Jayson Blair was a promising reporter—"clearly a climber"—who realized his dream of becoming a journalist for the New York Times in 1999. The product of an African-American middle class family, Blair had both ambition and a good education. So, how did it all unravel? Filmmaker Samantha Grant's documentary presents a cautionary tale of the young reporter whose work seemed too good to be true. Blair was quick to volunteer and submit stories, including a poignant tale of a missing soldier in Iraq and the mother who waited for news on the home front. Eventually, other writers noticed striking similarities between Blair's prose and a story in a Texas newspaper (one of the figures allegedly interviewed claimed she never met Blair). Known as an "office character" with a need to be liked, Blair developed a "toe touch" technique (with minimal legwork) that eventually became "no touch," as the reporter simply submitted bylines from his apartment. Blair also developed a drinking and drug problem, which worsened his bipolar personality. Executives at the paper tried to get Blair help, but before the dust from the 2003 plagiarism scandal settled, two top executives lost their jobs, and Blair left journalism to write a book and become a "life coach." Time and money was wasted and prestige tarnished in correcting the bogus stories by Blair, who speaks frankly but with a curious detachment in an interview here. Inevitably, issues of race and affirmative action surface, as well as a look at the negative effects of the escalating need for "speed and impact" in a changing newsroom. Presented in both its full-length and an abridged 57-minute version, this compelling documentary about one of the biggest contemporary scandals in American journalism is recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)
A Fragile Trust
(2014) 75 min. DVD: $295. Bullfrog Films. PPR. SDH captioned. ISBN: 1-94154-515-7. Volume 30, Issue 2
A Fragile Trust
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