Unbiased
reporting a myth
Last Sunday the New York Times revealed
that one of the esteemed newspaper’s young
national reporters had been obscenely fabricating
facts and sources in his articles, causing
smirks and smug contentment in competitor’s
newsrooms across the country.
Jayson
Blair, a 26-year-old reporter who got his
start as an intern for the Times is said
to have been consistently creating and stealing
information for over 60 articles while remaining
unnoticed by his editors. Blair resigned
before the Times admitted their missteps.
Blair’s
story reminded me of a story I heard Norman
Mailer tell recently on the radio. Mailer
talked about a journalism class he took
in high school where he was assigned to
write a personality profile. He turned in
a wonderfully detailed story about the immigrant
doorman who monitored the backstage entrance
to Rockefeller Center and was loved and
admired by the biggest stars. Mailer’s teacher
was highly impressed with his article and
asked him if she could publish it along
with a photo of the doorman in the student
newspaper.
Mailer
calmly replied to his teacher that he was
glad she liked the story but there was going
to be a problem getting the photo — the
doorman didn’t exist outside of his imagination.
Mailer received an F for his assignment
but said that for the first time he realized
his writing skills might be of use.
Of
course, the New York Times is not a high
school newspaper and Blair is leagues from
Norman Mailer. But Blair might be learning
a lesson similar to Mailer and we can’t
forget that the world knows him as more
than a passed-over byline now.
Dishonesty
is nothing new, especially in the world
of information. Blair’s mistake was creating
the lies himself. One could argue that corporate
spokespeople, public relations firms and
politicians’ mouthpieces massage, enrich
and invent varying degrees of information
to pass on to media outlets for packaging
and consumption. This is more commonly known
as “spin” in the political biz or “damage
control” in the entertainment industry.
As
some sort of member of the larger media
industry, it pains me to blatantly accuse
it and those who use its services of blatantly
lying, but then, I might just be falling
into step. Complete, objective truth is
a media fallacy that journalists are taught
to seek — a golden prize that stays just
a hair’s width out of grasp. Pure objectivity
will never be attained — not even in the
scientific realm of observation and experimentation
— so it’s that much easier to abuse. These
facts on the nature of news and information
are not the least bit new, just as the fine
art of information manipulation and its
practitioners are nothing new.
Blair,
it seems to me, might be headed straight
to the top — although not in newspaper game
— and I dare say that his ambition and greed
may not be chalked up to youthful naivete.
Where a grocery store clerk stealing from
the till will be fired and arrested never
to man a register again, Blair may hear
opportunity knocking.
I
can envision any number of top-tier PR firms,
election campaign managers or even the CIA
considering a man with such finely honed
chops to be an intriguing prospect. His
skills at deception and illusion are of
a highly sought after level. Big money industries
will never shy away from a top prospect
with a lackluster background — look at Dick
Cheney.
Most
news watchers are sure that Jayson Blair
is doomed to the stock room of some run
down Five and Dime in Chattanooga, but I
foresee — as I’m sure he also does — brighter
days for the conniving, unethical greedmonger.
He may be forever banned from writing the
news, but that doesn’t mean he can’t make
the news — that’s where the real money is
anyway.
Greg
Smith is a journalism major taming the high
seas at Cal State Long Beach.
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