Lessons unlearnable at the NYT
Jayson Blair had a publicity-craving ego, but he probably never expected attention like this.
To refresh your memory, Jayson Blair is the now-famous New York Times reporter who made more than a few snafus in his work.
More specifically, he lied to his editors. Made up places in articles. Fabricated quotes from people he'd never talked to. And in the process, he made people question the authenticity of arguably the nation's best newspaper.
Much has been written about the whole situation, but here's the thought that's struck me:
Blair never would have made it at a small-town newspaper.
Yes, I'm saying what you think I'm saying: working for a weekly paper in a small town would have been harder for Jayson Blair than working for a huge metro paper.
Why? It's about a little thing called accountability.
I tell this to colleagues at bigger daily papers, and I confirm this with fellow weekly journalists who have seen both sides of the coin: working at a weekly is harder than working at a daily.
There's no room for screwups when your audience is a small town. Your readers expect perfection, and when you don't deliver they let you know in the grocery store line or out at the ball diamond.
That's the way it should be.
In a town of 3,000, Blair would have trouble sliding by with fake quotes or made-up descriptions. Residents would have called him on the carpet immediately.
Of course, journalists are human, and the occasional errors make it to print. What happens then? The phone call, the e-mail. And the reporter interacts with them all, because there's no "line of defense" with a series of receptionists and editors.
That makes things more personal. And it makes the small-town journalist much more aware of the people he or she deals with on a regular basis. Lose the trust of a source and you're in big trouble. Make a mistake and people won't forget.
So, Jayson Blair, in the slim-to-none chance that you read this piece, let me give you some advice: If you someday develop a conscience and want to make a go of it as a real, honest journalist, head for a small-town newspaper. You just might learn a thing or two.
— JENNIFER WILSON
