Times Bomb [Jayson Blair's inside story, from Newsweek]

Newsweek ^ | May 18, 2003 | Seth Minookin and others

[summer]

Times Bomb

Newsweek

.... As the Times meeting was unfolding, Jayson Blair was holed up in an apartment in Manhattan, talking with his lawyer and his literary agent. The week before, friends say, Blair had checked himself out of Silver Hill, a tony inpatient hospital in New Canaan, Conn., where he had been receiving treatment for a history of alcoholism, cocaine abuse and manic depression, NEWSWEEK has learned. ....

...In a conversation with NEWSWEEK, Blair spoke of his feelings since his career went up in flames: "I can't say anything other than the fact that I feel a range of emotions including guilt, shame, sadness, betrayal, freedom and appreciation for those who have stood by me, been tough on me, and have taken the time to understand that there is a deeper story and not to believe everything they read in the newspapers."...

...But Blair's performance, already spotty, seemed to be getting worse. His personal life also seemed to be spinning out of control. His apartment in Brooklyn was littered with broken furniture and rotting food, his landlord said; there was fungus, and mold. When he moved out in the fall of 2002, the place was in such sordid condition his landlord considered taking him to small-claims court to recoup damages. "It was real filth," the landlord told NEWSWEEK. "Imagine using a bathroom for two-and-a-half years and never cleaning it."

....Within months, Blair was circulating drafts of a book proposal on the sniper story in which he discussed his own anger and frustration as an African-American. "[A friend] encouraged me to look for answers about the history of violence in my own family and that of Lee Malvo [the other sniper suspect], suggesting the search would not be in vain, if it at least ended my restless angst," Blair wrote. Later, he told friends that he identified with Malvo....

[summer]

Besides, it also would get the government into the business of deciding what is and is not "the truth" ... and I don't think there's a single one of us here that doesn't find that concept disgusting.

Well, that's a good point, but consider this scenario: Say the US Attorney's office alleges and proves Blair is in fact guilty of the crime of grand larceny, because Blair was demanding money from the NYT for travel expenses when Blair was actually home in his apartment.

Now, Blair is tried and convicted. Depending on the amount of money involved, and what exactly the Son of Sam law states, Blair would be prohibitied already from selling his story. If OTHERS want to tell his story and profit, they can. But, not Blair. I think that is fair.

[george wythe]

Blair had checked himself out of Silver Hill, a tony inpatient hospital in New Canaan, Conn., where he had been receiving treatment for a history of alcoholism, cocaine abuse and manic depression,

Several Freepers had alluded to the possibility that Blair was using cocaine. Now it's confirmed.

Unable to locate his own boundaries, Blair tried to become like the people around him. Writing about sexual abuse, he claimed he himself was a victim. “When the shuttle blew up, he said his dad worked at NASA,” said one Times reporter. “When [Gov. George] Ryan pardoned all the prisoners on death row in Illinois, [Blair] said he had a relative on death row. He said he had a cousin in the Pentagon. And when Howell married a Polish woman, Jayson found a Polish girlfriend.”

So many red flags, so many lapses from management. His behavior seems a cry for help ignored by his powerful bosses.

[Timesink]

Now, Blair is tried and convicted. Depending on the amount of money involved, and what exactly the Son of Sam law states, Blair would be prohibitied already from selling his story. If OTHERS want to tell his story and profit, they can. But, not Blair. I think that is fair.

Yeah, if they can nail him on something like that, I wouldn't have any problem with it.

[Publicus]

You're right. Just like what happened at Winstar, Enron, Worldcom, Adelphia, Columbia and the other harmful acts at the hands of a few slothful, corrupt, and otherwise incompetent parasites.

Basically, we need to start holding them PERSONALLY accountable for their betrayal of the public trust otherwise we can only look forward to the eventual destruction of our great Republic at the hands of these slothful, corrupt, and otherwise incompetent parasites.

Mark my words, these sick bastards are far more dangerous than Al-Qaeda and if W's administration fails to take decisive action against these domestic enemies soon, there is going to be very serious trouble.

[Timesink]

Basically, we need to start holding them PERSONALLY accountable for their betrayal of the public trust otherwise we can only look forward to the eventual destruction of our great Republic at the hands of these slothful, corrupt, and otherwise incompetent parasites.

We are. The Times has lost 5% of its circulation in just the last six months. They were the only major US newspaper - besides the Boston Globe, which is owned by the Times, essentially run by Howell Raines in absentia and which lost SIX percent - to lose any statistically meaningful readership in that time period.

[summer]

Re your post #83 - But there are types of "journalistic fraud" that I think also fall into the category of "criminal fraud." I can't recall exactly what Blair wrote about the sniper case, but if Blair's reporting causes harm or damages to the prosecutor's case against the defendant, and let's say willfull, false reporting by Blair somehow allows the sniper suspect to go free, then, we are in a whole other category of fraud, way beyond whatever we may have previously defined as "jounalistic" fraud.

[summer]

"jounalistic" = "journalistic"

[stands2reason]

It is quite risky to travel by plane with drugs also...probably a factor as well....

[summer]

IMO, it is also very damaging to Blair that Blair claimed he

"identified" with the sniper suspect, Malvo. Does this identification and sympathy mean Blair will go out of his way to interfer with the prosecutors' case against Malvo?

[summer]

Re your post #88 - Good point.

[stands2reason]

Yes, I find I have a lot more animosity toward the NYT management who DID NOTHING in this situation than toward the sick guy they employed.

Raines also practically bragged about the fact that they're aren't any mechanisms to catch fraudulent reporters...he made a smug statement to the effect that We don't work like that....we have an "honor system"....What An Idiot.

