A Fragile Trust
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
A FRAGILE TRUST tells the shocking story of Jayson Blair, the most infamous serial plagiarist of our time, and how he unleashed the massive scandal that rocked the New York Times and the entire world of journalism. In 2003 Blair was caught plagiarizing and supplementing his own reporting with fabricated details in dozens of stories published in the Times. The daily operations of the Times newsroom became a public spectacle as every major news outlet picked up the story and ran with it. The fact that Blair is African-American was emphasized again and again as accounts of the 'Blair Affair' served up sordid details in a soap-opera style tale of deception, drug abuse, racism, mental illness, hierarchy, white guilt, and power struggles inside the hallowed halls of the New York Times.
Through the course of the film, we follow Blair as he slowly unravels in the face of mounting pressures and distractions. Starting with his 'reporting' of the plagiarized article that ultimately lead to his undoing, we trace the rise and fall of this fascinating young reporter as he clings to his career at the Times even as he is losing his mind.
Featuring exclusive interviews with everyone involved, including former Executive Editor Howell Raines and Blair himself, A FRAGILE TRUST is the first film to tell the whole sordid story of the scandal while exploring deeper themes of power, ethics, and responsibility in the mainstream media.
'A Fragile Trust is a riveting cinematic achievement that's the closest we're likely to get to penetrating the core mystery of why this gifted young journalist destroyed his career in such a spectacular way. Samantha Grant steers well clear of preaching, but the lessons the film holds for journalists today--with audience trust in ever shorter supply--are vital and unmistakable.' Edward Wasserman, Dean and Professor of Journalism, Graduate School of Journalism, University of California-Berkeley
'A Fragile Trust exposes the flaws in the system and some of the people involved in one of the biggest journalistic scandals ever. With unprecedented access, candid interviews and a decade of perspective, this film unravels and then pieces together the story behind the story.' Roy S. Gutterman, Director, Tully Center for Free Speech, Associate Professor, Communications Law and Journalism, Syracuse University
'A Fragile Trust quietly undermines the myth that this was a case of Affirmative Action gone wrong, and serves as an important reminder that personal ethics must hold at the core of a profession devoted to truth. Newsrooms will always will be vulnerable to lone actors more interested in personal advancement than the hard work required to produce serious journalism. This film shows the dangers.' C.S. Manegold, Visiting Senior Lecturer of Journalism at Mount Holyoke College, formerly reported for The New York Times, Newsweek Magazine and the Philadelphia Inquirer
'Samantha Grant slowly and expertly unveils the complexity of professional misconduct using Jayson Blair as her muse and the NY Times as the setting. Her use of everyday imagery and thorough storytelling reminds us that in the quest for success, we all are capable of perpetuating deceit. I will be using the film in my ethics class. In its delivery of this lesson along with others equally as powerful, A Fragile Trust should be required viewing for any student who aspires to enter into a trusted profession.' Dr. Tricia Bertram Gallant, Lecturer of Management, University of California-San Diego, Editor, Creating the Ethical Academy: Understanding Misconduct and Empowering Change in Higher Education
'This documentary unpeels the Jayson Blair debacle like an onion. All of the complex, interwoven issues are given a fair hearing, thanks to the panoply of interviews. We may never fully understand the Jayson Blair case, but thanks to this film, we can understand why it matters.' Dr. Norman Lewis, Associate Professor of Journalism, University of Florida
'This in-depth examination of the Blair case will prompt further discussion on the ethics of journalism.' Rosemary Arneson, University of Mary Washington, Library Journal
'A Fragile Trust is a must-have for Journalism Studies DVD shelves, highly recommended.' Midwest Book Review
'A well-made and engaging film...It should be of interest to journalism students, scholars, and practitioners.' Timothy Hackman, University of Maryland, Educational Media Reviews Online
'Presents a cautionary tale of the young reporter whose work seemed too good to be true...This compelling documentary about one of the biggest contemporary scandals in American journalism is recommended.' S. Rees, Video Librarian
'An intriguing documentary...Fragile Trust makes the interesting point that it was only with the transition of many newspapers to digital editions that plagiarism became easy.' Louis Proyect, CounterPunch
'Well-balanced...meticulous. Portrait of disgraced reporter Jayson Blair raises tough questions about journalistic ethics and personal responsibility in the digital era.' Ronnie Scheib, Variety
'A remarkable film for its probing, its wealth of detail and testimony - remarkable above all, perhaps, in the clinical picture of its subject, one devoid of any efforts to assign mitigating factors to his disastrous career, whether of race or class.' Dorothy Rabinowitz, Wall Street Journal
'The film is a stellar cautionary tale and morality play that will hopefully inspire future generations of journalists, bloggers and opinion leaders to be accountable for their editorial discretion and how they will distribute information to their audiences.' Christopher A. Daniel, TheBurtonWire.com
'It should be required viewing for all journalism students, and interesting discussion fodder for pros.' David Cuillier, Society of Professional Journalists Blog
'As a subject that destroyed reputations, careers and tarnished the endeavours of working journalists worldwide, journalist, educator and filmmaker Samantha Grant's film A Fragile Trust explores the Jayson Blair story with accuracy and intent, producing a Rashomon style documentary that explores media ethics, issues of race, power and the failure of institutional journalism through a retrospective of the high pressure media world of post - 9/11 New York.' Chris Binding, Pictureshow Magazine
'One of the Gray Lady's most embarrassing moments comes to complex life in this tough-minded analysis that explores issues of race, affirmative action and institutional inertia.' Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
'Director Samantha Grant chronicles an ignominious but fascinating chapter in modern journalism in this solid doc.' Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News
'A clear and thorough story about the most damaging plagiarism scandal in the history of America's flagship newspaper, and about the ambiguous and troubled individual who sparked it.' Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
'A Fragile Trust lays it all out...with clarity, so that you understand what happened and how it happened.' Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
'Though the Blair scandal was exhaustively covered as it unfolded, the new documentary A Fragile Trust...argues it has been seriously misunderstood.' Simon Houpt, (Toronto) Globe and Mail
'Grant paints a fascinating portrait of a talented but disturbed, insecure (and possibly sociopathic) young man who spun a web of lies so thick his falsehoods soon became indistinguishable from his reality.' Zeba Blay, IndieWire
'At a time when newspapers are struggling and resources are stretched, A Fragile Trust is a compelling reminder of the importance of paying attention to the details, no matter how small or trivial.' Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
'First-Rate...A thorough and balanced examination.' Steve Leftridge, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
'Great journalism and superb documentary film making.' Carole Di Tosti, BlogCritics
'An excellent field guide for dissecting the moment when telling a mistruth seemed like a better idea than being honest.' Slash Films
'This thorough account of a terrible time in journalism serves as a reminder to everyone in the media to never put expediency ahead of professionalism.' Peter Howell, The Toronto Star
'A compelling and balanced account of scandal and the fight for integrity in a business where trust is everything.' ReelGA.com
Citation
Main credits
Grant, Samantha (film director)
Grant, Samantha (film producer)
Grant, Samantha (film editor)
Shepherd, Brittney (film producer)
Levien, Richard Ben (film editor)
Blair, Jayson (interviewee)
Other credits
Edited by Richard Levien & Samantha Grant; music by Justin Melland; cinematography, Singeli Agnew [and eleven others].
Distributor subjects
African-American Studies; American Democracy; American Studies; Business Practices; Ethics; Journalism; Labor and Work Issues; Mass Communications; Mental Health; Psychology; Race and Racism; SociologyKeywords
WEBVTT
00:00:01.501 --> 00:00:03.959
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:00:10.375 --> 00:00:15.333
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:00:15.334 --> 00:00:18.291
- The New York Times, with its
famous slogan \"All The News
00:00:18.292 --> 00:00:21.625
That\'s Fit to Print,\" is working
on a story it would rather not
00:00:21.626 --> 00:00:22.917
be doing tonight.
00:00:22.918 --> 00:00:25.958
It\'s about one of its own, a
most promising young reporter
00:00:25.959 --> 00:00:27.998
who appears to
have copied or even
00:00:27.999 --> 00:00:30.250
made up key parts
of his stories.
00:00:34.542 --> 00:00:37.041
- Jayson Blair is just
the latest example
00:00:37.042 --> 00:00:39.374
of journalistic
fraud chipping away
00:00:39.375 --> 00:00:40.999
at an industry built on trust.
00:00:46.667 --> 00:00:48.999
- You say your
behavior was poor.
00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:51.209
Some people would say
it was disgraceful.
00:00:57.292 --> 00:00:58.792
- Well, what\'s it
like to be a liar?
00:01:01.542 --> 00:01:03.416
- Some of the time it
took for you to come up
00:01:03.417 --> 00:01:05.625
with these details, in
that same amount of time
00:01:05.626 --> 00:01:06.999
you could have actually
done the groundwork.
00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:08.542
You\'re just a pathological liar.
00:01:13.542 --> 00:01:16.458
- A journalistic
trainwreck: Jayson Blair
00:01:16.459 --> 00:01:18.625
disgraced The New
York Times with dozens
00:01:18.626 --> 00:01:20.833
of fabricated and
plagiarized stories.
00:01:20.834 --> 00:01:23.542
Some difficult questions
for Jayson Blair.
00:01:31.584 --> 00:01:34.374
- Why did you do it?
00:01:34.375 --> 00:01:36.958
- This one again... no.
00:01:36.959 --> 00:01:39.082
I don\'t have a good
answer for the question.
00:01:39.083 --> 00:01:43.708
I\'ve gone over it many years,
run it through my head.
00:01:43.709 --> 00:01:45.958
The basic conclusion
that I come down to
00:01:45.959 --> 00:01:48.541
is that there isn\'t
a simple one answer.
00:01:48.542 --> 00:01:51.249
(KEYS JINGLING)
00:01:51.250 --> 00:01:57.082
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:01:57.083 --> 00:01:59.083
(CHUCKLING)
00:02:05.959 --> 00:02:09.333
Holy shit.
00:02:09.334 --> 00:02:11.791
One of the reasons why
I got into journalism
00:02:11.792 --> 00:02:14.082
was this notion that
I could help people;
00:02:14.083 --> 00:02:17.750
educate them, entertain them,
make their lives better.
00:02:17.751 --> 00:02:19.541
And I had so lost sight of that.
00:02:19.542 --> 00:02:21.541
Because of a set of
choices that I made,
00:02:21.542 --> 00:02:24.334
I chose to hurt some
innocent people.
00:02:27.125 --> 00:02:30.208
Because it comes in
such small, tiny steps,
00:02:30.209 --> 00:02:32.958
you\'ve lost yourself
well before you
00:02:32.959 --> 00:02:35.626
know you\'re even being
presented with a big choice.
00:02:39.709 --> 00:02:41.583
Hey.
00:02:41.584 --> 00:02:43.541
Hey, what\'s going on, man?
00:02:43.542 --> 00:02:46.958
(MUFFLED VOICE ON PHONE)
Oh, I agree, but...
00:02:46.959 --> 00:02:47.417
no.
00:02:47.418 --> 00:02:50.291
What would really ruin
things, though, are secrets.
00:02:50.292 --> 00:02:51.167
Trust me.
00:02:51.168 --> 00:02:52.751
I\'m speaking from
personal experience.
00:02:57.584 --> 00:03:01.042
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:10.166
\"New York is an insane town.
00:03:10.167 --> 00:03:13.333
There was no doubt.
00:03:13.334 --> 00:03:14.998
Working for The New
York Times, though,
00:03:14.999 --> 00:03:17.417
gave me my own special place
in the swirling madness.
00:03:20.999 --> 00:03:23.833
Somewhere in my final days
of working at The Times,
00:03:23.834 --> 00:03:26.750
I came across an article written
about the grief of the Anguiano
00:03:26.751 --> 00:03:33.708
family whose son Edward, a
sergeant, was missing in Iraq.\"
00:03:33.709 --> 00:03:36.166
For me, it all
began to fall apart
00:03:36.167 --> 00:03:39.958
when I was assigned
the Anguiano story.
00:03:39.959 --> 00:03:43.708
We had been looking for things
like the firsts, the lasts,
00:03:43.709 --> 00:03:45.750
the first woman who... exes.
00:03:45.751 --> 00:03:49.875
Because those could be memorable
moments that people hold on to,
00:03:49.876 --> 00:03:51.541
and you could capture
people\'s attention
00:03:51.542 --> 00:03:55.998
with the drama of the situation
and make broader points
00:03:55.999 --> 00:03:58.875
about the cost of the
war and the sacrifice
00:03:58.876 --> 00:04:00.333
that people were making.
00:04:00.334 --> 00:04:02.917
So since I had been writing
a lot of stories like that,
00:04:02.918 --> 00:04:05.291
my editor naturally
thought that I
00:04:05.292 --> 00:04:08.208
should be the one who does it.
00:04:08.209 --> 00:04:10.333
The first things that
I did were the things
00:04:10.334 --> 00:04:11.833
that anyone would
do on any story.
00:04:11.834 --> 00:04:15.041
You find the potential
characters, the family members,
00:04:15.042 --> 00:04:19.541
the units where they were
based, where they worked,
00:04:19.542 --> 00:04:20.542
where they had worked.
00:04:23.334 --> 00:04:27.041
The next step was to find
out who had written what
00:04:27.042 --> 00:04:30.958
about the person and
look for ideas and twists
00:04:30.959 --> 00:04:32.541
or what\'s missing
in the other stories
00:04:32.542 --> 00:04:38.291
that you can expand
on or capitalize on.
00:04:38.292 --> 00:04:41.250
(BIRDS SINGING)
00:04:46.751 --> 00:04:50.250
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:04:55.751 --> 00:04:58.625
- \"Words can\'t describe the
emotions Juanita Anguiano has
00:04:58.626 --> 00:05:02.082
experienced since learning her
24-year-old son was missing
00:05:02.083 --> 00:05:03.791
somewhere in Iraq.
00:05:03.792 --> 00:05:06.166
So the single mother,
a teacher\'s aid,
00:05:06.167 --> 00:05:08.750
points to the ceiling fan he
installed in her small living
00:05:08.751 --> 00:05:09.375
room.
