Monday, May 19, 2003
The troubled Times - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER – Last Sunday, the New York Times published a seven thousand word feature revealing that one of its own reporters had been behind one of the more abhorrent deceptions in the 152-year history of the Times. It was a story that broke late Saturday night, revealing a rare occurrence of humility and an admittance of weakness at arguably the world's most important newspaper.
The devotion of seven thousand words, on what one correspondent called the world's most valued journalistic real estate, to a scandal at its own paper is interesting on many different levels. First, it must have been of great relief that it was the Times that broke the story. A certain latitude is granted as it was the one that went public. Perhaps greater the damage would have been had another outlet, say the Washington Post, revealed the woeful tale of the disgraced reporter Jayson Blair. It was curious to see the Washington Post, and its sister publication Newsweek, run stories on the fiasco in their online editions, nearly quoting verbatim the story published by the Times. The Times devoting so much reporting, some say damage control, reveals too, that this is a major story. The Times' credibility is at stake, and in journalism credibility is paramount. The Times is the most important paper in the world, because it is a paper that has been regarded as the paper of record when it comes to American events, invariably world events. William Safire, one of the leading columnists at the Times, wrote soon after the Blair story broke, that the Times is the "most rigorously edited paper in the world."
The questions that arose were not that over the level of incompetence of Jayson Blair, but rather the lack of attention paid by the editorial staff. And as in politics, blame is directed sharply at the top guns of the paper, namely Executive Editor Howell Raines and Managing Editor Gerald Boyd. Sure, what Blair did was unprofessional and unethical, and he'll probably not be getting any kind of decent job in journalism anytime soon. But the proverbial buck has got to stop somewhere, and some disgruntled Times staffers will capitalise on the situation, ready to blame Raines for allowing such derelict editing, as well as his management style at the earliest of opportunities. (Actually there is hope for characters like Blair. Ironically, the same week the story became the talk of the nation, Stephen Glass released his novel, The Fabulist, which is based on his adventure plagiarising and falsifying articles at The New Republic.) Blair, it is reported, is in a "hospital setting" dealing with personal problems. Recently there have been stories saying that this is all the result of Blair's own self-destruction, thanks to some uncanny and unconventional behaviour. Suffice to say, he may not be all there, upstairs.
Then the ever-controversial subject of affirmative action rears its ugly head. Blair, who is African-American, even though he made dozens of errors (errors which were catalogued as part of the report), was continually promoted. Rather than relegating him to the less visible sports or metro desks, Blair was brought on to cover stories such as the Beltway sniper story of last winter, as well as the domestic angle of the war in Iraq, chiefly the rescue of Pt. Jessica Lynch. It does not look good that an employer like the New York Times would sacrifice journalistic credibility for workplace diversity and the promotion of an individual based solely on race.
Sins committed by Blair include datelining articles in places where Blair had not in fact visited. For example, Blair purported to cover a church service in Cleveland, where he quoted an individual involved. Quotations and other details were plagiarised from other publications as Blair had not in fact travelled to Cleveland. Some 73 articles, as of last Sunday, uncovered by Times staff, contained errors of fact and/or outright fabrication.
Certainly this story is worthy of coverage. The Times is regarded as an institution in the media world, and surely, as the old song goes, you can't be a beacon if your light don't shine. Blair committed fraud that is worthy of a movie, at least a book. (This week's Newsweek reports that Blair already has a literary agent.) The Times surely will examine its practices and procedure, especially from the top on down. Wednesday afternoon, staffers at the Times, met in a Manhattan theatre to discuss the matter. The private affair elicited much anger from Times staffers, who went on to leak details of the closed event to competing media outlets, namely the Associated Press and Howard Kurtz at the Washington Post. It's reported that much vitriol was directed at Executive Editor Raines, whom staffers reportedly dislike for his inaccessibility and arrogance. Raines offered his resignation, but it was refused by the Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger. Raines, even though this regrettable event took place under his watch, has been responsible for the paper's exemplary coverage of September 11th, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, among others. The Times, under the stewardship of Raines, garnered numerous Pulitzer Prizes, including six just for their September 11th coverage. Thus, Sulzberger rightly did not feel it was necessary to accept the resignation of his editor.
Many in the journalistic community rightfully watch the situation at the New York Times with schadenfreudian glee. The mighty have fallen, and the tumble down has been rocky, and definitely not a quiet one.
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And finally: In the post the other day, was a note from my former colleague Erin Ritchie. She's involved in organising the Sir Charles Tupper Alumni Association's slowpitch tournament this year, and asks that I pass along word of the event, which will be held Saturday, June 7th at Tupper Secondary. Proceeds will benefit the Bill Jeffers Scholarship fund, as well as other projects at the school. If you're interested in playing ball on the 7th, contact the alumni association at sct_alumni@hotmail.com. There is a small fee to participate, but it's well worth it considering where it all goes. Tupperites (former or current) and non-Tupperites alike are invited. It sounds like great fun, even if you weren't to play, as there'll be a beer garden, a concession stand, and of course, prizes and surprises.
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Questions and comments may be sent to: editor@thecommentary.ca
An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .