Jayson Blair Speaks Out
Washington and Lee University's Journalism Ethics Institute invited Jayson Blair- best known for fabricating stories at the New York Times- to be the keynote speaker at the conference earlier this month. Having Blair lecture students on ethics in journalism seems a little counterproductive on the surface, but others have made the opposite argument. Some think that students want to hear about the failures of others because it provides an interesting standpoint, and it prepares them for failure. Universities focus on preparing their students for future success, so what happens when they get into the real world and fail? According to the Associated Press article, that's the standpoint Edward Wasserman, the journalism professor who invited Blair was hoping to achieve from the conference. Then again, some people have made comments such as this: "Disgraced ex-New York Times reporter Jayson Blair talking to college students about ethics? What's next? The former head of Lehman Brothers on financial risk management?"
Also, NPR has an article about this and included in the article is an audio player that allows you to "listen to the story". Blair has already spoken at this conference, but do you think this is a good idea for universities to do in the future?
posted by Stephanie Huff at
12:07 PM
3 Comments:
Wow, that's a pretty interesting approach to have Jayson Blair speak at a Journalism Ethics convention. I suppose it's kind of a "what not to do" approach, but from a first-hand perspective. In a sense I can see why this method might be effective because as the AP article points out, many journalism students become so obsessed with success that they make unethical decisions to write a good story. The only problem I have with this method is that a keynote speaker is generally someone who is recognized as successful and perhaps a worthy role model. By allowing Jayson Blair to be a keynote speaker, are we saying that what he did was ok? It just looks as if these universities are overlooking his misdeeds to make a point.
By
Betty, At
November 25, 2009 10:53 PM
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By
Betty, At
November 25, 2009 10:52 PM
I completely see why Jason Blair--a Maryland Alumni and former editor-in-chief of the Diamondback-- would be an appropriate choice for a journalism lecturer on ethics.I imagine his words would reveal exactly why journalists feel the need to fabricate stories and plagiarize. Young journalists need to know why some of their peers might stoop to low levels to get a story, so that they could avoid the same misstep. I am sure Blair is at the point that he realizes the great gravity of his past unethical behavior. Who best to teach others about the evils of fabrication than the "king of lies" himself, who has undergone so much scrutiny?
By
MelissaQuijada, At
November 26, 2009 6:46 PM
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