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Interview With Media Critic Seth Mnookin

Aired May 12, 2003 - 14:41   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: In the news business, we often say that you're only as good as your last story, but in the case of former "New York Times" reporter Jayson Blair, many of his stories were plagiarized and fabricated.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The "Times" says the 27-year-old Blair pretended to write stories from out of town when he was really at home in New York. The "Times" published a huge apology in its Sunday edition. However, the paper did not answer how Blair got away with it for so long.

Seth Mnookin is a media critic with "Newsweek" magazine. He joins us from New York with his insight on all this.

Seth, good to have you with us. We'll start with that. How could it have lasted as long as it did?

SETH MNOOKIN, "NEWSWEEK" MEDIA CRITIC: Well, there was sort of a perfect storm here where you had a number of events that all combined to allow this kid to get away with this for so long, but I think one of the issues that hasn't been explored enough is why the warning signs -- and there were many warning signs -- weren't heeded in this case. He had a very high correction rate. There were editors who were concerned about not only his sloppiness but his reliability. And repeatedly, he was given promotions, and in many instances, those warnings were not passed on to his new superiors.

PHILLIPS: All right. So, of course, we've got to challenge or ask the question, rather, of why that indeed did happen. And now, more and more, in a number of these articles -- specifically, the "New York Times'" William Safire mentioning the race role, Seth. Apparently, this 27-year-old was given too many second chances by editors eager for this ambitious black journalist to succeed.

Let's address that. Let's talk about affirmative action, let's talk about the kind of pressure that minorities and women are under when they come into a place like the "New York Times." It's a tough environment, isn't it?

MNOOKIN: It absolutely is a tough environment. One of the interesting things here is that Jayson was told, we don't care if you file one metro brief a week, we just want you to get everything right. But there is a lot of talk about the role race played here, and I think the "Times," to its credit, wants to have as diverse a staff as possible.

There is concern, obviously, here. Bill Safire raised it this morning. A lot of people are raising the issue of whether he was given these second chances, and whether he was pushed along because he was an energetic, charismatic, young African-American reporter. That is only going to be speculation until someone comes out and says, Yes, that's why we gave this kid so many chances, but I think it is something that the "Times" didn't fully address in their own four pages of coverage on this, and it's something that's going to need to be addressed.

O'BRIEN: Seth, yes, I think about 7,000 words, and I think there might have been one graph which addressed this particular issue. I wonder if the "Times" is holding a mirror up to itself collectively enough in all of this, or is there a bit of scapegoating going on here?

MNOOKIN: Well, that's certainly a concern. I mean, if you read their 7,000-word story, the responsibility is placed very squarely on the shoulders of Jayson Blair. Certainty, he's the one who was fabricating, he is the one who was plagiarizing, but I think there is some institutional responsibility, and within the "Times," editors, department heads, reporters that I've talked to have said that they think that's an issue that needs to be addressed more. I don't think this is the last we've heard about this from the "Times." I'm sure they're going to address this more in the future, and I think there is a lot of pressure and a lot of hope that they will step up to the plate and take on some of that responsibility, too.

PHILLIPS: I think it is a shame. This, obviously, is a young man that was very savvy, very creative, obviously very bright, and could have been a very ethical reporter.

MNOOKIN: Yes. I mean, one of the amazing things is the amount of energy and the amount of time he put into creating this sort of amazing web of lies. Obviously, could have been used to do good reporting. Another thing that a lot of people don't understand is most people get into journalism because they love to be on the scene of the big breaking stories, and he was given license to be on the scene, and instead chose to stay in New York, to stay in his apartment in Brooklyn, in some cases to stay in the news room at the "Times."

O'BRIEN: It is hard to imagine that. Quickly, because we are really out of time, how much of a black eye does this give the "Times" -- the "black eye" is the term Safire uses -- and journalism in general, the media in general?

MNOOKIN: There are a lot of people who already are disinclined to believe what they read in the press, and they are going to use this as another example. I think the way the "Times" is handling it is a step in the right direction, and a step towards reclaiming the very valuable reputation they have. But this is going to be with them forever. This is going to be a part of the history of the "New York Times" when that history is written.

PHILLIPS: Well, I think, as journalists, Seth Mnookin, a media critic with "Newsweek" it affects all of us, no doubt.

MNOOKIN: It absolutely does, and that's a sorry shame. PHILLIPS: Thanks, Seth.

