Posted on 08/07/2003 2:54:45 PM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
Aug 7, 2003
Former NY Times Editor Shares Blame, Responsibility for Blair Scandal By Renee C. Lee Associated Press Writer
DALLAS (AP) - In his first public comments since resigning over the Jayson Blair scandal, former New York Times Managing Editor Gerald Boyd told journalists Thursday it was time to take a hard look at why the scandal happened and "what lessons we can learn from it." Boyd, addressing the National Association of Black Journalists national convention in Dallas, received a standing ovation as he stepped to the podium. Some chanted, "Boyd! Boyd!" The group named him Journalist of the Year in 2001.
Boyd resigned under pressure two months ago, five weeks after it was discovered that Blair, one of the paper's young stars, had plagiarized material, invented quotes and wrote stories using datelines of places he had never been. Editor Howell Raines also stepped down.
Boyd shared the blame and responsibility for Blair's downfall but said management didn't realize how deeply troubled Blair was until it was too late.
Had management known, "we simply would not have had him writing for The New York Times," Boyd said.
While some people accused him of ignoring Blair's problems because he was black, Boyd said that was "absolutely untrue."
He said he had little direct contact with Blair and that Blair received substantial management attention from people who worked much closer with him. He said he knew about some of Blair's faults and that he should have shared more information about things he knew as Blair moved to different assignments.
"There is a lesson here that we should all well heed. ... We should never lose sight to take time to make sure we're communicating with each other," he said.
Because of the demands of the news and the need for more reporters to cover the news, management never came together to re-evaluate Blair's situation, he said.
"I want you all to know I will spend the rest of my career ... doing everything I can to make sure we all grow and learn from this," he said.
AP-ES-08-07-03 1724EDT
This story can be found at: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAPGI6A3JD.html
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The Times still in denial.
He meant to say, "the rest of my career (such as it is)..."
It's really not important how "deeply troubled" Blair was. There have been plenty of "deeply troubled" reporters, novelists, sculptors, and left-handed relief pitchers. Many of them were still capable of performing at a high level. The primary job of management is to make sure that the work product engendered by their underlings is up to the high standards management must demand. If it's not, then the reasons may be examined, but, if the person continues doing shoddy work, it is management's mission to see that the work improves, or that the employee is dismissed.
For what?!! Except for the Blair episode, never heard of him.
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