00:05:09.376 --> 00:05:11.625
She points to the
pinstriped couches,
00:05:11.626 --> 00:05:15.333
the tennis bracelet still in its
red velvet case, and the Martha
00:05:15.334 --> 00:05:18.958
Stewart patio furniture, all
gifts from her first born
00:05:18.959 --> 00:05:26.959
and only son, her handyman,
the man of her house.\"
00:05:27.125 --> 00:05:32.082
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:05:32.083 --> 00:05:34.584
(CRICKETS)
00:05:37.959 --> 00:05:40.291
At the time that I wrote the
story about Juanita Anguiano
00:05:40.292 --> 00:05:44.583
and her son, I was covering
South Texas for the San Antonio
00:05:44.584 --> 00:05:47.208
Express-News.
00:05:47.209 --> 00:05:48.708
The war had just started.
00:05:48.709 --> 00:05:52.500
It was March of 2003,
but we had started
00:05:52.501 --> 00:05:58.249
writing about soldiers that
were coming back in caskets.
00:05:58.250 --> 00:06:02.208
In the Valley, it\'s a very
poor region of South Texas.
00:06:02.209 --> 00:06:06.750
And a lot of young men and
women had joined the military.
00:06:06.751 --> 00:06:08.666
I had heard about
this one soldier
00:06:08.667 --> 00:06:12.249
in Los Fresnos who was missing.
00:06:12.250 --> 00:06:15.666
I told the photographer,
I said, \"We should really
00:06:15.667 --> 00:06:17.416
try and go find this family.
00:06:17.417 --> 00:06:20.917
Because her son is
missing in Iraq.
00:06:20.918 --> 00:06:24.416
We need to put it on record that
there\'s a mother still waiting
00:06:24.417 --> 00:06:26.208
for news of her son.\"
00:06:26.209 --> 00:06:28.583
And a lot of the people that
I choose to write about,
00:06:28.584 --> 00:06:29.750
no one ever writes about.
00:06:29.751 --> 00:06:34.041
So I take that responsibility
extra seriously.
00:06:34.042 --> 00:06:39.166
Because I feel like this may be
the only record of their lives.
00:06:39.167 --> 00:06:42.709
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:06:51.083 --> 00:06:54.291
- Juanita, I can\'t imagine,
as a mother, what you\'ve
00:06:54.292 --> 00:06:55.875
been going through
the last month.
00:06:55.876 --> 00:06:59.291
Can you just share with us
what it\'s been like for you?
00:06:59.292 --> 00:07:05.333
- Well, my whole family is going
right now through a hard time.
00:07:05.334 --> 00:07:12.583
And it\'s very hard
for all of us.
00:07:12.584 --> 00:07:16.541
- I was actually supposed
to be gone on another story.
00:07:16.542 --> 00:07:20.041
But they did not have
anything for the front page
00:07:20.042 --> 00:07:20.959
for a weekend.
00:07:20.960 --> 00:07:22.917
And they knew early in the
week that they wouldn\'t have
00:07:22.918 --> 00:07:24.416
anything for the
front page to offer,
00:07:24.417 --> 00:07:26.166
the National section wouldn\'t.
00:07:26.167 --> 00:07:28.416
So they begged and
pleaded with me
00:07:28.417 --> 00:07:33.500
to turn that story around
in a matter of days.
00:07:33.501 --> 00:07:37.082
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:07:37.083 --> 00:07:38.666
There\'s something
about journalism
00:07:38.667 --> 00:07:41.541
that involves instant
gratification.
00:07:41.542 --> 00:07:45.249
I wrote my story last night,
it appears on the front page
00:07:45.250 --> 00:07:46.791
all over the place.
00:07:46.792 --> 00:07:50.208
And it\'s gone, and it
disappears by the next day.
00:07:50.209 --> 00:07:52.250
You\'re constantly
chasing this high.
00:07:57.334 --> 00:07:59.291
- Our desk editors
were reviewing
00:07:59.292 --> 00:08:00.999
all of the different
wire stories,
00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:04.958
particularly about the
War in Iraq that night.
00:08:04.959 --> 00:08:07.374
And it was drawn
to Dan\'s attention,
00:08:07.375 --> 00:08:09.124
\"Here\'s this story for
The New York Times.
00:08:09.125 --> 00:08:12.208
And it looks like
Macarena\'s story.\"
00:08:12.209 --> 00:08:15.333
We had an editor who
oversees Macarena\'s work,
00:08:15.334 --> 00:08:19.166
and he did the old
yellow marker comparison.
00:08:19.167 --> 00:08:21.999
And it was remarkable.
00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:23.666
There were some
indefinite articles
00:08:23.667 --> 00:08:26.166
changed, and here and
there a verb conjugation.
00:08:26.167 --> 00:08:29.958
But it was literally,
word-for-word, the same story.
00:08:29.959 --> 00:08:32.082
- And I start reading the story.
00:08:32.083 --> 00:08:34.374
And I see that byline.
00:08:34.375 --> 00:08:36.917
And I think, oh my
god, Jayson Blair?
00:08:36.918 --> 00:08:39.041
He was in Los Fresnos,
and he didn\'t call me?
00:08:39.042 --> 00:08:40.750
That was my first thought.
00:08:40.751 --> 00:08:44.917
A couple of hours later, I get
a phone call from Jayson Blair.
00:08:44.918 --> 00:08:47.666
- I called her to see if I
could stamp the problem out.
00:08:47.667 --> 00:08:49.416
And I told her the
exact same thing
00:08:49.417 --> 00:08:53.416
I told my editors, that I
must have read her story.
00:08:53.417 --> 00:08:56.249
But I don\'t remember
reading her story.
00:08:56.250 --> 00:09:00.750
I can still remember the sweat,
the panic, the sense of...
00:09:00.751 --> 00:09:02.583
the shaking.
00:09:02.584 --> 00:09:04.917
- And he\'s like, \'The
question they have is a quote
00:09:04.918 --> 00:09:07.750
in the story that the
daughter translated for me
00:09:07.751 --> 00:09:09.041
for the mother.\"
00:09:09.042 --> 00:09:12.333
And at that moment
at that moment,
00:09:12.334 --> 00:09:14.082
all my doubts were gone.
00:09:14.083 --> 00:09:16.082
At that moment, I knew
Jayson Blair had never
00:09:16.083 --> 00:09:17.791
been to Los Fresnos.
00:09:17.792 --> 00:09:20.583
At that moment, I realized
Jayson Blair had never
00:09:20.584 --> 00:09:22.458
interviewed Juanita Anguiano.
00:09:22.459 --> 00:09:24.333
At that moment, I knew
Jayson Blair had never
00:09:24.334 --> 00:09:26.541
seen what he described
in his story.
00:09:26.542 --> 00:09:29.041
Because Juanita
Anguiano spoke English.
00:09:29.042 --> 00:09:32.082
And I thought, if he had
interviewed Juanita Anguiano,
00:09:32.083 --> 00:09:36.291
he would have known he
didn\'t need a translator.
00:09:36.292 --> 00:09:40.666
(CRICKETS)
00:09:40.667 --> 00:09:43.083
(TRAIN HORN)
00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:51.208
- Every newspaper in America has
had plagiarists on its staff.
00:09:51.209 --> 00:09:54.041
And anyone who denies
it is in denial.
00:09:54.042 --> 00:09:57.458
You move swiftly
and surely to excise
00:09:57.459 --> 00:09:59.458
that work and that person
from your organization
00:09:59.459 --> 00:10:02.041
and preserve your reputation.
00:10:02.042 --> 00:10:05.541
I sat down and wrote a \"Dear
Howell and Gerald\" email
00:10:05.542 --> 00:10:08.541
to Howell Raines, the Executive
Editor of The New York Times
00:10:08.542 --> 00:10:10.541
and Gerald Boyd,
the Managing Editor.
00:10:10.542 --> 00:10:13.541
And I told them in a
very diplomatic tone
00:10:13.542 --> 00:10:16.208
that I really regretted having
to write this email to them,
00:10:16.209 --> 00:10:20.082
that one of their
reporters had plagiarized
00:10:20.083 --> 00:10:22.416
the work of one
of our reporters.
00:10:22.417 --> 00:10:25.374
And before I could even
hear from either of them,
00:10:25.375 --> 00:10:28.541
Howard Kurtz, the media
critic of The Washington Post,
00:10:28.542 --> 00:10:29.542
called me.
00:10:29.543 --> 00:10:33.958
- It began, like most
stories, with a tip...
00:10:33.959 --> 00:10:36.458
a tip from another reporter at
The Washington Post who found
00:10:36.459 --> 00:10:39.541
some striking similarities
between a piece written
00:10:39.542 --> 00:10:42.541
by Jayson Blair... then a
relatively obscure reporter
00:10:42.542 --> 00:10:46.249
for The New York Times...
And a piece in a Texas paper,
00:10:46.250 --> 00:10:48.333
The San Antonio Express-News.
00:10:48.334 --> 00:10:50.124
Faced with this information
I had to decide:
00:10:50.125 --> 00:10:53.082
was it a one time
bit of sloppiness
00:10:53.083 --> 00:10:55.333
by this reporter for
The New York Times?
00:10:55.334 --> 00:10:56.791
Was there a larger pattern here?
00:10:56.792 --> 00:10:58.791
So I was able to
write a story that
00:10:58.792 --> 00:11:02.082
said that these pieces
looked awfully similar.
00:11:02.083 --> 00:11:05.998
And I had my one brief
conversation with Jayson Blair.
00:11:05.999 --> 00:11:08.500
- If you don\'t give people
a plausible explanation,
00:11:08.501 --> 00:11:10.999
they\'re going to
run in every corner.
00:11:11.000 --> 00:11:14.082
The more corners they
run in on my stories,
00:11:14.083 --> 00:11:16.249
the closer they\'re going
to get to finding out.
00:11:16.250 --> 00:11:18.541
- He said, \"Well, you
know, I really screwed up.
00:11:18.542 --> 00:11:19.791
I went down there.
00:11:19.792 --> 00:11:21.082
And then I mixed up my notes.
00:11:21.083 --> 00:11:22.875
And I used some of
the notes that I
00:11:22.876 --> 00:11:24.875
had taken from the
Texas newspaper story.
00:11:24.876 --> 00:11:26.333
And I thought it was my own.\"
00:11:26.334 --> 00:11:28.875
It didn\'t really
sound very convincing.
00:11:28.876 --> 00:11:30.541
But it did sound
like somebody who
00:11:30.542 --> 00:11:34.875
was willing to admit that
he had made a mistake.
00:11:34.876 --> 00:11:38.208
- I didn\'t want to
disappoint people,
00:11:38.209 --> 00:11:41.750
but I knew it was inevitable
it was going to happen.
00:11:41.751 --> 00:11:43.541
But if I could
delay it for a day,
00:11:43.542 --> 00:11:49.124
I felt better about it than
I did if it was that day.
00:11:49.125 --> 00:11:50.998
Because maybe if I could
delay it for a day,
00:11:50.999 --> 00:11:52.291
I can delay it for another day.
00:11:52.292 --> 00:11:53.666
And maybe I...
00:11:53.667 --> 00:11:54.667
you know.
00:11:58.125 --> 00:11:59.208
\"I lied.
00:11:59.209 --> 00:12:00.249
And I lied.
00:12:00.250 --> 00:12:02.124
And I lied.
00:12:02.125 --> 00:12:04.625
I lied about where I had been.
00:12:04.626 --> 00:12:08.082
I lied about where I had
found the information.
00:12:08.083 --> 00:12:10.791
I lied about how
I wrote the story.
00:12:10.792 --> 00:12:12.999
And these were no normal lies.
00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:16.625
They were lies with details.
00:12:16.626 --> 00:12:20.458
I had never driven south down
US-77 in the blazing heat.
00:12:20.459 --> 00:12:24.500
I had never taken a left
onto Texas-100, never turned
00:12:24.501 --> 00:12:27.249
on Buena Vista Drive,
never crossed the railroad
00:12:27.250 --> 00:12:29.500
tracks near the
Anguiano household.
00:12:29.501 --> 00:12:34.541
And I had never seen the Martha
Stewart furniture on the patio.
00:12:34.542 --> 00:12:42.542
I had never left my apartment
in Park Slope, Brooklyn.\"
00:12:45.375 --> 00:12:47.541
It\'s important for me to
understand what part of it
00:12:47.542 --> 00:12:49.875
I had a choice in.
00:12:49.876 --> 00:12:53.583
I\'m empowered by the notion
even if I\'m lying to myself
00:12:53.584 --> 00:12:56.041
with this notion... I\'m
empowered by the notion that
00:12:56.042 --> 00:12:58.082
there was something
I could have done.
00:12:58.083 --> 00:13:01.208
Because as I look
into my future,
00:13:01.209 --> 00:13:03.082
I want to believe
that there are things
00:13:03.083 --> 00:13:05.833
that I can do to keep
myself from ever going back
00:13:05.834 --> 00:13:10.124
to that place, where that if
I ever end up there somehow,
00:13:10.125 --> 00:13:13.998
there are things that I
can do to stop it now.
00:13:13.999 --> 00:13:17.459
(PIANO MUSIC)
00:13:27.959 --> 00:13:29.958
I grew up in a
middle-class family.
00:13:29.959 --> 00:13:31.625
My dad worked for the
federal government,
00:13:31.626 --> 00:13:34.082
my mom was a teacher.
00:13:34.083 --> 00:13:36.999
There\'s nothing that we
wanted for when we were kids,
00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:42.082
and we had a neat experience,
a good education... generally,
00:13:42.083 --> 00:13:44.458
a charmed life, as they say.
00:13:44.459 --> 00:13:49.998
I think I\'ve always been type
A, always curious, trying
00:13:49.999 --> 00:13:52.082
to learn new things.
00:13:52.083 --> 00:13:56.082
I\'ve always pushed
things to extremes.
00:13:56.083 --> 00:13:59.333
Does it have some root
psychological basis?
00:13:59.334 --> 00:14:00.334
Possibly.
00:14:03.751 --> 00:14:05.917
There are moments where I
felt like I didn\'t fit in.
00:14:05.918 --> 00:14:09.541
But I would always find
some place to fit in.
00:14:09.542 --> 00:14:12.833
Journalism just became
one of those places.
00:14:12.834 --> 00:14:16.082
I decided to become a journalist
when I was in high school.
00:14:16.083 --> 00:14:17.083
I liked writing.
00:14:17.084 --> 00:14:20.917
Journalism was a playground for
curiosity, it was a sandbox.
00:14:20.918 --> 00:14:23.041
You got to be a
connoisseur of life.
