Whenever I have read or heard stories about Jayson Blair, he has always been depicted as a lazy individual who decided to take advantage of others through his position. Although this is true for the most part, there is a completely separate side to the story that I had not heard before.
Last week, I watched "A Fragile Trust", a fascinating documentary about Jayson Blair's downfall at the New York Times. The most interesting and strange part of the film was that there were interviews with Blair throughout the narration. He seemed oddly at peace and guiltless with everything that happened at first, which made me a little upset. However, as the story progressed and more was revealed, it became evident that Blair was a very troubled individual and that he has not forgotten his mistakes.
I never knew that Blair was an alcoholic or that he had a cocaine addiction. It seemed that having a voice in one of the world's most famous papers was far more pressure than he could handle. Hearing how he sneaked home from being on assignment in Washington and became paranoid of even leaving his apartment was very depressing. I couldn't even imagine living life in that fashion. The constant fear of being caught in such elaborate lies would be a terrible feeling.
In addition, I was shocked and appalled at how the management style of the New York Times allowed this fabrication of stories for as long as it did. The film described countless reports and complaints from the staff about Blair that never reached the chief editor's desk. Blair had shown odd behavior for a long time before he was caught, and it was not going unnoticed by his peers. Although Blair deserves all of the blame for the actual plagiarism, the paper is to blame for how long it went on.
"A Fragile Trust" outlined how important journalists are to the general public and how responsibility on the part of journalists is expected as part of the job. Plagiarism is not just unfair to those who get their work stolen, it is also unfair to the readers who rely on reporters like Jayson Blair to stay informed on the events occurring in their communities and countries. Watching this documentary was very motivating because it explained the importance of reliability and how the truth will always come out in the end. I hope to learn from Jayson Blair's mistakes and to make sure that I always value honesty throughout my life and career.
Last week, I watched "A Fragile Trust", a fascinating documentary about Jayson Blair's downfall at the New York Times. The most interesting and strange part of the film was that there were interviews with Blair throughout the narration. He seemed oddly at peace and guiltless with everything that happened at first, which made me a little upset. However, as the story progressed and more was revealed, it became evident that Blair was a very troubled individual and that he has not forgotten his mistakes.
I never knew that Blair was an alcoholic or that he had a cocaine addiction. It seemed that having a voice in one of the world's most famous papers was far more pressure than he could handle. Hearing how he sneaked home from being on assignment in Washington and became paranoid of even leaving his apartment was very depressing. I couldn't even imagine living life in that fashion. The constant fear of being caught in such elaborate lies would be a terrible feeling.
In addition, I was shocked and appalled at how the management style of the New York Times allowed this fabrication of stories for as long as it did. The film described countless reports and complaints from the staff about Blair that never reached the chief editor's desk. Blair had shown odd behavior for a long time before he was caught, and it was not going unnoticed by his peers. Although Blair deserves all of the blame for the actual plagiarism, the paper is to blame for how long it went on.
"A Fragile Trust" outlined how important journalists are to the general public and how responsibility on the part of journalists is expected as part of the job. Plagiarism is not just unfair to those who get their work stolen, it is also unfair to the readers who rely on reporters like Jayson Blair to stay informed on the events occurring in their communities and countries. Watching this documentary was very motivating because it explained the importance of reliability and how the truth will always come out in the end. I hope to learn from Jayson Blair's mistakes and to make sure that I always value honesty throughout my life and career.