MNOOKIN: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired May 12, 2003 - 14:41   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: In the news business, we often say that you're only as good as your last story, but in the case of former "New York Times" reporter Jayson Blair, many of his stories were plagiarized and fabricated.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The "Times" says the 27-year-old Blair pretended to write stories from out of town when he was really at home in New York. The "Times" published a huge apology in its Sunday edition. However, the paper did not answer how Blair got away with it for so long.

Seth Mnookin is a media critic with "Newsweek" magazine. He joins us from New York with his insight on all this.

Seth, good to have you with us. We'll start with that. How could it have lasted as long as it did?

SETH MNOOKIN, "NEWSWEEK" MEDIA CRITIC: Well, there was sort of a perfect storm here where you had a number of events that all combined to allow this kid to get away with this for so long, but I think one of the issues that hasn't been explored enough is why the warning signs -- and there were many warning signs -- weren't heeded in this case. He had a very high correction rate. There were editors who were concerned about not only his sloppiness but his reliability. And repeatedly, he was given promotions, and in many instances, those warnings were not passed on to his new superiors.

PHILLIPS: All right. So, of course, we've got to challenge or ask the question, rather, of why that indeed did happen. And now, more and more, in a number of these articles -- specifically, the "New York Times'" William Safire mentioning the race role, Seth. Apparently, this 27-year-old was given too many second chances by editors eager for this ambitious black journalist to succeed.

Let's address that. Let's talk about affirmative action, let's talk about the kind of pressure that minorities and women are under when they come into a place like the "New York Times." It's a tough environment, isn't it?

MNOOKIN: It absolutely is a tough environment. One of the interesting things here is that Jayson was told, we don't care if you file one metro brief a week, we just want you to get everything right. But there is a lot of talk about the role race played here, and I think the "Times," to its credit, wants to have as diverse a staff as possible.

There is concern, obviously, here. Bill Safire raised it this morning. A lot of people are raising the issue of whether he was given these second chances, and whether he was pushed along because he was an energetic, charismatic, young African-American reporter. That is only going to be speculation until someone comes out and says, Yes, that's why we gave this kid so many chances, but I think it is something that the "Times" didn't fully address in their own four pages of coverage on this, and it's something that's going to need to be addressed.

O'BRIEN: Seth, yes, I think about 7,000 words, and I think there might have been one graph which addressed this particular issue. I wonder if the "Times" is holding a mirror up to itself collectively enough in all of this, or is there a bit of scapegoating going on here?

MNOOKIN: Well, that's certainly a concern. I mean, if you read their 7,000-word story, the responsibility is placed very squarely on the shoulders of Jayson Blair. Certainty, he's the one who was fabricating, he is the one who was plagiarizing, but I think there is some institutional responsibility, and within the "Times," editors, department heads, reporters that I've talked to have said that they think that's an issue that needs to be addressed more. I don't think this is the last we've heard about this from the "Times." I'm sure they're going to address this more in the future, and I think there is a lot of pressure and a lot of hope that they will step up to the plate and take on some of that responsibility, too.

PHILLIPS: I think it is a shame. This, obviously, is a young man that was very savvy, very creative, obviously very bright, and could have been a very ethical reporter.

MNOOKIN: Yes. I mean, one of the amazing things is the amount of energy and the amount of time he put into creating this sort of amazing web of lies. Obviously, could have been used to do good reporting. Another thing that a lot of people don't understand is most people get into journalism because they love to be on the scene of the big breaking stories, and he was given license to be on the scene, and instead chose to stay in New York, to stay in his apartment in Brooklyn, in some cases to stay in the news room at the "Times."

O'BRIEN: It is hard to imagine that. Quickly, because we are really out of time, how much of a black eye does this give the "Times" -- the "black eye" is the term Safire uses -- and journalism in general, the media in general?

MNOOKIN: There are a lot of people who already are disinclined to believe what they read in the press, and they are going to use this as another example. I think the way the "Times" is handling it is a step in the right direction, and a step towards reclaiming the very valuable reputation they have. But this is going to be with them forever. This is going to be a part of the history of the "New York Times" when that history is written.

PHILLIPS: Well, I think, as journalists, Seth Mnookin, a media critic with "Newsweek" it affects all of us, no doubt.

MNOOKIN: It absolutely does, and that's a sorry shame. PHILLIPS: Thanks, Seth.

MNOOKIN: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com