00:14:23.042 --> 00:14:26.374
But you also had the
power to both write
00:14:26.375 --> 00:14:29.208
and help people, and
help people heal,
00:14:29.209 --> 00:14:32.541
and advocate positive change.
00:14:32.542 --> 00:14:37.124
So in college, I dedicated my
life to writing and reporting.
00:14:37.125 --> 00:14:40.998
I started interning at weekly
papers and daily papers.
00:14:40.999 --> 00:14:43.833
And it was all of that
work and that experience
00:14:43.834 --> 00:14:46.958
that led to me applying
and being offered
00:14:46.959 --> 00:14:49.998
the internship with
The Times in 1998.
00:14:49.999 --> 00:14:53.292
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:14:57.042 --> 00:15:02.374
\"I was amazed by the breadth
and energy of New York.
00:15:02.375 --> 00:15:04.666
The coup de grace,
at least for me,
00:15:04.667 --> 00:15:07.208
was the Pulitzer hallway on
the 11th floor of The Times
00:15:07.209 --> 00:15:08.209
building.
00:15:08.210 --> 00:15:11.958
I was awestruck as I passed by
framed copies of the stories
00:15:11.959 --> 00:15:19.959
I remembered from my
childhood and history books.\"
00:15:20.959 --> 00:15:24.417
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:15:29.918 --> 00:15:32.998
- The Times believes...
And I think most newspapers
00:15:32.999 --> 00:15:36.791
and broadcasters believe...
That if you\'re going to cover
00:15:36.792 --> 00:15:39.833
a multiracial,
multiethnic society,
00:15:39.834 --> 00:15:41.708
you need to do it
through multiracial,
00:15:41.709 --> 00:15:43.083
multiethnic eyes and ears.
00:15:45.709 --> 00:15:48.625
We had an internship program
that, like a lot of others,
00:15:48.626 --> 00:15:55.082
had its origins in our effort
to diversify the staff.
00:15:55.083 --> 00:15:59.166
- The first time I met Jayson
was during our internship
00:15:59.167 --> 00:16:01.708
orientation in the
summer of 1998.
00:16:01.709 --> 00:16:04.583
He was the youngest
one of the crowd.
00:16:04.584 --> 00:16:06.249
My only impression
of Jayson at the time
00:16:06.250 --> 00:16:08.999
was he was kind of
a little immature
00:16:09.000 --> 00:16:12.082
and a little starstruck that he
was interning at The New York
00:16:12.083 --> 00:16:13.083
Times.
00:16:15.751 --> 00:16:19.291
- There were three other
reporting interns that summer
00:16:19.292 --> 00:16:21.958
other than myself.
00:16:21.959 --> 00:16:23.998
I\'m sure Jayson, when
we first met him,
00:16:23.999 --> 00:16:26.833
was his usual talkative self.
00:16:26.834 --> 00:16:28.666
He likes to work the room.
00:16:28.667 --> 00:16:30.333
He likes to introduce
himself to people.
00:16:30.334 --> 00:16:33.541
There was probably a sense of
insecurity rooted in all this,
00:16:33.542 --> 00:16:35.458
where he needed to
be liked by people,
00:16:35.459 --> 00:16:36.876
and he wanted
people to like him.
00:16:39.042 --> 00:16:40.875
- He said, \"If there\'s
anything I could do,
00:16:40.876 --> 00:16:43.917
if you need me for anything,
I\'m on the third floor.
00:16:43.918 --> 00:16:45.917
Just let me know.\"
00:16:45.918 --> 00:16:49.416
And to have a young kid... which
is how I looked at Jayson...
00:16:49.417 --> 00:16:53.208
Say, if there\'s anything
that you, a fellow reporter,
00:16:53.209 --> 00:16:56.750
needs of me, a summer
intern, let me know...
00:16:56.751 --> 00:16:59.249
some people said,
\"Brown-nosing.\"
00:16:59.250 --> 00:17:02.666
But part of it is
what we expected
00:17:02.667 --> 00:17:05.666
of people coming
into any system.
00:17:05.667 --> 00:17:09.000
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:17:15.292 --> 00:17:19.333
- I went into journalism
because I\'m naturally curious.
00:17:19.334 --> 00:17:21.917
I\'ve always wanted
to know the \"why.\"
00:17:21.918 --> 00:17:24.333
I wanted to know why things
work the way they did.
00:17:24.334 --> 00:17:26.541
My parents can tell you from
when I was a little kid,
00:17:26.542 --> 00:17:28.917
I could never stop asking
why, which probably
00:17:28.918 --> 00:17:29.584
drove them crazy.
00:17:29.585 --> 00:17:31.292
And it\'s just the
perfect profession.
00:17:36.417 --> 00:17:38.416
- I was introduced
to Jayson, and I
00:17:38.417 --> 00:17:43.333
was asked to be his mentor
for his first summer there.
00:17:43.334 --> 00:17:44.875
I found him the real deal.
00:17:44.876 --> 00:17:51.333
He was in a very talented
class of young journalists.
00:17:51.334 --> 00:17:55.750
I think he was clearly
heads-and-shoulders above them
00:17:55.751 --> 00:17:57.333
in raw talent.
00:17:57.334 --> 00:18:00.082
- He was a very
likable young man.
00:18:00.083 --> 00:18:03.082
A lot of people, I
think, were drawn to him
00:18:03.083 --> 00:18:08.208
because he had a spirit
and an infectious laugh.
00:18:08.209 --> 00:18:09.750
He worked very hard.
00:18:09.751 --> 00:18:10.998
He was always around.
00:18:10.999 --> 00:18:14.166
He had a very high byline
count and, in fact,
00:18:14.167 --> 00:18:16.625
in his early period here at
the paper got fairly high
00:18:16.626 --> 00:18:19.998
marks, a lot of it
because of his enthusiasm.
00:18:19.999 --> 00:18:23.791
- He had been an
intern two summers,
00:18:23.792 --> 00:18:27.333
which means that he was
hired, essentially, twice.
00:18:27.334 --> 00:18:29.501
And he became a reporter.
00:18:32.250 --> 00:18:34.750
- I don\'t think the
ambition was channelled.
00:18:34.751 --> 00:18:39.208
Jayson would go to the bar and
hand his corporate card over
00:18:39.209 --> 00:18:43.999
and buy drinks for everybody
in there, all The Times people.
00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:48.208
Because that\'s what he saw
senior reporters and editors
00:18:48.209 --> 00:18:49.583
do.
00:18:49.584 --> 00:18:53.750
Jayson would sit in rapture
of these stories from foreign
00:18:53.751 --> 00:18:57.458
correspondents... everyone
is grander than the other.
00:18:57.459 --> 00:18:58.999
And he wanted that.
00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:01.833
He clearly was a
climber, and I think
00:19:01.834 --> 00:19:05.751
at the end of the day that\'s a
key problem to what went wrong.
00:19:08.959 --> 00:19:13.082
- My entire career had
been giant leaps...
00:19:13.083 --> 00:19:15.875
Student newspaper
to daily newspaper,
00:19:15.876 --> 00:19:18.333
medium-sized daily
newspaper to very large,
00:19:18.334 --> 00:19:20.917
and then eventually
to The Times.
00:19:20.918 --> 00:19:22.875
And then I think
at that point, I
00:19:22.876 --> 00:19:24.917
had to get ready to do
something that I had never
00:19:24.918 --> 00:19:28.833
done in my life which was slow
and steady for the long haul.
00:19:28.834 --> 00:19:32.875
And so what a lot of people
would have been pleased with
00:19:32.876 --> 00:19:35.541
felt like stagnation for me.
00:19:35.542 --> 00:19:39.000
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:19:42.959 --> 00:19:45.082
\"Since high school, I
had faced short waves
00:19:45.083 --> 00:19:50.208
of depression followed by long,
extended periods of mania.
00:19:50.209 --> 00:19:51.791
When I was on top
of my game, when
00:19:51.792 --> 00:19:54.291
the right levels of chemicals
were pushing through my brain
00:19:54.292 --> 00:19:58.291
at the right hypomanic
pace, I was on.
00:19:58.292 --> 00:20:00.625
When things were moving
too fast or the world
00:20:00.626 --> 00:20:03.459
felt too depressing, I was
a mess of grand extreme.
00:20:06.292 --> 00:20:08.291
Everyone seemed to
know about my drinking,
00:20:08.292 --> 00:20:10.708
even the Metro desk
administrator, who
00:20:10.709 --> 00:20:12.374
was used to signing
off on expenses
00:20:12.375 --> 00:20:15.249
for the frequent
multi-hundred-dollar tabs
00:20:15.250 --> 00:20:17.625
from Robert Emmett\'s Bar.
00:20:17.626 --> 00:20:19.541
What I was not out
in the open about
00:20:19.542 --> 00:20:22.708
was the fact that I was dabbling
with cocaine to pick myself up
00:20:22.709 --> 00:20:24.958
when I was down.\"
00:20:24.959 --> 00:20:28.375
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:20:35.167 --> 00:20:39.625
- Public interest journalism
is tremendously expensive
00:20:39.626 --> 00:20:42.541
to produce.
00:20:42.542 --> 00:20:45.082
It\'s labor-intensive,
and it\'s produced
00:20:45.083 --> 00:20:50.750
by highly-skilled people
who are well-paid.
00:20:50.751 --> 00:20:53.082
The market appeal of
quality journalism
00:20:53.083 --> 00:20:55.083
seems to be in a sharp decline.
00:20:58.042 --> 00:21:02.833
I was brought into the
executive editor job
00:21:02.834 --> 00:21:06.541
because I had an
idea that we had
00:21:06.542 --> 00:21:11.791
to respond very aggressively
to the technological revolution
00:21:11.792 --> 00:21:13.833
that was overtaking newspapers.
00:21:13.834 --> 00:21:16.791
It was my job to get the
paper ready to really
00:21:16.792 --> 00:21:20.583
perform on the digital platform
as well as we did in print,
00:21:20.584 --> 00:21:23.082
and to bring our
readers with us.
00:21:23.083 --> 00:21:25.166
- The publisher of
The Times once told me
00:21:25.167 --> 00:21:27.041
that he wasn\'t worried
about the internet
00:21:27.042 --> 00:21:28.500
because no one
would want to bring
00:21:28.501 --> 00:21:31.875
a computer into their bathroom.
00:21:31.876 --> 00:21:33.666
Obviously, that\'s turned
out not to be true.
00:21:33.667 --> 00:21:37.998
So when Howell was named
editor, he thought more about
00:21:37.999 --> 00:21:40.583
how to appeal to
newsstand buyers.
00:21:40.584 --> 00:21:44.958
And that was something that was
almost anathema to The Times
00:21:44.959 --> 00:21:45.959
in a weird sense.
00:21:45.960 --> 00:21:49.291
There was this attitude that,
\'We decide what\'s important,
00:21:49.292 --> 00:21:51.124
and we\'ll tell you
what\'s important.
00:21:51.125 --> 00:21:52.374
And you\'ll like It.\"
00:21:52.375 --> 00:21:54.458
- The New York
Times has to learn
00:21:54.459 --> 00:21:58.416
how to take its form
of quality journalism,
00:21:58.417 --> 00:22:03.458
maintain the quality, but extend
it across the internet, cable,
00:22:03.459 --> 00:22:07.750
television, and book platforms.
00:22:07.751 --> 00:22:12.791
Arthur sent me to the
newsroom to be a change agent,
00:22:12.792 --> 00:22:15.917
to lead a talented
staff that was settled
00:22:15.918 --> 00:22:19.458
into a kind of lethargic
culture of complacency
00:22:19.459 --> 00:22:22.167
into being a
performance culture.
00:22:25.042 --> 00:22:27.625
- Howell came in and
told the newsroom
00:22:27.626 --> 00:22:30.917
that they needed to be
faster, have more impact,
00:22:30.918 --> 00:22:33.082
be culturally relevant.
00:22:33.083 --> 00:22:35.249
So the newsroom instantly
overnight became
00:22:35.250 --> 00:22:36.250
much more tense.
00:22:40.459 --> 00:22:42.958
- A new Executive
Editor has the choice
00:22:42.959 --> 00:22:45.041
of selecting a Managing Editor.
00:22:45.042 --> 00:22:47.333
And Gerald is the
Managing Editor for me.
00:22:47.334 --> 00:22:49.541
- Gerald, boy, when you
first came to our microphones
00:22:49.542 --> 00:22:52.458
in Washington DC you were
just a lowly reporter,
00:22:52.459 --> 00:22:54.999
and now you\'re a Managing
Editor of The New York Times.
00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:56.208
What\'s it feel like?
00:22:56.209 --> 00:22:58.998
- Yeah, to be able to be
part of the senior leadership
00:22:58.999 --> 00:23:03.750
team at this moment is
everything I\'ve ever wanted.
00:23:03.751 --> 00:23:05.625
(CHUCKLES)
00:23:05.626 --> 00:23:09.082
(CRASHING SOUNDS)
00:23:09.083 --> 00:23:14.082
(SIRENS)
00:23:14.083 --> 00:23:16.584
(SCREAMS)
00:23:20.584 --> 00:23:22.500
- It\'s been the
time when we felt
00:23:22.501 --> 00:23:24.541
that we have worked the
hardest in my career
00:23:24.542 --> 00:23:26.416
to meet the information
needs of our readers.
00:23:26.417 --> 00:23:28.999
But it\'s been a somber time for
us, as it has for the country.
00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:31.458
- What was the exact day
that you took over as editor?
00:23:31.459 --> 00:23:36.333
- I took over five days
before September 11th.
00:23:36.334 --> 00:23:38.291
September 11th was my sixth day.
00:23:38.292 --> 00:23:42.625
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:23:42.626 --> 00:23:46.333
- On that day, 9/11, there
was this collective trauma
00:23:46.334 --> 00:23:48.374
that we all went through.
00:23:48.375 --> 00:23:50.791
I did not get home
for three weeks
00:23:50.792 --> 00:23:53.917
after the terrorist
attacks happened.
00:23:53.918 --> 00:23:56.541
It was two days later... they
open the bridges and tunnels.
00:23:56.542 --> 00:23:58.458
But there was just no time.
00:23:58.459 --> 00:24:01.541
In some of my
reporting I literally
00:24:01.542 --> 00:24:05.291
drove right by where I
lived, but there was still
00:24:05.292 --> 00:24:08.416
just no time to go home.
00:24:08.417 --> 00:24:12.500
Most of us journalists, unlike
a lot of people in New York,
00:24:12.501 --> 00:24:14.958
didn\'t stop... didn\'t
stop to breathe,
00:24:14.959 --> 00:24:18.666
didn\'t stop to even try to
process what was happening.
00:24:18.667 --> 00:24:20.667
Because we were covering
the story so intensely.
00:24:25.918 --> 00:24:27.708
- The phones were down.
00:24:27.709 --> 00:24:29.833
So you couldn\'t reach anybody.
00:24:29.834 --> 00:24:31.999
And in the case of
all of our staff,
00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:34.999
you assume your
family was OK but you
00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:36.750
couldn\'t reach
them to make sure.
00:24:36.751 --> 00:24:40.082
And yet people stayed the
course, and they did their job.
00:24:40.083 --> 00:24:42.708
And we would challenge
people every day.
00:24:42.709 --> 00:24:46.166
We would say we want
more, we want better.
00:24:46.167 --> 00:24:47.625
And they responded.
00:24:47.626 --> 00:24:51.042
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:25:01.125 --> 00:25:03.166
- One of the most impressive
things The Times did
00:25:03.167 --> 00:25:05.958
was this project called
\"Portraits of Grief,\"
00:25:05.959 --> 00:25:11.458
little obituaries of every
single person who had died.
00:25:11.459 --> 00:25:16.583
Those were incredibly difficult
to write and to work on
00:25:16.584 --> 00:25:17.875
for the staff.
00:25:17.876 --> 00:25:19.334
And Jayson didn\'t want to do it.
00:25:22.999 --> 00:25:25.750
- \"My mother called to inform
me that a family friend had
00:25:25.751 --> 00:25:28.249
died in a plane that
hit the Pentagon.
00:25:28.250 --> 00:25:31.249
I concocted a story about
one of my cousins being among
00:25:31.250 --> 00:25:33.166
the victims so I did
not have to write
00:25:33.167 --> 00:25:37.416
the \'Portraits of Grief.\' I
needed something to lift me out
00:25:37.417 --> 00:25:40.708
of the sadness of a story that
I neither wanted to cover nor
00:25:40.709 --> 00:25:43.333
world that I wanted to live in.
00:25:43.334 --> 00:25:45.583
I just wanted to be
left alone, to disappear
00:25:45.584 --> 00:25:51.666
into my world of
drugging and drinking.\"
00:25:51.667 --> 00:25:55.791
- As Jayson progressed
at the paper,
00:25:55.792 --> 00:25:58.750
he began to run into
some difficulties
00:25:58.751 --> 00:26:01.708
where he began making
a lot of mistakes.
00:26:01.709 --> 00:26:05.000
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:26:13.125 --> 00:26:14.541
- Often, I would report myself.
00:26:14.542 --> 00:26:16.666
I would say, look, I
made a mistake here
00:26:16.667 --> 00:26:18.583
and this has to be corrected.
00:26:18.584 --> 00:26:23.917
But I also knew that if I hadn\'t
said that that was a mistake,
00:26:23.918 --> 00:26:24.998
it wouldn\'t have happened.
00:26:24.999 --> 00:26:28.791
So that\'s the one
practical thing
00:26:28.792 --> 00:26:30.374
that 9/11 added to the mix.
00:26:30.375 --> 00:26:34.958
It showed me that the system
wasn\'t exactly perfect.
00:26:34.959 --> 00:26:38.417
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:26:46.417 --> 00:26:48.541
With lying or cheating
or anything else,
00:26:48.542 --> 00:26:51.708
the myth of believing
that you will be caught
00:26:51.709 --> 00:26:54.041
helps keep people
from doing things
00:26:54.042 --> 00:26:56.124
that are unethical
because it doesn\'t even
00:26:56.125 --> 00:26:58.249
cross your mind if you
believe you\'ll be caught.
00:26:58.250 --> 00:27:02.333
You don\'t have to, through
your willpower, stop yourself,
00:27:02.334 --> 00:27:06.208
or through your
morality or ethics.
00:27:06.209 --> 00:27:08.917
But if you believe if
that barrier is crossed,
00:27:08.918 --> 00:27:11.333
once you cross that barrier
where you know the chances are
00:27:11.334 --> 00:27:14.124
you won\'t be caught,
it becomes very
00:27:14.125 --> 00:27:18.166
hard to discipline yourself.
00:27:18.167 --> 00:27:19.666
So...
00:27:19.667 --> 00:27:21.583
yeah.
00:27:21.584 --> 00:27:26.958
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:27:26.959 --> 00:27:29.541
\"I was supposed to attend a
concert benefit at Madison
00:27:29.542 --> 00:27:32.208
Square Garden late
one Saturday night.
00:27:32.209 --> 00:27:34.416
I had every intention
of going, but realized
00:27:34.417 --> 00:27:37.333
I did not have the proper
credentials to get in.
00:27:37.334 --> 00:27:40.416
So instead, I watched
the event on television,
00:27:40.417 --> 00:27:44.333
taking occasional breaks
to snort a little cocaine.
00:27:44.334 --> 00:27:47.124
After all, some of my
best stories, I thought,
00:27:47.125 --> 00:27:50.500
were inspired by
drug-fueled writing.\"
00:27:50.501 --> 00:27:53.583
- The corrections on the story
of the Madison Square Garden
00:27:53.584 --> 00:27:55.750
concert looked
like something that
00:27:55.751 --> 00:27:57.750
should\'ve been in The Onion.
00:27:57.751 --> 00:27:59.750
He misquoted President Clinton.
00:27:59.751 --> 00:28:02.166
He got the price of
the tickets wrong.
00:28:02.167 --> 00:28:04.750
He said that Bono and
The Edge were there.
00:28:04.751 --> 00:28:08.124
And they weren\'t there, although
they were on the program.
00:28:08.125 --> 00:28:12.791
To say that that should\'ve been
a red flag, that a reporter was
00:28:12.792 --> 00:28:16.666
drunk watching an event that
he should have been covering,
00:28:16.667 --> 00:28:18.959
I think is an enormous
understatement.
00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:24.458
- I asked for a meeting
with one of the editors
00:28:24.459 --> 00:28:25.625
on the Metro desk.
00:28:25.626 --> 00:28:26.998
And when I asked
for the meeting,
00:28:26.999 --> 00:28:30.291
I had no idea even
why I wanted to meet.
00:28:30.292 --> 00:28:34.041
I got to the meeting, and she
asked if something was wrong.
00:28:34.042 --> 00:28:37.999
And I just blurted out I had
a substance abuse problem.
00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:42.791
That day, they helped me get
into the Employee Assistance
00:28:42.792 --> 00:28:43.626
program.
00:28:43.627 --> 00:28:49.875
And by that evening, I was in
an outpatient drug and alcohol
00:28:49.876 --> 00:28:52.166
abuse program.
00:28:52.167 --> 00:28:55.583
- Gerald Boyd and I
were meeting one day,
00:28:55.584 --> 00:29:00.416
and he said that Jayson had
come to him and had submitted
00:29:00.417 --> 00:29:05.750
himself for cocaine and alcohol
abuse... to hospitalization.
00:29:05.751 --> 00:29:11.166
And that was really
the first awareness
00:29:11.167 --> 00:29:14.750
I had that Jayson was the
kind of troubled individual
00:29:14.751 --> 00:29:17.416
that he turned out to be.
00:29:17.417 --> 00:29:20.918
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:29:37.375 --> 00:29:39.166
- The Pulitzer Prizes
were announced today,
00:29:39.167 --> 00:29:41.875
and coverage of the September
11th attacks on America
00:29:41.876 --> 00:29:44.998
and the War on Terrorism
dominated the awards.
00:29:44.999 --> 00:29:47.583
The New York Times won a
record seven Pulitzers,
00:29:47.584 --> 00:29:51.166
including one for \"A
Nation Challenged.\"
00:29:51.167 --> 00:29:53.082
- We won seven Pulitzers.
00:29:53.083 --> 00:29:58.833
That is more than any other
newspaper has ever won.
00:29:58.834 --> 00:30:01.333
- Arthur Sulzberger,
the publisher,
00:30:01.334 --> 00:30:04.625
said he was going to drink a
martini for each of the prizes.
00:30:04.626 --> 00:30:07.625
And his wife intervened
after the third.
00:30:07.626 --> 00:30:12.333
I frankly thought that after
the paper won seven Pulitzers
00:30:12.334 --> 00:30:15.082
that I had enough political
capital to keep pushing hard.
00:30:15.083 --> 00:30:16.584
And that\'s what I did.
00:30:20.083 --> 00:30:22.500
- Going on at the same time
as this was happening inside
00:30:22.501 --> 00:30:23.958
the newsroom at
The New York Times,
00:30:23.959 --> 00:30:26.875
there was a sense of
dissatisfaction with the way
00:30:26.876 --> 00:30:28.917
that Howell Raines,
the Executive Editor...
00:30:28.918 --> 00:30:31.333
And to a lesser degree Gerald
Boyd, the Managing Editor...
00:30:31.334 --> 00:30:34.541
Had been running the paper.
00:30:34.542 --> 00:30:39.999
A lot of the desk editors felt
that he was imposing rules
00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:42.998
on them and not giving
them the freedom
00:30:42.999 --> 00:30:46.124
to do the type of journalism
that they wanted to do.
00:30:46.125 --> 00:30:48.374
People were
dissatisfied with Howell
00:30:48.375 --> 00:30:51.750
because they saw
him as autocratic.
00:30:51.751 --> 00:30:55.750
- The management style that
Howell and Gerald brought
00:30:55.751 --> 00:31:00.208
in made it more fertile ground
for something like Jayson
00:31:00.209 --> 00:31:06.583
to happen, because the decision
was being made at the top.
00:31:06.584 --> 00:31:11.958
The actions were being made
somewhere in the middle
00:31:11.959 --> 00:31:13.124
or near the bottom.
00:31:13.125 --> 00:31:19.998
- In order to create the
change, you had to be as tough
00:31:19.999 --> 00:31:23.541
and demanding...
Some say autocratic,
00:31:23.542 --> 00:31:30.917
some say impervious to others
and that it was an atmosphere
00:31:30.918 --> 00:31:34.833
that created great
fear in the newsroom.
00:31:34.834 --> 00:31:37.041
- I\'ve heard all of
that, and believe me
00:31:37.042 --> 00:31:40.833
the word \"arrogance\" is
one that I\'m familiar with.
00:31:40.834 --> 00:31:44.917
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:31:44.918 --> 00:31:47.833
- When you have an
environment in which people
00:31:47.834 --> 00:31:51.333
feel like they\'re part of a
team and their opinions are
00:31:51.334 --> 00:31:54.166
respected, they
make sure that when
00:31:54.167 --> 00:31:57.917
they see things going wrong
that people know about it
00:31:57.918 --> 00:31:59.875
and that something happens.
00:31:59.876 --> 00:32:04.541
What you saw here again and
again is people being aware
00:32:04.542 --> 00:32:07.208
of things happening
with Jayson...
00:32:07.209 --> 00:32:09.542
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:32:19.751 --> 00:32:22.541
and because of the animosity
and the distrust that was
00:32:22.542 --> 00:32:26.083
in the newsroom, those
reports being ignored.
00:32:31.083 --> 00:32:35.541
- There was a reluctance on the
part of mid-level supervisors
00:32:35.542 --> 00:32:38.666
to wash anyone out of
the reporting program.
00:32:38.667 --> 00:32:40.958
Trainees I think,
including Jayson,
00:32:40.959 --> 00:32:45.541
got the benefit of the
doubt on small misdemeanors
00:32:45.542 --> 00:32:47.209
which you could write
up to inexperience.
00:32:51.375 --> 00:32:54.292
(TYPING)
00:32:57.709 --> 00:32:59.999
- There was a memo that was
sent by Jon Landman that
00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:02.333
said, \"We have to stop Jayson
from writing right now.\"
00:33:02.334 --> 00:33:04.666
And that is an email that
came to me and to one
00:33:04.667 --> 00:33:05.542
of my colleagues.
00:33:05.543 --> 00:33:07.541
- I don\'t spend my days
looking through people\'s
00:33:07.542 --> 00:33:09.750
personnel files, but I\'d
be pretty surprised if they
00:33:09.751 --> 00:33:11.708
were filled with
notes like, \"Jayson
00:33:11.709 --> 00:33:13.958
must stop writing
for the paper now.\"
00:33:13.959 --> 00:33:17.208
- I had come back
from my initial rehab,
00:33:17.209 --> 00:33:19.875
and I was going to work
through outpatient.
00:33:19.876 --> 00:33:21.999
I think I came back
for that one week,
00:33:22.000 --> 00:33:24.833
and I wrote something
that was fucked up.
00:33:24.834 --> 00:33:30.750
And Jon basically said, \"You
have to address this problem.\"
00:33:30.751 --> 00:33:31.958
It didn\'t surprise me.
00:33:31.959 --> 00:33:32.959
It didn\'t offend me.
00:33:32.960 --> 00:33:35.082
It didn\'t really even
actually bother me,
00:33:35.083 --> 00:33:39.541
because if I had been in his
shoes watching what he was
00:33:39.542 --> 00:33:41.374
watching...
00:33:41.375 --> 00:33:42.708
he\'s not a social worker.
00:33:42.709 --> 00:33:43.958
He\'s an editor.
00:33:43.959 --> 00:33:46.625
- It was addressed, as I
recall, to the mid-level
00:33:46.626 --> 00:33:49.541
of the Personnel department.
00:33:49.542 --> 00:33:51.334
And it simply never
reached my desk.
00:33:54.209 --> 00:33:55.209
- Why not?
00:33:59.751 --> 00:34:01.959
- It\'s too late to be
placing blame about that.
00:34:05.292 --> 00:34:07.998
The Times is a big place, all
big places have bureaucracies.
00:34:07.999 --> 00:34:10.501
It just didn\'t filter up
through our bureaucracy.
00:34:16.167 --> 00:34:19.166
- Everybody wants to make
a lot of the Landman memo.
00:34:19.167 --> 00:34:22.750
It didn\'t fall on deaf ears,
it wasn\'t just filed away.
00:34:22.751 --> 00:34:27.249
The way they responded,
they said, \"Slow him down.\"
00:34:27.250 --> 00:34:29.291
- Jayson seemed to
stabilize a bit.
00:34:29.292 --> 00:34:30.791
He seemed to be getting better.
