin_fierro]

[Leisler]

Wouldn’t the Globe and it’s owner, The New York Times, argue that it depends upon what your definition of plagiarism is?

[razorback-bert]

Everyone states Jayson was bright, smart, and intellgent, so how did the brightest, smartest and most intellgent, let a shlemil in their little club?

[Liz]

Great graphic....nails all the frauds. LOL.

[Liz]

(Blair's) sentence is a train wreck.

Blair was an up-and-comer and added diversity to the newsroom. You expected proper English, too?

[Incorrigible]

A whole long article like this and not one mention of Howell Raines?

Just a continuation of the Times party line.  Jayson did what he did all by himself.  No enablers.

Bogus!