I don't know how many of you have been following the story of Jayson Blair, the New York Times reporter who recently resigned, but The Times has just published a huge, in-depth article detailing everything they have uncovered. It's absolutely mind boggling. I can't begin to comprehend why a journalist would do this. And even if he had no ethics at all, I don't know how he thought he could get away with it.
Here is the beginning of the article. I'll paste the link for anyone who wants to read the whole thing. It's written by a huge team of senior reporters and editors from The Times, and although it's really long, it's well worth the time. You need to register to get a NYT password, but it's free and only takes a minute.
Annie
Times Reporter Who Resigned Leaves Long Trail of Deception A staff reporter for The New York Times committed frequent acts of journalistic fraud while covering significant news events in recent months, an investigation by Times journalists has found. The widespread fabrication and plagiarism represent a profound betrayal of trust and a low point in the 152-year history of the newspaper.
The reporter, Jayson Blair, 27, misled readers and Times colleagues with dispatches that purported to be from Maryland, Texas and other states, when often he was far away, in New York. He fabricated comments. He concocted scenes. He lifted material from other newspapers and wire services. He selected details from photographs to create the impression he had been somewhere or seen someone, when he had not.
And he used these techniques to write falsely about emotionally charged moments in recent history, from the deadly sniper attacks in suburban Washington to the anguish of families grieving for loved ones killed in Iraq.
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