00:34:30.792 --> 00:34:32.875
We had actually moved him
to another department,
00:34:32.876 --> 00:34:35.291
thinking a change of scene
and maybe some new editors
00:34:35.292 --> 00:34:36.958
might be better for him.
00:34:36.959 --> 00:34:39.999
- Then you had him
essentially being
00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:43.082
booted from one department
and transferring
00:34:43.083 --> 00:34:44.750
to another department
without there
00:34:44.751 --> 00:34:47.875
being any communication
between them.
00:34:47.876 --> 00:34:51.791
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:34:51.792 --> 00:34:53.374
- \"There are those
who have looked back
00:34:53.375 --> 00:34:56.082
and said that this was a
time period where I shined
00:34:56.083 --> 00:34:59.166
once again, so brightly that
I was given another chance
00:34:59.167 --> 00:35:01.750
to perform at the
highest levels again.
00:35:01.751 --> 00:35:04.500
This notion was clearly
based on an evaluation of me
00:35:04.501 --> 00:35:07.333
that focused almost entirely
on the decrease in the number
00:35:07.334 --> 00:35:10.124
of corrections I
was accumulating.
00:35:10.125 --> 00:35:12.541
Perhaps if they had
looked more carefully,
00:35:12.542 --> 00:35:14.625
they would have
recognized that I was...
00:35:14.626 --> 00:35:21.291
At least psychologically
falling apart.\"
00:35:21.292 --> 00:35:25.541
- That\'s a silly
suggestion on his part,
00:35:25.542 --> 00:35:29.917
that somehow it was his
employer\'s responsibility
00:35:29.918 --> 00:35:33.708
to know what was going on
with him when in fact he
00:35:33.709 --> 00:35:37.125
was doing his utmost to deceive
them every step of the way.
00:35:41.876 --> 00:35:44.291
- When Jayson did
come back, there
00:35:44.292 --> 00:35:50.625
was just this one period when
he was there for a few days.
00:35:50.626 --> 00:35:51.958
We noticed that he...
00:35:51.959 --> 00:35:55.458
they didn\'t want to say
that he was smelling.
00:35:55.459 --> 00:36:00.041
But they said, you
know, he\'s always here.
00:36:00.042 --> 00:36:02.708
- He would come to the office
like a homeless person.
00:36:02.709 --> 00:36:04.333
I thought it might
be a money problem.
00:36:04.334 --> 00:36:07.583
I said, look, let me take
you and buy you a suit.
00:36:07.584 --> 00:36:11.666
- He\'s eating potato chips,
and he\'s got candy bars.
00:36:11.667 --> 00:36:13.875
I never see him eat a real meal.
00:36:13.876 --> 00:36:21.750
- He infamously lost an
office car for a month or so.
00:36:21.751 --> 00:36:28.625
He had extremely, extremely
odd behavior toward the end.
00:36:28.626 --> 00:36:32.042
And he got to be sort
of the office character.
00:36:37.292 --> 00:36:40.709
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:36:48.959 --> 00:36:51.791
- In and around Washington
DC tonight, federal, state,
00:36:51.792 --> 00:36:54.791
and local authorities are
pressing their hunt for whoever
00:36:54.792 --> 00:36:57.333
ambushed and killed at
least five people...
00:36:57.334 --> 00:36:59.918
And possibly more...
Since Wednesday evening.
00:37:03.083 --> 00:37:04.917
- Jayson was doing a
lot of good stories.
00:37:04.918 --> 00:37:10.500
And I think he may have been
there for barely a month when
00:37:10.501 --> 00:37:15.917
we had this news story, later
known as \"The DC Sniper.\"
00:37:15.918 --> 00:37:18.750
They were looking for people
to send to Washington.
00:37:18.751 --> 00:37:21.998
Once again, the eager Jayson
that we saw who came into The
00:37:21.999 --> 00:37:23.666
New York Times willing
to do legwork...
00:37:23.667 --> 00:37:26.458
It\'s not about the byline
said, \"I will go.\"
00:37:26.459 --> 00:37:32.458
- He started coming up
with scoops and beats,
00:37:32.459 --> 00:37:37.583
and that gave him a
larger and larger role.
00:37:37.584 --> 00:37:39.666
- In looking back at
the whole experience,
00:37:39.667 --> 00:37:45.082
the one thing that I
really fault myself for
00:37:45.083 --> 00:37:50.917
was that I agreed to a
plan to assign Jayson
00:37:50.918 --> 00:37:54.291
to the Washington sniper story.
00:37:54.292 --> 00:37:57.500
The Executive Editor
is supposed to be
00:37:57.501 --> 00:38:01.750
the last line of defense
against a bad idea.
00:38:01.751 --> 00:38:03.750
And that was a bad idea.
00:38:03.751 --> 00:38:07.625
- It was a combination of
some really unfortunate timing
00:38:07.626 --> 00:38:11.082
and unfortunate events
for me to end up probably
00:38:11.083 --> 00:38:14.999
on the biggest story of my
life or my career there.
00:38:15.000 --> 00:38:18.666
At the same time, I was
clearly falling apart.
00:38:18.667 --> 00:38:21.999
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:38:24.999 --> 00:38:26.500
- Jayson Blair at
The New York Times
00:38:26.501 --> 00:38:28.500
now joins us on air
to talk about this.
00:38:28.501 --> 00:38:30.791
And you wrote a very interesting
article today, Jayson.
00:38:30.792 --> 00:38:33.124
You write that he was basically
going to confess here.
00:38:33.125 --> 00:38:37.708
I mean, are we talking
about a missed confession?
00:38:37.709 --> 00:38:40.750
- Basically, our story
comes from state and federal
00:38:40.751 --> 00:38:43.750
investigators who thought
that there could have
00:38:43.751 --> 00:38:45.151
been an opportunity
for confession.
00:38:48.501 --> 00:38:51.958
During that time period
when the emphasis was
00:38:51.959 --> 00:38:56.875
put on speed and impact, I
started slowly faking things,
00:38:56.876 --> 00:38:58.750
fabricating and
plagiarizing things
00:38:58.751 --> 00:39:00.500
when I couldn\'t reach people.
00:39:00.501 --> 00:39:03.750
It began very innocuously,
one quote in the story.
00:39:03.751 --> 00:39:06.082
In the beginning, at
least, it was a way
00:39:06.083 --> 00:39:08.542
to cover up for my
inability to do my job.
00:39:11.959 --> 00:39:15.666
When I was asked to
come down to Washington
00:39:15.667 --> 00:39:19.791
to work on the sniper
stories, I was no longer
00:39:19.792 --> 00:39:21.541
in my counseling program.
00:39:21.542 --> 00:39:23.791
And that\'s probably where
they would have first seen
00:39:23.792 --> 00:39:29.500
and identified symptoms
of mental illness.
00:39:29.501 --> 00:39:33.500
When I was doing drugs and
alcohol, to some extent
00:39:33.501 --> 00:39:36.666
I was medicating
a mental illness.
00:39:36.667 --> 00:39:39.166
I didn\'t know I had a mental
illness, and the mental illness
00:39:39.167 --> 00:39:42.249
was bipolar disorder.
00:39:42.250 --> 00:39:46.750
I remember them thinking that
I was in DC, but in reality
00:39:46.751 --> 00:39:51.082
I actually had snuck
home back to Brooklyn.
00:39:51.083 --> 00:39:54.124
At different points I was
unable to leave my apartment,
00:39:54.125 --> 00:39:56.833
I was so depressed.
00:39:56.834 --> 00:39:59.958
I knew that something
was happening in my mind,
00:39:59.959 --> 00:40:02.082
that I was falling
apart in some way,
00:40:02.083 --> 00:40:06.208
and I was afraid to go out.
00:40:06.209 --> 00:40:09.082
I really believed the things
that were happening were real.
00:40:09.083 --> 00:40:11.166
I believed, I feared
for my safety.
00:40:11.167 --> 00:40:14.500
I thought people were
outside of my window.
00:40:14.501 --> 00:40:17.291
What sticks in my mind
most is isolation.
00:40:17.292 --> 00:40:20.082
I don\'t think that there\'s
ever been a point in my life
00:40:20.083 --> 00:40:23.958
where I have literally been
so alone, not around people
00:40:23.959 --> 00:40:29.625
I know, not leaving my
apartment for days on end.
00:40:29.626 --> 00:40:34.082
And it\'s a theme throughout
my life story and something
00:40:34.083 --> 00:40:36.416
I still struggle with.
00:40:36.417 --> 00:40:38.917
It\'s not knowing
when to ask for help,
00:40:38.918 --> 00:40:40.583
because I know when
to ask for help.
00:40:40.584 --> 00:40:42.333
I should\'ve asked for help then.
00:40:42.334 --> 00:40:45.333
It\'s actually doing it.
00:40:45.334 --> 00:40:47.999
One of the things about
this mental illness
00:40:48.000 --> 00:40:52.875
is that it often
takes you to extremes.
00:40:52.876 --> 00:40:58.583
So it may make your
lies bigger lies.
00:40:58.584 --> 00:41:01.249
It may make your lies
more creative lies.
00:41:01.250 --> 00:41:03.458
It may make your lies
more repetitive lies.
00:41:03.459 --> 00:41:05.999
But it\'s not going
to make you lie.
00:41:06.000 --> 00:41:08.501
That has to do with,
usually, who you are.
00:41:11.417 --> 00:41:14.958
Rumors started to bubble up
from reporters at the Washington
00:41:14.959 --> 00:41:20.166
Post that they were covering
the same stories as I was,
00:41:20.167 --> 00:41:22.374
but they didn\'t see
me at the hearings.
00:41:22.375 --> 00:41:27.583
- He had better tips than
the entire Washington Post,
00:41:27.584 --> 00:41:31.791
that had a small
army of people on it.
00:41:31.792 --> 00:41:33.500
Because he was making it up.
00:41:33.501 --> 00:41:34.959
(MOTOR SOUND)
00:41:37.792 --> 00:41:39.374
- \"My belief that
I could get away
00:41:39.375 --> 00:41:42.791
with not visiting a city I was
supposed to be writing from
00:41:42.792 --> 00:41:45.917
can easily be understood,
though not excused,
00:41:45.918 --> 00:41:47.625
by the things I had
done and witnessed
00:41:47.626 --> 00:41:51.458
so far during the
sniper shootings.
00:41:51.459 --> 00:41:53.082
I had seen
correspondents perform
00:41:53.083 --> 00:41:55.333
toe-touch and
no-touch datelines,
00:41:55.334 --> 00:41:57.750
watching some write stories
from hundreds of miles
00:41:57.751 --> 00:42:00.416
away from where they were
supposed to have been.
00:42:00.417 --> 00:42:04.833
And I had partaken in some
element of those deceptions.
00:42:04.834 --> 00:42:07.374
Late December
would mark the last
00:42:07.375 --> 00:42:13.291
of the toe-touch and beginning
of the no-touch datelines.\"
00:42:13.292 --> 00:42:16.291
- There was a common practice
once upon a time...
00:42:16.292 --> 00:42:20.082
At The New York Times that
was called a \"toe-touch.\"
00:42:20.083 --> 00:42:23.958
- Essentially all it is is a
reporter reporting on a story
00:42:23.959 --> 00:42:30.291
usually from the phone...
In a different locale and then
00:42:30.292 --> 00:42:33.750
flying to that locale,
getting off the plane,
00:42:33.751 --> 00:42:36.583
filing the story
from that location...
00:42:36.584 --> 00:42:39.166
Possibly even the airport... and
getting on a plane and flying
00:42:39.167 --> 00:42:44.333
home for the sole purpose of
having a dateline that says,
00:42:44.334 --> 00:42:46.249
you know, \"New
Orleans, Louisiana,\"
00:42:46.250 --> 00:42:51.124
wherever the story
is taking place.
00:42:51.125 --> 00:42:54.291
For him to say that he doesn\'t
understand the distinction
00:42:54.292 --> 00:42:59.458
between getting physically
to a place and using that
00:42:59.459 --> 00:43:05.124
as a dateline and making up
quotes and plagiarizing...
00:43:05.125 --> 00:43:07.375
that is kind of crazy.
00:43:14.709 --> 00:43:19.208
- Jayson Blair was a great
tragedy of the electronic age.
00:43:19.209 --> 00:43:21.625
He really mastered
the art of pretending
00:43:21.626 --> 00:43:24.541
to be where he wasn\'t by
using the electronic tools
00:43:24.542 --> 00:43:26.416
at his disposal.
00:43:26.417 --> 00:43:29.374
- None of it was rocket science.
00:43:29.375 --> 00:43:30.999
If you take a little
from here and if I
00:43:31.000 --> 00:43:33.666
steal a little from you here and
I steal a little from you here
00:43:33.667 --> 00:43:35.082
and I steal a little
from you here,
00:43:35.083 --> 00:43:37.958
no one really sees that a
bunch of my stuff was stolen.
00:43:37.959 --> 00:43:40.082
They might say, \"Ah, that
paragraph\'s very similar,\"
00:43:40.083 --> 00:43:42.708
but the rest of it\'s different.
00:43:42.709 --> 00:43:44.166
What they don\'t
know is it\'s been
00:43:44.167 --> 00:43:45.833
stolen from a bunch
of different places.
00:43:45.834 --> 00:43:52.333
But it looks original because
no one\'s seen all of it.
00:43:52.334 --> 00:43:55.041
- He would call
from his cell phone
00:43:55.042 --> 00:43:56.541
and pretend to his
editors that he
00:43:56.542 --> 00:43:58.958
was in the middle of a tough
interview, when, in fact, it
00:43:58.959 --> 00:44:01.625
turns out he was in
Brooklyn or Manhattan.
00:44:01.626 --> 00:44:05.541
- I also a number of times
literally called the people.
00:44:05.542 --> 00:44:07.416
I remember one story
where I was supposed
00:44:07.417 --> 00:44:10.208
to be in Hunt Valley,
Maryland, about a soldier who
00:44:10.209 --> 00:44:12.208
had gone to Iraq and
it was just about how
00:44:12.209 --> 00:44:13.666
his family was coping.
00:44:13.667 --> 00:44:17.249
I had her describe to me, what
does your living room look
00:44:17.250 --> 00:44:17.751
like?
00:44:17.752 --> 00:44:19.374
What kind of pictures are here?
00:44:19.375 --> 00:44:23.958
What color are the plants
outside your house?
00:44:23.959 --> 00:44:26.333
I would just ask all
the details that I
00:44:26.334 --> 00:44:29.375
would have gotten if I
literally had been there.
