In 2003, a reporter for the New York Times was caught plagiarising other reporters’ work, and fabricating details in a number of his stories. Jayson Blair, the Times reported, “committed frequent acts of journalistic fraud while covering significant news events”.
“Mr. Blair was just one of about 375 reporters at the Times; his tenure was brief. But the damage he has done to the newspaper and its employees will not completely fade with next week’s editions, or next month’s, or next year’s,” said the newspaper.
Now that we’re blogging, the age of attribution is over...
It wasn’t an easy story to tell. Every person that made the final cut turned her down to start with. But the film, A Fragile Trust, tells the story of a newsroom under pressure, a man with mental health and substance abuse issues, and an industry grappling with a new world.
Grant says she worked for more than a year talk to Jayson Blair, and when he finally said yes – after her Master’s film was completed – she wanted to interview him because she still had questions.
Megan Whelan asked her if she feels like she got answers she was looking for.
You can listen to the full interview here.
A Fragile Trust is playing now as part of the Documentary Edge Festival.
Cover image: Gush Productions/PBS
