reporter who became a frontpage story, The

Crisis, The, Jul/Aug 2003 by Haines, Errin

media

In early May, Jayson Blair, a 27-year-old national reporter at The New York Times, resigned after it was discovered that he had committed numerous frauds in dozens of stories. Blair fabricated facts, lifted material from other media outlets and filed stories with fake datelines claiming to be in the Washington, D.C., area covering last fall's sniper shootings or in Palestine, W.Va., interviewing family members of former Iraq POW Jessica Lynch, for example, when in fact he was at home in Brooklyn, N.Y.

In the weeks that followed, the newspaper, largely regarded as the gold standard of journalism and a window to what matters in the world, was sent into a period of turmoil, culminating in the resignations of The Times' top management, including one of the few high-ranking African American editors at a daily newspaper. The episode rocked the foundations of the Fourth Estate and immediately raised questions of integrity at newspapers across the country.

How could someone who had landed on the prestigious national desk at the vaunted New York Times exhibit such reckless behavior, betraying the paper's readers, his colleagues and himself for that matter? And why did it take so long for his editors to get wind of his months-long charade?

When I first read about Blair, I winced when I saw his photograph. He was young. He was Black. I immediately knew that although most acts of journalistic fraud in this country have been committed by White reporters, this incident was going to be a very big deal and would draw a tremendous amount of attention.

Over the next few days and weeks, the media was flooded with older White males debating the possible repercussions of the Blair affair, and countless opinion makers weighing in on the racial preferences they were sure accounted for Blair's presence and quick elevation at the paper.

As a young African American reporter at The Los Angeles Times by way of a diversity program, I contemplated my own fate with my young brown colleagues. The program that I am a part of (The Tribune Co. Minority Editorial Training Program METPRO) strives to increase the number of minority journalists in newsrooms and, as a result, increase the coverage of communities of color. For two decades, the program has been lauded among media organizations as a leader in the effort for newsroom parity. Today I question whether it, and those like it, will be targeted?

Although Blair's journalistic integrity couldn't be farther from my own or that of my hard-working peers, I was certainly aware that young journalists were being scrutinized. The episode had us looking over our shoulders and pondering our futures in journalism. After all, despite his propensity for prevarication, young Jayson has an energy and a drive - albeit misguided - that many of us have also made a reputation on, along with our journalism.

In its investigation of the incident, The Times reported that Blair fabricated details in 38 of 73 stories examined from the seven-month period in which he worked as a national correspondent for the paper. That Blair could pull off a con of such magnitude in any newsroom would raise eyebrows. For him to pull it off at The New York Times and have "fooled some of the most brilliant minds in journalism," as he described the act in an interview with The New York Observer, catapulted the episode to the level of a one-man shock-and-awe campaign.

But Blair's problems didn't just begin with this crisis. The paper had run 50 corrections on stories Blair wrote over a four-year period. Blame for the episode shifted from Blair to the top brass at The Times after it was discovered that executive editor Howell Raines and managing editor Gerald Boyd seemed to ignore the warnings of intermediate editors who tried to sound the alarm about Blair's frequent errors. The news that Blair's problem with accuracy had followed him throughout his career at The Times, and apparently existed at prior internships and at his college paper, only stoked the fire. Raines and Boyd were depicted as Blair's advocates, his journalistic godfathers, without whom his rapid and undeserved ascent probably would not have been possible. The two talented and respected newsmen ultimately lost their jobs to the scandal.

Young journalists like myself know the importance of a mentor, that seasoned, influential newsroom veteran who helps bring along the next generation. But this young journalist's actions helped bring down two of the most powerful people in American journalism. There were only 87 Blacks in top editing roles at U.S. newspapers, including 14 with Boyd's former title. The Blair episode single-handedly cut each number by one.

I wondered would my mentors now become cautious and shun me for fear of being burned? I reached out to a few of them in the days that followed to solidify our relationships. Understanding my apprehension, they reassured me that the Blair situation did not in anyway reflect on me or our relationship.

Blair's quick ascendancy at The Times also opened the door to speculation that it was the dearth of available talent of color that led to Blair's hiring and retention.