The Jayson Blair Case: At the New York Times, the Spin Cycle Never Ends

A Different Drummer ^ | 23 May 2003 | Nicholas Stix

[mrustow]

This is the most thorough story I've yet seen on the Jayson Blair scandal.

[MEG33]

A good read and not PC!

[TaxRelief]

my NYTimes Rant:

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Jayson Blair debacle illustrates the dangers of misguided altruism

Whether the motivation is to earn a place in heaven or to impress a colleague, the Jayson Blair debacle illustrates the misguided motivations of the modern-day altruist. Like a spoiled brat, who has had everything handed to him, this young man has laughed and continues to laugh in the face of the many handouts that have come his way. He has cleverly played the "pity me" card to avoid completing his education and has used it to land a job for himself at (what some consider) one of the most respected institutes of journalism in the world: the New York Times.

The blame for his downfall can be placed squarely upon the shoulders of the tunnel visioned philanthropists at the New York Times. They gave freely and then freely gave again, apparently oblivious to the fact that monsters, like Mr. Blair, are easily created and fostered. It is extremely unfortunate and not very likely that they will ever see where the fault lies.

Mean-spirited and selfish, they repeatedly proclaim while editorializing about conservatives. Self-responsibility is unrealistic, they say, shooting another barb.

Is it not surprising that their deprecating words are a shock to productive, upstanding citizens? "Self-responsibility is unrealistic?" we ponder. Is it wrong to believe in the abilities of human nature? Is it wrong to expect every man to 'ask not what his country can do for him, but what he can do for his country'?"

Great cliches cannot themselves change reality. Chronic do-gooders deceive themselves and their children when they declare that it is possible to be selfless. They forget a simple fact:

In order to give, someone must take, and forcing or convincing someone to take is not a selfless act.

And conservatives know a sad little secret: The act of taking that which has not been earned, corrupts human nature, and ultimately drives the taker further from 'all that is good'. It creates a dependency that shatters pride and perpetuates a subclass from generation to generation. Every nursing home attendant knows that even old people crave the opportunity to give in return for what they must receive.

This cannot be interpreted to mean that conservatives are content to abdicate all responsibility. On the contrary, they care very deeply and believe that the poor and underprivileged can be helped, but not with handouts, and not with artificial "job opportunities" or favored "college admissions" that are just thinly disguised charity.

Raising their own children has taught conservatives that the "disadvantaged" are best helped when they are exposed to a culture that values success, applauds achievement and evenly rewards productivity. Everyone must be surrounded by a morality that treasures life, guards property rights (so that rewards are not taken away) and despises the random use of force.

Children and adults rise to the occasion when the bar is set to an appropriate, consistent level and when each individual is expected to be the best that he or she can be.

The New York Times would do much more to help society if the board made a decision to revert back to the policies, typical of the 1950s, that hired and fired based on ability and education. The company would of course have to make one minor revision: Managers should now be expected to "judge people, not by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character."

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-TR.............

Copyright 2003

[mrustow]

Glad you liked it. No, no one has ever accused Stix of being pc!

[PoorMuttly]

"All the News that Fits, We Print"

[GSWarrior]

I think there is a lot more going on here than an affirmative action snafu. My theory is that Blair is gay and was sleeping with someone in a position of authority who protected him from the consequences of his journalistic misdeeds. This is the real cover-up.

[Timesink]

Schadenfreude

This is the New York Times Schadenfreude Ping List. Freepmail me to be added or dropped.

[mrustow]

Thanks for your post.

[mrustow]

Isn't "All the news that fits," the motto of the New York Daily News?

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for posting this.

How to detect lies in your newspaper re Anonymous Sources! (USA TODAY OWNER PUBLISHER/23 MAY 2003)

* The anonymous source, if in fact one exists, generally is a coward who tells more than he or she knows.

* The reporter permitted to use such sources often writes more than he or she hears.

*The only sure way to separate fact from fiction is to ban all anonymous sources. If your newspaper uses them, be very, very skeptical.

[mrustow]

At this point, I wouldn't foreclose on anything ... but the race story still is the most plausible, and is supported by hard evidence.

[mrustow]

Sure thing, Grampa Dave. Thanks for the cartoon and warning.

[Grampa Dave]

The old trick of the undisclosed source has been a rock in my craw since the Watergate Days and Woodward's phoney Deep Throat.

Now a lot more Americans are waking up to this reality.

[ImphClinton]

I'd be willing to bet he was sleeping with everyone there that mattered. 75% are Homos. Few care about people sleeping around. He most likely did it the old fashioned way and sleep his way to the top. Never forgetting to remind people of the need to promote blacks.

[SerpentDove]

<<To even be considered for employment at the Times, a reporter candidate often needs:

1. Orthodox socialist/politically correct views on … everything;

2. A bachelor's degree from an Ivy League school or an OPU (overpriced, private university) equivalent, e.g., NYU;

3. A master's degree in journalism, preferably from Columbia University; and

4. A storied career at a daily newspaper<<

What's cool is Drudge had NONE of these qualifications, and knocked the mainstream press on its ear with the Lewinsky scoop.

And as "citizen-reporters" the plain old common folk on FR can be as effective, or moreso, than these frauds.

[Liz]

bttt

[Pearls Before Swine]

Great find. It shows the all too obvious downside of preferences. Also, if Blair wasn't a sociopath when he started his career (he probably was), the red carpet treatment he received would have been just about enough to make him one. He learned from experience that he could do no wrong.

[aristeides]

If your explanation is correct, why do you suppose the defenders of affirmative action don't bring it up?

[PoorMuttly]

I get my news from FR, where it is thoroughly pre-digested before I am exposed to its hidden toxins.

[mrustow]

If your explanation is correct, why do you suppose the defenders of affirmative action don't bring it up?

Excellent point, ari.