Plagiarism remains a universally topical subject within the journalism profession. In 2003, the former New York Times journalist Jayson Blair made headlines for his blatant plagiarism all the while fabricating stories and lifting from largely made-up sources.
Fast forward to over ten years later: Have the journalistic ethical lessons been learned since that debacle? This question is worth asking, one in which Samantha Grant grappled with in her 2013 documentary, "A Fragile Trust: Plagiarism, Power and Jayson Blair at the New York Times," which will premiere on PBS' 'Independent Lens' series in May.
Grant's film "explores not only the rise and fall of Blair but also the extensive effect the incident had on the world of journalism. Because Blair was a young African American reporter, the scandal also had a chilling effect on efforts to diversify major metropolitan newsrooms.
"After being declared a wunderkind in the New York Times newsroom in 2003 after a series of acclaimed stories, Blair was discovered to have boldly copied the work of other reporters and to have supplemented his own reporting with fabricated details. Mental illness and cocaine fueled his actions," as reported in The Los Angeles Times.
The Jayson Blair scandal of 2003 is evermore relevant these days, as the news profession has become evermore crunched, largely from drastic staff cuts, severe revenue loss and journalists who spend way too much time hobnobbing with celebrities during the annual Corespondents Dinner.
History will judge whether Glenn Greenwald, the man responsible for enabling Edward Snowden's to divulge leaks concerning the excesses of the National Security Agency, will be seen as a fine investigative reporter or whether his agenda trumps his objectivity as a reporter. The bottom line is that the newspaper business remains a sensationalist enterprise built on ratings and advertisements, and that the journalism profession has fully learned ethical lessons, which should have been picked up by the Jayson Blair case.
The Washington Post's Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's exhaustive research into the Watergate break-in four decades ago became the standard bearer for future journalists. Woodward and Bernstein were recognized in 1973 with a Pulitzer Prize, a year before President Richard Nixon resigned. Their dogged determination and investigative reporting epitomized persistence and commitment to the pursuit of truth.
Jayson Blair began his career at The New York Times as an intern before covering the police beat. Within just a few months, Blair would go on to cover a sniper investigation in the DC area. "[There were] [problems in at least 36 of [his] 73 articles [he] had written since transferring to the national desk. The investigation [continued] into more than 600 articles he wrote and the paper [urged] readers who knew of additional discrepancies to come forward," as reported by CNN.
"As a roving national reporter, he was actually spending much of his time in New York when his editors thought he was covering stories in remote locations... He never asked to be reimbursed for flights, hotels or rental cars," CNN also reported.
Blair was not reprimanded for his actions for months.
This fact means editors had tacitly approved of his behavior; all that mattered to them was that he met his deadlines. Jonathan Landman, a metropolitan editor told his superiors at time, "we have to stop Jayson," CNN also reported. This was ignored.
Journalistic ethics ought to be standard for reporters. Oft-times, reporters have not shown good judgement, nor have their editors and publishers. Pressures from within the newsroom enabled these "professionals" make bad choices. In a business so fixated on sales and profit, dogged reporting, objectivity and checking of sources have proven to fall by the way side.
The Blair scandal is a stark reminder to the dangers of unethical behavior within journalism. Blogs, social media and other new platforms can actually serve as valuable tools for fresh and hungry reporters, rather than serving as vehicles to commit unscrupulous behavior.