00:44:32.751 --> 00:44:35.750
I had an internal back
door in the computer system
00:44:35.751 --> 00:44:37.958
where I could go in and
I could see all the photo
00:44:37.959 --> 00:44:39.500
department\'s pictures.
00:44:39.501 --> 00:44:42.833
So I was able to pull details
after our photographers got
00:44:42.834 --> 00:44:43.834
there.
00:44:46.792 --> 00:44:49.708
When I think of the time period
before the Anguiano story,
00:44:49.709 --> 00:44:51.625
I had been getting
more egregious and more
00:44:51.626 --> 00:44:53.541
egregious with the
types of fabrications
00:44:53.542 --> 00:44:59.625
and the amount of plagiarism
that was in stories.
00:44:59.626 --> 00:45:02.208
What happened with that story is
because few people had written
00:45:02.209 --> 00:45:05.291
about him, I suspect I
ended up lifting a ton
00:45:05.292 --> 00:45:07.625
from just one or two places.
00:45:07.626 --> 00:45:09.917
And that made it
much more obvious.
00:45:09.918 --> 00:45:13.209
(CICADAS AND BIRDS)
00:45:18.459 --> 00:45:21.166
- The Pentagon confirmed today
that the last US soldier listed
00:45:21.167 --> 00:45:23.374
as missing in
action now has been
00:45:23.375 --> 00:45:26.333
confirmed as being
killed in action.
00:45:26.334 --> 00:45:30.333
Specialist Edward Anguiano
was based at Fort Stewart.
00:45:30.334 --> 00:45:33.416
That\'s the home of the
Army\'s 3rd Infantry Division.
00:45:33.417 --> 00:45:34.958
- That\'s when I got mad.
00:45:34.959 --> 00:45:38.625
Her son\'s body was coming home
at a time when the story was
00:45:38.626 --> 00:45:41.750
picking up steam, and I knew
that no longer would reporters
00:45:41.751 --> 00:45:44.958
be knocking on her door wanting
to tell her son\'s story.
00:45:44.959 --> 00:45:46.541
The story that they
would want to tell
00:45:46.542 --> 00:45:48.625
was whether this journalist
from The New York Times
00:45:48.626 --> 00:45:49.917
ever showed up at her door.
00:45:49.918 --> 00:45:52.999
And I just thought, to
rob a family of their time
00:45:53.000 --> 00:45:57.041
to mourn is just unforgivable.
00:45:57.042 --> 00:46:00.459
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:46:10.709 --> 00:46:13.041
- I informed the
union that we were
00:46:13.042 --> 00:46:15.166
going to have to
meet with Jayson,
00:46:15.167 --> 00:46:17.374
because we had a potential
disciplinary issue.
00:46:17.375 --> 00:46:19.583
We met for about
four hours... four,
00:46:19.584 --> 00:46:22.999
four and a half
hours one evening...
00:46:23.000 --> 00:46:27.791
In which Jayson described in
great detail his reporting
00:46:27.792 --> 00:46:28.626
adventure.
00:46:28.627 --> 00:46:33.249
- And Jayson proceeded to
say what he had said to me.
00:46:33.250 --> 00:46:36.999
\"Yes, I did use...
As a resource...
00:46:37.000 --> 00:46:39.998
The story that had appeared
in the San Antonio Express.\"
00:46:39.999 --> 00:46:42.958
He said, \"I also used
stuff from the wires.\"
00:46:42.959 --> 00:46:44.750
- I wanted to know everything.
00:46:44.751 --> 00:46:48.082
I wanted him to take me
through how he got himself
00:46:48.083 --> 00:46:51.875
to Texas, where he rented his
car, how he bought his airplane
00:46:51.876 --> 00:46:53.833
ticket, what route did he take.
00:46:53.834 --> 00:46:55.999
- Then they quizzed
me on these details.
00:46:56.000 --> 00:47:01.416
And they asked for
documentation to back it up.
00:47:01.417 --> 00:47:02.917
\"I handed over the
three notebooks
00:47:02.918 --> 00:47:04.708
from my assignment
and other material
00:47:04.709 --> 00:47:07.666
that helped explain
how it happened.
00:47:07.667 --> 00:47:10.082
I had falsified my notes
looking at pictures
00:47:10.083 --> 00:47:12.416
from inside the
Anguiano household
00:47:12.417 --> 00:47:14.625
and recording the details
into my notebooks,
00:47:14.626 --> 00:47:17.875
scrawling some legibly and
others not so much, in order
00:47:17.876 --> 00:47:22.583
to make the notes
seem authentic.\"
00:47:22.584 --> 00:47:25.958
They may have felt, \"OK, wow,
at least he\'s being candid\"
00:47:25.959 --> 00:47:28.249
and had this
perception of honesty.
00:47:28.250 --> 00:47:30.166
But that\'s only
because they didn\'t
00:47:30.167 --> 00:47:32.958
know I was in a panic
to protect myself
00:47:32.959 --> 00:47:36.583
from this whole world of
things they had no idea about.
00:47:36.584 --> 00:47:40.042
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:47:44.999 --> 00:47:47.998
(COIN CLANKING)
00:47:47.999 --> 00:47:51.374
I see the last few
days, hiding it
00:47:51.375 --> 00:47:54.082
in all those meetings and
all those conversations,
00:47:54.083 --> 00:47:58.666
as just the end of me
trying to hide my sickness
00:47:58.667 --> 00:48:03.750
and then trying
not to acknowledge
00:48:03.751 --> 00:48:07.124
that I had done something wrong.
00:48:07.125 --> 00:48:11.166
Everyone gave me every
chance to come clean,
00:48:11.167 --> 00:48:15.124
but I poured everything... at
least for the last nine years,
00:48:15.125 --> 00:48:17.999
10 years before that
into journalism.
00:48:18.000 --> 00:48:19.333
And I would lose it all.
00:48:19.334 --> 00:48:22.625
And I was losing it all.
00:48:22.626 --> 00:48:27.082
I remember the night after the
meeting in bits and pieces.
00:48:27.083 --> 00:48:28.958
I remember going
into the bathroom
00:48:28.959 --> 00:48:32.208
and thinking to
myself, is there a way
00:48:32.209 --> 00:48:34.209
that I can hang myself here?
00:48:36.959 --> 00:48:39.458
I remember taking my
belt and wrapping it
00:48:39.459 --> 00:48:42.459
on the hinge at the
top of the door.
00:48:45.209 --> 00:48:46.750
Something kicked in.
00:48:46.751 --> 00:48:52.249
Some piece of me kicked
in that said, \"No.\"
00:48:52.250 --> 00:48:56.041
I think I said to myself,
if it can get this far,
00:48:56.042 --> 00:49:00.541
whatever it is I\'m fighting
for is not worth it.
00:49:00.542 --> 00:49:04.958
That\'s when I went and
I told Lena that...
00:49:04.959 --> 00:49:06.208
I can\'t do it anymore.
00:49:06.209 --> 00:49:08.583
And I think those are the
exact words that I used.
00:49:08.584 --> 00:49:10.791
And I don\'t think I said
much other than that, other
00:49:10.792 --> 00:49:12.541
than \"I can\'t do it anymore.\"
00:49:12.542 --> 00:49:13.667
And I...
00:49:21.542 --> 00:49:27.082
then it was like when
I said that, she just
00:49:27.083 --> 00:49:28.375
knew I was really in trouble.
00:49:35.292 --> 00:49:40.958
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:49:40.959 --> 00:49:43.833
- I had made a decision
that evening in consultation
00:49:43.834 --> 00:49:46.999
with other members of senior
management in the newsroom
00:49:47.000 --> 00:49:49.249
that we were going to
fire Jayson the next day.
00:49:49.250 --> 00:49:50.917
When I came in the
next morning, I
00:49:50.918 --> 00:49:53.124
was informed by a representative
of the Newspaper Guild
00:49:53.125 --> 00:49:55.208
that Jayson had
chosen to resign.
00:49:55.209 --> 00:49:56.541
- I was just thunderstruck.
00:49:56.542 --> 00:50:00.750
I was speechless.
00:50:00.751 --> 00:50:03.999
Jayson wrote an email to me.
00:50:04.000 --> 00:50:07.166
And he apologized.
00:50:07.167 --> 00:50:10.875
I think there was
profound embarrassment.
00:50:10.876 --> 00:50:13.334
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:50:17.751 --> 00:50:18.998
I felt baffled.
00:50:18.999 --> 00:50:22.541
And I think anybody who
was close said, \"Why?
00:50:22.542 --> 00:50:24.625
Why didn\'t I see this?\"
00:50:24.626 --> 00:50:29.458
All this aberrant behavior
spoke of something.
00:50:29.459 --> 00:50:33.542
And I can\'t help but think
it was a cry for help.
00:50:36.292 --> 00:50:40.625
Short of coming forward and
admitting it, it was a plea:
00:50:40.626 --> 00:50:45.541
\"Please catch me, please
catch me, please catch me.\"
00:50:45.542 --> 00:50:47.291
- The head of
Employee Assistance
00:50:47.292 --> 00:50:48.750
was able to get
in touch with me,
00:50:48.751 --> 00:50:50.958
and her recommendation
after talking to me
00:50:50.959 --> 00:50:55.958
was to go back to the counselors
that I had been seeing before.
00:50:55.959 --> 00:50:58.082
I was evaluated by
the psychiatrists
00:50:58.083 --> 00:51:05.082
and the psychologists there
and my former counselor, who
00:51:05.083 --> 00:51:07.584
all recommended immediate
hospitalization.
00:51:12.083 --> 00:51:14.958
\"I winced at the sound of Silver
Hill Hospital\'s doors closing
00:51:14.959 --> 00:51:18.167
behind me, the electronic
locks latching into place.
00:51:21.417 --> 00:51:23.791
The truth was about
to come out, and I
00:51:23.792 --> 00:51:31.792
knew it would not set me free.\"
00:51:33.459 --> 00:51:35.958
- Over the next several days
I started examining just
00:51:35.959 --> 00:51:37.750
about everything that
Jayson Blair had ever
00:51:37.751 --> 00:51:40.791
written for The New York
Times, and it very quickly
00:51:40.792 --> 00:51:43.875
became clear that this
guy was a fabricator.
00:51:43.876 --> 00:51:46.958
This was not only not
an accidental mistake,
00:51:46.959 --> 00:51:51.041
but he had done this
time and time again.
00:51:51.042 --> 00:51:54.958
\"I\'ll never forget talking to a
minister in Cleveland, Reverend
00:51:54.959 --> 00:51:58.166
Tandy Sloan, who had just
lost his son in Iraq.\"
00:51:58.167 --> 00:52:00.082
But Jayson Blair had
written this incredibly
00:52:00.083 --> 00:52:03.166
moving and evocative piece
about this man\'s loss
00:52:03.167 --> 00:52:06.041
and how he had talked about
it in church and all of that.
00:52:06.042 --> 00:52:07.750
Jayson Blair had never
been to Cleveland.
00:52:07.751 --> 00:52:09.958
When I found that
out, other pieces
00:52:09.959 --> 00:52:11.082
started to fall into place.
00:52:11.083 --> 00:52:14.082
Jessica Lynch\'s father said
that Jayson Blair had never
00:52:14.083 --> 00:52:16.374
been there when he wrote
a story with a dateline
00:52:16.375 --> 00:52:19.041
from West Virginia
about that case.
00:52:19.042 --> 00:52:20.625
We now know The
Times was conducting
00:52:20.626 --> 00:52:22.625
this massive internal
investigation trying
00:52:22.626 --> 00:52:25.708
to find out for itself
just how this had happened,
00:52:25.709 --> 00:52:27.875
how many stories were
tainted, how many stories they
00:52:27.876 --> 00:52:28.958
would have to correct.
00:52:28.959 --> 00:52:33.249
- The editors were kind
of frightened about where
00:52:33.250 --> 00:52:36.208
our inquiry would lead,
but we were determined
00:52:36.209 --> 00:52:40.166
to look into all of the
stores he had done for us.
00:52:40.167 --> 00:52:43.541
And it was like
pulling on a thread.
00:52:43.542 --> 00:52:47.998
The entire fabric
began to unravel.
00:52:47.999 --> 00:52:51.375
(STRINGS MUSIC)
00:52:58.167 --> 00:52:59.875
- He is a wonderful writer.
00:52:59.876 --> 00:53:01.583
He is a good reporter.
00:53:01.584 --> 00:53:05.124
To me, it took more effort
to perpetrate the fraud
00:53:05.125 --> 00:53:07.249
than it did to just sit
down, report the story,
00:53:07.250 --> 00:53:09.249
and write the story.
00:53:09.250 --> 00:53:13.458
But I think people were
just so disappointed.
00:53:13.459 --> 00:53:16.998
- New York Times reporter
Jayson Blair resigned last week.
00:53:16.999 --> 00:53:20.625
The Times has assigned five
reporters and three editors
00:53:20.626 --> 00:53:23.791
to review four years
of Blair\'s work.
00:53:23.792 --> 00:53:27.082
- My plan is to read this story
for the first time on Sunday...
00:53:27.083 --> 00:53:30.541
If they\'re able to get it
ready in time for Sunday...
00:53:30.542 --> 00:53:32.708
Along with the rest
of our readers.
00:53:32.709 --> 00:53:34.541
(MACHINE RUNNING)
00:53:34.542 --> 00:53:38.291
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:53:38.292 --> 00:53:40.500
- \"A staff reporter
for the New York Times
00:53:40.501 --> 00:53:42.541
committed frequent acts
of journalistic fraud
00:53:42.542 --> 00:53:45.708
while covering significant
news events in recent months,
00:53:45.709 --> 00:53:49.500
an investigation by Times
journalists has found.
00:53:49.501 --> 00:53:52.416
The widespread
fabrication and plagiarism
00:53:52.417 --> 00:53:54.541
represent a profound
betrayal of trust
00:53:54.542 --> 00:54:02.542
and a low point in the 152-year
history of the newspaper.\"
00:54:04.209 --> 00:54:07.166
The Jayson Blair
debacle became shorthand
00:54:07.167 --> 00:54:09.374
for all of the shortcomings
of the news business.
00:54:09.375 --> 00:54:11.166
Because it happened
at The New York Times,
00:54:11.167 --> 00:54:12.999
because there were so
many stories involved,
00:54:13.000 --> 00:54:15.124
because The Times itself
aggressively investigated
00:54:15.125 --> 00:54:18.583
this and ran its findings
on the front page,
00:54:18.584 --> 00:54:20.500
this became an explosion.