[Timesink]

Re your post #83 - But there are types of "journalistic fraud" that I think also fall into the category of "criminal fraud." I can't recall exactly what Blair wrote about the sniper case, but if Blair's reporting causes harm or damages to the prosecutor's case against the defendant, and let's say willfull, false reporting by Blair somehow allows the sniper suspect to go free, then, we are in a whole other category of fraud, way beyond whatever we may have previously defined as "jounalistic" fraud.

I will agree with you here. When I was posting that, my mind was only thinking of average "journalistic fraud" ... making up crap, stealing paragraphs from other papers, minor league stuff. What you're talking about, to my way of thinking, is beyond mere "journalism" at all; it would be plain old interfering with prosecution, albeit done in a relatively novel fashion.

Of course, this just tells you about my thought processes more than anything else. *grin*

[Publicus]

"What I point to is more stupidity and arrogance than fraud. This is not to deny that fraud exists, but fraud would not be very effective without gullible individuals running large and valuable institutions."

Oh, you can be sure Messrs, Ebbers, Lay, Fastow, and the others very well KNEW what they were doing. Even worse, certain accountants and lawyers- who are front line guardians who are SUPPOSED TO protect the integrity of our institutions- instead willfully participated in, facilitated, and benefited from the scams.

These knucklheads and their scams wrecked several key corporations- costing our economy over 7 TRILLION dollars. They also wrecked the livelihoods and retirements of millions of Americans and embarassed our nation to the world. And for what? Luxury homes, cars, vacations, prostitutes, and gifts for themselves.




"Was Ebbers a crook, or a jumped-up salesman who really believed he was a great businessman? It's really very hard to say."

He was grossly irresponsible and yes, the record shows he LIED to employees, shareholders, vendors, creditors, and to the American people and their government.

I and certain others blew the whistle on WorldCom before it "bought" MCI- a company several TIMES WorldCom's size. HELLLLOOOO! I'm sorry Mr. Accountant, a sardine CANNOT eat a cruise ship.




"I'm afraid that if we starting sending people to jail for being stupid, we're going to have to put a wall around the country and ask the smart people to leave."

No need to fear. Out of a population now exceeding 290 MILLION people, we are looking at fewer than 1,000,000 individuals who also happen to be crooked businessmen accountants, lawyers, officials, and judges. They can be dispensed with VERY easily PROVIDED President Bush, AG Ashcroft, and other serious minded Federal authorities take ACTION soon.

[okie01]

"He destroyed his employer's and his own credibility, but the important thing is that Howell Raines' guilt has been assuaged. An honest person would never fall back on such a pathetically obvious emotional ploy."

So true. The "I, as a white man from Alabama..." statement tells us all we need to know about Howell Raines and his motivations.

Raines is still fighting the civil rights wars of the sixties, still playing the Freedom Rider, still trying to assuage his own sense of guilt. In his soul, he believes every white person is Bull Connor -- including himself.

Take a look at his professional biography some time. He's from Birmingham, graduated from Birmingham-Southern (a very good liberal arts school) and was a journalist for the Birmingham Post during the sixties -- strongly sympathetic to the civil rights cause. The books he has authored celebrate that era...and the white man's guilt.

As valid as the cause was, that war has been fought...and won. But Howell Raines still wallows in guilt -- and asks the rest of us to get down in the mud with him.

It's probably the only time in his life that he believed he was doing something worthwhile...

[summer]

We don't work like that....we have an "honor system"....

They sound like have less safeguards in place with their hiring practices and employees than McDonalds or Burger King.

Raines should be the editor of a small, weekly publication that is distributed at literary teas, where no one but the people who go to those affairs and events bothers to read the articles. Raines seems to lack any understanding of the fact that readers -- some readers -- actually relied on his newspaper for facts. Well, no more.

[stands2reason]

That's the only thing I could think of to explain his sense of invincibility.

That plus the manic stage of bipolar disorder would make anyone think they have more pull than God.

[summer]

RE your post #92 - LOL! :)

Timesink, what you now realize is what I think Howard Kurtz meant in his televised suggestion about a new law: that we have to start recognizing "journalism fraud" here in this Jayson Blair case has reached incredible, new levels, previously unimagined. And, this activity can not continue, even if the NYT management disagrees and insists there is a rational for actively encouraging it.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

I think he's not just the Poster Boy for Affirmative Action....

I actually think we conservatives should thank him since he is the shining example of why affirmative action doesn't work.

And I think he's just struck a serious blow to the main artery of affirmative action, especially with President Bush in power . The President has come out swinging against this behemoth left over 60's hippie idea.

[ReleaseTheHounds]

As a teacher, I would like to second that suggestion by Kurtz, because kids in America are watching and reading this story of Blair as well.

Summer: why don't we start with Ex-Presidents of the U.S. of A.?

[Publicus]

I cancelled my subscription some time ago- got tired of being told what to think with all the news certain INDIVIDUALS at the New York Times assumed was fit to print.

Now, let them eat all the humble pie they want. Until they get their act together, I'm not going to support them.

Oh, get this, I also found out the jackass editors at the New York Times also CONTINUE to CONCEAL information involving a criminal enterprise that spans at least four New York State counties and at least two foreign countries.

They also KNOW their friend- New York State Attorney General Elliott Spitzer was asked by two DA's and at least four law enforcement officers to take criminal action against the perpetrators of the criminal enterprise and Spitzer has done NOTHING, NADA, BUPKIS!

Several know believe the crooks took monies they stole from others and made campaign contributions in exchange for Spitzer's promise not to go after them!

Where is Governor Pataki? Better yet, where in Lord's name is the US Attorney's office? Attorney General Ashcroft?!?!!