PR Tips from Jayson Blair What to do when you’re caught

The American Enterprise Online ^ | 5/23/03 | Marni Soupcoff

[Valin]

Jayson Blair, the disgraced New York Times reporter caught plagiarizing and fabricating numerous stories and quotes for the famous paper, recently gave his first post-scandal interview. In a discussion with the New York Observer, Blair explained his bad behavior at the Times and gave some insight into his personal and professional motivations. He also managed, over the course of the interview, to display an amazing public relations acumen that lends itself, quite naturally, to a series of helpful public relations tips, which are sure to come in handy the next time you find yourself caught in a sticky situation or plagiarizing national news reports for the New York Times.

Always Refer to Yourself in the Third Person
When you are caught in an embarrassing situation that makes you look arrogant, and people start accusing you of being an egomaniac, always refer to yourself in the third person. This shows that you are a down to earth everyman.
Example:
People accused Blair—who shot up through the Times ranks despite making up quotes and plagiarizing stories—of being boastful and self-important. But Blair quickly disarmed these critics when he told the Observer: “I have…problems which probably led to me having to kill Jayson Blair, the journalist.”
How it Works:
Observe the accessible and human air Blair takes on as he talks about himself as though he were a different person. “Who is this evil ‘Jayson Blair, the journalist’?” we readers are led to wonder sympathetically. And, “thank God ‘Jayson Blair the non-journalist’ up and murdered him,” we are led to think.
By referring to himself in terms of multiple abstract personas and calling himself by his full name, Blair presents an image of a warm and easygoing guy with no pretensions—the sort of sociopath we can all relate to.
Note: This is a strategy that has also worked for Bob Dole.

Never Blame Yourself
Do not make the mistake of admitting you have done something wrong and taking responsibility for your actions. This would be way too obvious and would simply confuse reporters and journalists, who have never had to report on a politician or celebrity taking blame for wrongdoing.
Example:
Jason Blair is now claiming that his made-up stories and lies about his whereabouts (he would file stories from across the country without actually leaving his Brooklyn apartment) are the fault of his editors. “I feel bad for the situation he [Times Executive Editor Howell Raines] is in,” Blair told the Observer. “But a lot of it is by his own hand.”
Blair went on to rationalize that he is merely a symbol of “what’s wrong with the New York Times-and what’s been wrong with the New York Times for a long time.”
How it Works:
Observe the sympathy and pathos we feel for Blair as he casts the responsibility for his own transgressions onto others. We are immediately won over as we realize that regardless of what Blair has done (plagiarism, fabrication, fraud), it must be the fault of those evil guys who caught him doing it because…well, because they’re the ones making a big stink about it.
Note: This is a strategy that has also worked for Bill Clinton.

If You Have to Blame Yourself, Blame an Illness
When you find yourself a difficult spot of your own making, it is preferable never to blame yourself (see above), but if you must do so, be sure to blame your actions on an illness so that you are not mistaken for someone showing the maturity and courage to actually take ownership of his own mistakes. Your defense lawyer will thank you later.
Example:
Jayson Blair says that his mistakes at the Times were the result of “certain health problems.” (Yes, for those paying attention, these are the same health problems that caused one of the Jayson Blairs to have to kill Jayson Blair the journalist.)
How it Works:
Observe how our respect for Blair soars as we learn that he suffers from a rare illness that causes him to lie and make stuff up and yet he continued to diligently file stories from his sick bed, never giving in to the temptation to put down the pen and stop publishing falsehoods.
Note: This is a strategy that has also worked for Winona Ryder and some guy who murdered someone after eating a Twinkie.

Always Make Race an Issue
When members of the public and the press are accusing you of being a role model for the problems with racial preferences, and your supporters are claiming your promotions had nothing to do with race, it is always wise to plunge in and start whining about racism as loudly as possible.
Example:
A number of journalists have charged that Jayson Blair’s hiring and consistent promotions in the face of poor performance and inadequate qualifications were the results of the Times’s affirmative action policies. Those defending Blair (or at least the Times) say that Blair was hired and promoted on his own merits. But Blair himself says that, while racial preferences did play a role in his otherwise questionable rise at the Times, the place is actually full of racism and “white junior managers who resent [African American reporters succeeding].”
How it Works:
Observe the way we become convinced of the further need for racial preferences when we hear of Blair’s trials and tribulations with racist editors who insisted on promoting him over and over again. We become one with Blair’s pain and are newly aware of the role race apparently plays in an individual’s decision to fabricate quotes and lift stories from other papers.
Note: This is a strategy that has also worked for Johnny Cochrane.

Follow these tried and true public relations guidelines and you too might qualify for your own six-figure book deal. Well, it worked for Jayson Blair, anyway.

Marni Soupcoff’s column appears weekly in TAEmag.com
The American Enterprise Online

[goldstategop]

Yup. When you get right down to it, that's all you need to be a Democrat.

[xJones]

I am waiting to see Jayson Blair's autiobiography on the New York Times best-seller list. It will be interesting to see if it's listed in the fiction or non-fiction category.

[Valin]

He was born in a log cabin, raised by wolves, put himself through Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and Columbia all at the same time by washing dishes and selling newspapers.

"Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive!"
Sir Walter Scott

[Timesink]

Schadenfreude

This is the New York Times Schadenfreude Ping List. Freepmail me to be added or dropped.

[lainde]

ping!

[martin_fierro]

Imagine that you're Blair after your best psychobabble defenses have been eviscerated by a dead-on article like this one.

"Some fava beans and a nice chiiiiianti while you eat your spleen, Mr. B-liar?"

[Valin]

LOL

[Liz]

"Sounds too delightful, Dr Lecter."

[GOPJ]

That's cold. True, but cold.

Yup. When you get right down to it, that's all you need to be a Democrat.

[aristeides]

I think this racism con game is finally getting discredited.

[Bonaparte]

Let's hope so. Sheesh!