00:54:20.501 --> 00:54:23.291
- The New York Times is
the most powerful newspaper
00:54:23.292 --> 00:54:23.959
in the world.
00:54:23.960 --> 00:54:27.124
And for several weeks now,
it has been in turmoil...
00:54:27.125 --> 00:54:30.041
- The New York Times is
calling it \"a huge black eye.\"
00:54:30.042 --> 00:54:33.082
- Today, The Times used
more than four full pages
00:54:33.083 --> 00:54:36.041
of its newspaper to lay
out the case against Blair.
00:54:36.042 --> 00:54:38.917
- \"...outright fabrications,
cases of plagiarism,
00:54:38.918 --> 00:54:43.333
or other problems in 36 of his
73 national stories since last
00:54:43.334 --> 00:54:44.125
October.\"
00:54:44.126 --> 00:54:45.666
- Some see the
Jayson Blair affair
00:54:45.667 --> 00:54:47.999
as an example of the failures
of affirmative action,
00:54:48.000 --> 00:54:51.875
arguing that Howell Raines, in
a misguided quest for diversity,
00:54:51.876 --> 00:54:54.291
overlooked Blair\'s
journalistic misdeeds.
00:54:54.292 --> 00:54:57.041
- If he were not a symbol of
their success in diversity,
00:54:57.042 --> 00:54:59.082
would he have still been
working at the newspaper?
00:54:59.083 --> 00:54:59.792
- Fair question.
00:54:59.793 --> 00:55:02.166
I don\'t know the answer to
that from The New York Times.
00:55:02.167 --> 00:55:03.999
- One of the
frustrations I\'ve had
00:55:04.000 --> 00:55:07.082
is that some people
have suggested
00:55:07.083 --> 00:55:13.291
that I was lax
with Jayson because
00:55:13.292 --> 00:55:14.999
of white Southern guilt.
00:55:15.000 --> 00:55:17.333
I don\'t think there
was a reluctance
00:55:17.334 --> 00:55:20.542
to blow the whistle on
Jayson based on race.
00:55:23.417 --> 00:55:29.124
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:55:29.125 --> 00:55:31.166
- Unfortunately, it
became a story about race
00:55:31.167 --> 00:55:32.750
because he was a black reporter.
00:55:32.751 --> 00:55:35.541
Stephen Glass was
a white reporter.
00:55:35.542 --> 00:55:36.958
What happened at
The New Republic
00:55:36.959 --> 00:55:38.124
happened at The New Republic.
00:55:38.125 --> 00:55:41.875
They didn\'t say, \"There\'s this
white reporter, Mike Barnes...
00:55:41.876 --> 00:55:44.416
there\'s this white columnist.\"
00:55:44.417 --> 00:55:46.917
The guy at USA Today,
\"There\'s this white guy.\"
00:55:46.918 --> 00:55:50.082
So it became about race because
a black person was involved.
00:55:50.083 --> 00:55:52.917
A black person cannot be
involved in anything without it
00:55:52.918 --> 00:55:54.666
being about race.
00:55:54.667 --> 00:55:59.875
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:55:59.876 --> 00:56:03.875
- It made me see this wide-angle
lens of our industry and how we
00:56:03.876 --> 00:56:07.501
make mistakes and how we connect
dots that don\'t always connect.
00:56:10.250 --> 00:56:11.958
I think it was really
evident in the way
00:56:11.959 --> 00:56:14.333
that, all of a
sudden, Gerald Boyd
00:56:14.334 --> 00:56:17.333
becomes Jayson Blair\'s
mentor, and all
00:56:17.334 --> 00:56:19.708
because both men were black.
00:56:19.709 --> 00:56:21.416
- Where\'d they get that from?
00:56:21.417 --> 00:56:22.625
They smoked together?
00:56:22.626 --> 00:56:24.625
If he asked Gerald a
question, Gerald would say,
00:56:24.626 --> 00:56:26.291
\"Well, do more of
that, do less of this.
00:56:26.292 --> 00:56:26.959
I gotta go.\"
00:56:26.960 --> 00:56:29.750
- And then to see all
these other angles
00:56:29.751 --> 00:56:31.750
that kind of become
part of the story.
00:56:31.751 --> 00:56:33.833
\"Oh, this is what\'s wrong
with affirmative action.
00:56:33.834 --> 00:56:36.750
And this is why we shouldn\'t
diversify newspapers.
00:56:36.751 --> 00:56:39.708
This is what\'s wrong with young
reporters that are too green
00:56:39.709 --> 00:56:41.666
to go work for
big newspapers...\"
00:56:41.667 --> 00:56:44.333
there was just all this stuff
that gets fused in and becomes
00:56:44.334 --> 00:56:47.583
like this snowball that just
keeps getting bigger and bigger
00:56:47.584 --> 00:56:48.375
and bigger.
00:56:48.376 --> 00:56:50.999
- No one was answering the
question of \"Why did this
00:56:51.000 --> 00:56:52.833
happen?\" immediately
after the scandal.
00:56:52.834 --> 00:56:54.541
So people start to
look for the \"why\",
00:56:54.542 --> 00:56:57.917
and they went with a very
interesting and obvious
00:56:57.918 --> 00:57:00.375
one but not exactly
the most accurate one.
00:57:03.042 --> 00:57:05.416
- Did being African American
add a little pressure?
00:57:05.417 --> 00:57:06.375
It may have.
00:57:06.376 --> 00:57:09.208
But in reality, if I were
to pick out the five closest
00:57:09.209 --> 00:57:13.166
people to me in terms
of that need to succeed,
00:57:13.167 --> 00:57:17.208
they would\'ve been white
men or white women.
00:57:17.209 --> 00:57:18.583
It\'s The New York Times.
00:57:18.584 --> 00:57:22.250
It\'s full of a bunch of type
A, insecure people in general.
00:57:27.209 --> 00:57:33.998
- Jayson was a young man who,
in the early part of his career,
00:57:33.999 --> 00:57:37.791
got good marks from the people
who were dealing with his copy
00:57:37.792 --> 00:57:41.041
and editing him and
working with him.
00:57:41.042 --> 00:57:45.333
And he went off the rails,
and something broke down.
00:57:45.334 --> 00:57:48.708
But what broke down was not
because Jayson was black.
00:57:48.709 --> 00:57:51.042
Something broke down because
the system didn\'t work.
00:57:58.751 --> 00:58:01.666
- At the hospital, all the
advice I got from the doctors
00:58:01.667 --> 00:58:04.791
at that point and other
people was not to get
00:58:04.792 --> 00:58:06.291
involved in the story.
00:58:06.292 --> 00:58:10.166
So by the point that I was in
the hospital for a few days,
00:58:10.167 --> 00:58:15.541
they still didn\'t
know the extent of it.
00:58:15.542 --> 00:58:19.166
They\'d actually asked if they
could come to the hospital...
00:58:19.167 --> 00:58:24.041
And they did it very politely
and bring a stack of stories
00:58:24.042 --> 00:58:29.917
from my entire career and see
what I could pick out that had
00:58:29.918 --> 00:58:30.667
a problem in it.
00:58:30.668 --> 00:58:32.124
- All they were
asking him to do was
00:58:32.125 --> 00:58:36.208
walk them through what had
happened so that they could
00:58:36.209 --> 00:58:38.291
give a full accounting of it.
00:58:38.292 --> 00:58:41.208
And he refused to do that.
00:58:41.209 --> 00:58:42.875
And then when people
learned that he
00:58:42.876 --> 00:58:45.541
had been putting
together a book proposal,
00:58:45.542 --> 00:58:49.124
plotting a commercial
venture during this period,
00:58:49.125 --> 00:58:54.625
his last defenders I think
kind of threw up their hands.
00:58:54.626 --> 00:58:56.917
- Gerald said he
believed Jayson had
00:58:56.918 --> 00:59:00.374
become intimidated by the
talent level at The Times,
00:59:00.375 --> 00:59:04.750
and realized at some point
that he could not keep up
00:59:04.751 --> 00:59:07.625
with the competition
in terms of being
00:59:07.626 --> 00:59:09.083
a top reporter on the paper.
00:59:12.250 --> 00:59:16.208
He said Jayson decided
he couldn\'t be famous,
00:59:16.209 --> 00:59:17.959
so he decided to
become infamous.
00:59:24.834 --> 00:59:28.250
(MUSIC PLAYING)
00:59:39.751 --> 00:59:43.291
- I was surprised by the
extent of what Jayson had done.
00:59:43.292 --> 00:59:46.166
And a lot of people
seized on this,
00:59:46.167 --> 00:59:49.082
on what happened
with Jayson, as a way
00:59:49.083 --> 00:59:51.541
to try and strike
back at Howell.
00:59:51.542 --> 00:59:55.041
- There were people around...
Correspondents from overseas,
00:59:55.042 --> 00:59:57.082
around the country, in
the newsroom... who said,
00:59:57.083 --> 00:59:58.416
\"How did this happen?\"
00:59:58.417 --> 01:00:05.625
- So the publisher and Howell
held a town hall meeting
01:00:05.626 --> 01:00:09.374
that I think in the
annals of public relations
01:00:09.375 --> 01:00:13.999
is going to go down as one of
the worst decisions ever made.
01:00:14.000 --> 01:00:16.625
You had a story that did
not have any visuals,
01:00:16.626 --> 01:00:19.374
and now you had
the entire newsroom
01:00:19.375 --> 01:00:21.833
marching through Times Square.
01:00:21.834 --> 01:00:23.833
You had the publisher
and the editor
01:00:23.834 --> 01:00:26.583
essentially looking like
they were on a perp walk.
01:00:26.584 --> 01:00:27.999
- I\'m sorry...
01:00:28.000 --> 01:00:30.082
- If you are in this
business of journalism,
01:00:30.083 --> 01:00:32.998
today\'s extraordinary meeting
the publisher and top two
01:00:32.999 --> 01:00:35.625
editors of The New York
Times meeting with staff...
01:00:35.626 --> 01:00:39.333
Is bound to stir your curiosity.
01:00:39.334 --> 01:00:43.333
- We were all there, and we
all gathered in that space.
01:00:43.334 --> 01:00:45.374
And then people stood up.
01:00:45.375 --> 01:00:48.208
And some of the people
said, \"How could you guys
01:00:48.209 --> 01:00:50.208
let this happen on your watch?\"
01:00:50.209 --> 01:00:55.666
- It turned immediately harsh
and cold and questioning.
01:00:55.667 --> 01:00:57.625
- There were others that
said, \"A lot of people
01:00:57.626 --> 01:00:59.500
say, Gerald and Howell,
the reason this happened
01:00:59.501 --> 01:01:01.041
is because of your
management style.
01:01:01.042 --> 01:01:02.833
What do you say to that?\"
01:01:02.834 --> 01:01:05.082
- They mustered
through, and I think
01:01:05.083 --> 01:01:08.998
that only aggravated
the problem.
01:01:08.999 --> 01:01:14.249
I guess the general feeling
was, \"They still don\'t get it.\"
01:01:14.250 --> 01:01:17.626
(MUSIC PLAYING)
01:01:22.334 --> 01:01:26.917
- Tonight, the top two editors
of the paper of record are out.
01:01:26.918 --> 01:01:29.583
- Gone are Executive
Editor Howell Raines
01:01:29.584 --> 01:01:32.374
and Managing Editor Gerald Boyd.
01:01:32.375 --> 01:01:35.082
- The mistakes made by
Jayson Blair, cub reporter,
01:01:35.083 --> 01:01:37.708
have caused a meltdown at
the world\'s most important
01:01:37.709 --> 01:01:38.334
newspaper.
01:01:38.335 --> 01:01:40.833
- Any message to
your colleagues?
01:01:40.834 --> 01:01:43.750
- The same message
when I said what
01:01:43.751 --> 01:01:46.124
I would say to
Gerald and Howell.
01:01:46.125 --> 01:01:49.082
And it\'s that I\'m truly
sorry for my actions
01:01:49.083 --> 01:01:52.750
and what they\'ve done.
01:01:52.751 --> 01:01:58.458
I felt like I was in a
cycle of self-destruction
01:01:58.459 --> 01:02:00.333
that I never intended.
01:02:00.334 --> 01:02:03.208
And I never intended for
it to hurt anyone else.
01:02:03.209 --> 01:02:05.625
- I think at the end of
the day, Howell and Gerald
01:02:05.626 --> 01:02:07.501
would have been very
good for this newspaper.
01:02:10.125 --> 01:02:12.374
But they didn\'t go
about it the right way.
01:02:12.375 --> 01:02:16.333
For two people who were
supremely political animals,
01:02:16.334 --> 01:02:19.791
they had a political tin ear.
01:02:19.792 --> 01:02:23.209
(MUSIC PLAYING)
01:02:28.375 --> 01:02:30.124
- I think I could
have done a better
01:02:30.125 --> 01:02:33.124
job of harnessing
my own energies
01:02:33.125 --> 01:02:40.416
and lightening my touch, and I
believe that if my time had not
01:02:40.417 --> 01:02:42.541
been cut short in this
dramatic and unexpected way
01:02:42.542 --> 01:02:46.041
that I would have gotten
better at that part of the job.
01:02:46.042 --> 01:02:52.083
Because I love the
paper, I love the life.
01:02:55.584 --> 01:02:59.042
(MUSIC PLAYING)
01:03:11.125 --> 01:03:14.041
- There is no shortage of
infamous names in the news.
01:03:14.042 --> 01:03:17.249
But the question is, if you\'re
embroiled in a major scandal,
01:03:17.250 --> 01:03:19.333
can you profit from
your newfound notoriety?
01:03:19.334 --> 01:03:21.458
- We now welcome to
Larry King Live Jayson
01:03:21.459 --> 01:03:23.791
Blair, the former New York
Times journalist resigning
01:03:23.792 --> 01:03:25.666
after committing acts
of journalistic fraud
01:03:25.667 --> 01:03:26.417
and plagiarism.
01:03:26.418 --> 01:03:28.416
He\'s author of a
new book, \"Burning
01:03:28.417 --> 01:03:30.082
Down My Master\'s House.\"
01:03:30.083 --> 01:03:32.750
Why\'d you write this?
01:03:32.751 --> 01:03:36.875
- The main reason I wrote
the book, Larry, was...
01:03:36.876 --> 01:03:38.374
I\'m 27 years old.
01:03:38.375 --> 01:03:42.708
I made a lot of mistakes,
I was given an opportunity
01:03:42.709 --> 01:03:45.708
to have a wonderful
job at a young age.
01:03:45.709 --> 01:03:47.666
And I self-destructed.
01:03:47.667 --> 01:03:49.666
And I feel like people
can learn a lot of things
01:03:49.667 --> 01:03:50.542
from my experience.
01:03:50.543 --> 01:03:51.958
- What are you going to do next?
01:03:51.959 --> 01:03:53.750
- I think I\'m going
to write a novel.
01:03:53.751 --> 01:03:54.833
If I\'m as good a writer
as you say I am...
01:03:54.834 --> 01:03:55.542
- You know why?
01:03:55.543 --> 01:03:57.875
No, you have the two
qualities necessary.
01:03:57.876 --> 01:03:59.958
You\'re a great writer,
and you know how to lie.
01:03:59.959 --> 01:04:00.459
- True!
01:04:00.460 --> 01:04:02.333
- Because that\'s in
fact what fiction is...
01:04:02.334 --> 01:04:03.708
- I\'m going to try
not to lie anymore.
01:04:03.709 --> 01:04:04.083
- and that\'s the
difference between fiction
01:04:04.083 --> 01:04:04.584
and non-fiction.
01:04:04.585 --> 01:04:06.166
- I\'m going to try
not to lie anymore.
01:04:06.167 --> 01:04:07.416
So...
01:04:07.417 --> 01:04:11.249
- I don\'t think it\'s quite
right to say that he\'s gone
01:04:11.250 --> 01:04:15.124
or scot-free or
will go scot-free.
01:04:15.125 --> 01:04:18.500
I was disappointed when
a publisher actually
01:04:18.501 --> 01:04:21.541
agreed to put out
a book he wrote.
01:04:21.542 --> 01:04:23.416
I was less disappointed
when that book
01:04:23.417 --> 01:04:25.166
didn\'t sell very many copies.
01:04:25.167 --> 01:04:26.541
- Let me read you some of
the reviews your book has
01:04:26.542 --> 01:04:26.999
been getting.
01:04:27.000 --> 01:04:28.541
As you know, some of
this has not been pretty.
01:04:28.542 --> 01:04:29.000
- Right.
01:04:29.001 --> 01:04:31.374
- New York Times... \"sloppy,
padded, and dishonest work.\"
01:04:31.375 --> 01:04:33.917
The New Yorker... \"If you wanted
to put Blair in a category,
01:04:33.918 --> 01:04:35.833
it would be Major Head Case.\"
01:04:35.834 --> 01:04:37.500
LA Times... \"This
is a vile book,
01:04:37.501 --> 01:04:39.999
as distasteful a thing as
you\'re likely to handle without
01:04:40.000 --> 01:04:41.082
gloves.\"
01:04:41.083 --> 01:04:42.500
- I understand why
a lot of people
01:04:42.501 --> 01:04:44.958
are upset, why
they\'re still angry.
01:04:44.959 --> 01:04:46.458
It\'s a part of the
process of healing
01:04:46.459 --> 01:04:48.791
for me to go through
this trial by fire.
01:04:48.792 --> 01:04:51.374
- Why did you fake an interview
with DC Mayor Anthony Williams
01:04:51.375 --> 01:04:53.791
back in \'99 when you were
writing for The Boston Globe?
01:04:53.792 --> 01:04:55.374
- It\'s not just
that one, there was
01:04:55.375 --> 01:04:57.082
one other example
from The Boston Globe.
01:04:57.083 --> 01:04:58.998
- That would suggest
that your problem was not
01:04:58.999 --> 01:05:01.124
caused by or exacerbated
by The New York Times,
01:05:01.125 --> 01:05:02.541
that the problem
was Jayson Blair.
01:05:02.542 --> 01:05:03.998
- All of us have
character flaws.
01:05:03.999 --> 01:05:06.208
One of my weaknesses
happens to be lying.
01:05:06.209 --> 01:05:07.708
And I could tell
you that I\'m never
01:05:07.709 --> 01:05:10.041
going to lie again in my
life, but that would be a lie.
01:05:10.042 --> 01:05:13.416
That\'s just something I\'m
going to fight every day.
01:05:13.417 --> 01:05:18.291
- The first story Jayson seems
to have plagiarized or made up
01:05:18.292 --> 01:05:21.833
was something that he
wrote in high school.
01:05:21.834 --> 01:05:24.416
He was an editor on
his high school paper,
01:05:24.417 --> 01:05:30.541
and he wrote a story in which
he quoted himself extensively
01:05:30.542 --> 01:05:34.625
and then put another
student\'s byline on it.
01:05:34.626 --> 01:05:40.082
And I talked to that student,
and when he confronted Jayson
01:05:40.083 --> 01:05:42.750
he said Jayson just sort of
smirked and said, \"Yeah, I
01:05:42.751 --> 01:05:43.292
did that.
01:05:43.293 --> 01:05:45.958
What are you going
to do about it?\"
01:05:45.959 --> 01:05:51.541
So you see this pattern
not only of dishonesty
01:05:51.542 --> 01:05:57.374
but of, in some cases,
excessive deceit
01:05:57.375 --> 01:06:04.458
for no real apparent purpose
emerge very early on.
01:06:04.459 --> 01:06:09.500
- We were dealing with a
disturbed individual who
01:06:09.501 --> 01:06:13.958
was exhibiting
sociopathic behavior,
01:06:13.959 --> 01:06:16.666
two of the primary traits
of that behavior being
01:06:16.667 --> 01:06:19.541
a lack of empathy for
the pain of others
01:06:19.542 --> 01:06:22.041
and a highly
manipulative personality
01:06:22.042 --> 01:06:24.750
and skillful at manipulating.
01:06:24.751 --> 01:06:27.709
So from the beginning, I
saw Jayson as afflicted.
01:06:34.083 --> 01:06:35.958
- You wouldn\'t
expect Jayson Blair
01:06:35.959 --> 01:06:37.958
at a conference on media ethics.
01:06:37.959 --> 01:06:40.291
Yet, as NPR\'s David
Folkenflik reports,
01:06:40.292 --> 01:06:42.541
Jayson Blair is
making an appearance
01:06:42.542 --> 01:06:45.249
and giving the
keynote address today
01:06:45.250 --> 01:06:47.918
at Washington and Lee University
in Lexington, Virginia.
01:06:53.834 --> 01:06:56.166
- \"One of the first questions
journalism students usually
01:06:56.167 --> 01:06:59.458
ask me is about why I
got into the profession.
01:06:59.459 --> 01:07:03.082
They can at times have a hard
time swallowing the notion
01:07:03.083 --> 01:07:06.333
that I got into the profession
because I was curious, loved
01:07:06.334 --> 01:07:08.958
writing, and wanted
to help people.
01:07:08.959 --> 01:07:11.750
I think it\'s hard for
people to process the idea
01:07:11.751 --> 01:07:14.708
that I once was
so much like them.
01:07:14.709 --> 01:07:17.875
Because if you buy the idea
that I became a journalist
01:07:17.876 --> 01:07:21.208
for such noble reasons and that
I could cross the ethical lines
01:07:21.209 --> 01:07:25.249
that I did, you can buy
the notion that you can.
01:07:25.250 --> 01:07:27.541
Recognizing that
anyone is capable...
01:07:27.542 --> 01:07:30.750
Under the right
circumstances... of anything,
01:07:30.751 --> 01:07:35.541
is the first step in guarding
against the evil from within.\"
01:07:35.542 --> 01:07:36.958
At this point, I
think we\'re going
01:07:36.959 --> 01:07:40.541
to start the question
and answer session.
01:07:40.542 --> 01:07:44.374
- and this is putting
it very bluntly, but...
01:07:44.375 --> 01:07:48.708
why should anyone really ever
believe what you have to say?
01:07:48.709 --> 01:07:51.583
- Like I said before, it\'s
really up to individuals
01:07:51.584 --> 01:07:54.500
to make determinations
on their own.
01:07:54.501 --> 01:07:56.875
Be as skeptical as possible.
01:07:56.876 --> 01:07:57.958
Check it out.
01:07:57.959 --> 01:08:00.082
Don\'t stop just
with the idea, \"Oh,
01:08:00.083 --> 01:08:02.998
this guy once told a
lie,\" because I\'m sure
01:08:02.999 --> 01:08:05.334
pretty much most of you guys
told a lie at one point.
01:08:08.042 --> 01:08:13.291
But check it out, and come to
whatever conclusion you want to
01:08:13.292 --> 01:08:16.082
or need to.
01:08:16.083 --> 01:08:22.708
- I think he was profoundly
ill, but the skeptic in me says,
01:08:22.709 --> 01:08:24.626
is he still gaming the system?
01:08:28.000 --> 01:08:31.626
I don\'t know where the sickness
ends and the gaming begins.
01:08:41.876 --> 01:08:47.708
- The only thing you have
as a journalist is trust.
01:08:47.709 --> 01:08:53.208
And it\'s amazing how people
give it to you so freely.
01:08:53.209 --> 01:08:56.875
I am always amazed when I
knock at people\'s doors...
01:08:56.876 --> 01:09:00.291
Complete strangers... and
they\'ll open their doors,
01:09:00.292 --> 01:09:02.208
and they\'ll sit me down
in their living rooms,
01:09:02.209 --> 01:09:04.416
and they\'ll pour
their hearts out.
01:09:04.417 --> 01:09:10.249
It\'s a very fragile trust.
01:09:10.250 --> 01:09:17.541
And that\'s why it\'s
so easy to lose it.
01:09:17.542 --> 01:09:20.918
(MUSIC PLAYING)
01:09:25.959 --> 01:09:27.958
- The New York Times
is taking extra steps
01:09:27.959 --> 01:09:29.541
to avoid another
reporting scandal.
01:09:29.542 --> 01:09:31.541
The newspaper hired
a Public Editor
01:09:31.542 --> 01:09:34.416
to examine coverage and
review reader complaints.
01:09:34.417 --> 01:09:35.999
This new position
was recommended
01:09:36.000 --> 01:09:39.833
by a committee formed after
the Jayson Blair scandal.
01:09:39.834 --> 01:09:42.750
- I think every newsroom looked
at its internal practices
01:09:42.751 --> 01:09:46.917
and said, \"We do have to
operate on a system of trust
01:09:46.918 --> 01:09:49.750
and trusting relationships
with each other.
01:09:49.751 --> 01:09:53.166
But do we have all of the
checks and balances in place
01:09:53.167 --> 01:09:55.208
that can be put in place?\"
01:09:55.209 --> 01:09:57.792
And everybody, I think, changed.
01:10:01.083 --> 01:10:04.333
- Generally speaking, even
at the best newspapers
01:10:04.334 --> 01:10:07.249
in the world, editors
presume that their reporters
01:10:07.250 --> 01:10:07.918
are honest.
01:10:07.919 --> 01:10:09.333
In the case of
Jayson Blair, this
01:10:09.334 --> 01:10:12.708
turned out to be a
horribly wrong assumption.
01:10:12.709 --> 01:10:15.374
Now, The New York Times editors
by their own admission...
01:10:15.375 --> 01:10:18.583
Did not check carefully enough,
did not heed some complaints
01:10:18.584 --> 01:10:22.998
about Blair\'s past work, did not
question him about his notes,
01:10:22.999 --> 01:10:25.750
and therefore allowed this
problem to fester as he was
01:10:25.751 --> 01:10:27.166
shunted from one
staff to another.
01:10:27.167 --> 01:10:30.958
But I don\'t think there\'s a news
organization in the world that
01:10:30.959 --> 01:10:34.583
can put in place a
fact-checking mechanism that
01:10:34.584 --> 01:10:36.626
can detect a committed liar.
01:10:42.125 --> 01:10:46.458
- Jayson\'s story illustrated a
whole series of other issues,
01:10:46.459 --> 01:10:49.541
and that\'s why the story
became what it was.
01:10:49.542 --> 01:10:55.625
He really was so
unique that it\'s
01:10:55.626 --> 01:10:58.999
hard to say that he\'s
emblematic of something
01:10:59.000 --> 01:11:00.000
other than himself.
01:11:03.459 --> 01:11:06.334
(BIRDS SINGING)
01:11:12.167 --> 01:11:16.333
- With the passage of time
it\'s become a lot easier for me
01:11:16.334 --> 01:11:19.374
to see very clearly
that, in many ways,
01:11:19.375 --> 01:11:23.875
I obviously felt like I
didn\'t deserve or belong...
01:11:23.876 --> 01:11:27.166
And not just at The Times, but
at different places in my life.
01:11:27.167 --> 01:11:32.416
And I\'d set myself up to fail.
01:11:32.417 --> 01:11:35.082
- Have you been able to
offer apologies to the people
01:11:35.083 --> 01:11:36.417
that you feel have been harmed?
01:11:39.959 --> 01:11:43.458
- I feel sorry that I had to
learn that lesson that way.
01:11:43.459 --> 01:11:46.083
I feel sorry that other
people had to be hurt by it.
01:11:51.083 --> 01:11:53.958
But it\'s not something I wake up
in the morning thinking about.
01:11:53.959 --> 01:11:57.666
It\'s not something I
think about every day.
01:11:57.667 --> 01:11:59.666
I had to let go of it to live.
01:11:59.667 --> 01:12:03.166
Because one of the things that
was killing me afterwards,
01:12:03.167 --> 01:12:06.374
one of the things that people
who were treating me afterwards
01:12:06.375 --> 01:12:09.708
said was, \"The guilt is going
to kill you if the illness
01:12:09.709 --> 01:12:10.958
doesn\'t.\"
01:12:10.959 --> 01:12:18.959
And to some extent, I had to
let go and move on and recognize
01:12:19.959 --> 01:12:22.082
my responsibility,
but at the same time
01:12:22.083 --> 01:12:23.333
to not hold it against myself.
01:12:23.334 --> 01:12:26.791
As a human being, it is not
what completely makes me.
01:12:26.792 --> 01:12:27.751
There are worse things.
01:12:27.751 --> 01:12:28.751
There are better things.
01:12:31.709 --> 01:12:34.082
I hope that answers
your question.
01:12:34.083 --> 01:12:35.333
Yeah.
01:12:35.334 --> 01:12:38.709
(MUSIC PLAYING)