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American Morning
Interview With Andrew Kirtzman
Aired June 06, 2003 - 09:08 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The man at the center of the scandal that brought down two top editors of the "New York Times" now speaking out, his first television interview since this story broke. After executive editor Howell Raines and managing editor Gerald Boyd resigned yesterday, Jayson Blair talked about what happened with WCBS reporter Andrew Kirtzman here in New York City.
A sample of that interview now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAYSON BLAIR: It's very complicated and it has to do with my own human demons, my own weaknesses. And it ranges from, you know, my struggles with substance abuse to my own struggles with mental illness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Andrew Kirtzman the reporter with that interview from WCBS is with us here now live on AMERICAN MORNING.
Thanks for stopping by today.
ANDREW KIRTZMAN, REPORTER, WCBS-TV: Sure.
HEMMER: Why did he agree to talk?
KIRTZMAN: Well, it came after a very long pursuit. I had been trying to get Jayson Blair on the air for well over a week and he and I had played a kind of a cat and mouse game. I had gone through computer database searches, knocked on a lot of doors, interviewed bartenders, the bars he frequented. And he's sort of sending me e- mails back kind of giving me teasing hints about where he was. I got one saying I'm staying with some friends in Connecticut. And it was kind of a catch me if you can situation. And finally it worked out yesterday.
HEMMER: Andrew, in the past couple of weeks, he sent out a few e-mails responding to certain news organizations. At the time he appeared to be somewhat arrogant. A lot of people looked from the outside and said this man is full of a lot of hubris right now. He appeared somewhat more apologetic with your interview yesterday. Let's listen to part of that clip and talk about it in a moment here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAIR: I'm truly sorry for my actions and what they've done. I felt like, you know, I was in a cycle of self-destruction that I never intended and I never intended for it to hurt anyone else. And for the pain that it's caused my colleagues, you know, great and wonderful journalists at the "Times," I'm sorry. The same for my family and friends and anybody else who's been affected by it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Why did he explain his change in tone?
WEINTRAUB: Well, what I would explain it as is a little remorse at having boasted about what he had done at the "New York Times" in an interview with the "New York Observer" a few weeks ago. And he's now being advised. He has a lot of professionals telling him how to look more sympathetic to the public. And he's got a book to sell. He's got movie rights he wants to sell. And he has embraced that kind of American tradition of victim hood. Now it's a matter of drug addiction. He even said mental illness, which is pushing that tradition a little further.
He wants to appear sympathetic and so now he's apologizing. He says I'm sorry for it all.
HEMMER: So then two of the top editors are out at the "Times." And you talked about that, as well. A quick cut from that question now from Jayson Blair.
WEINTRAUB: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAIR: People have a lot of different agendas in this situation and I feel that some people have used my mistakes, my deception as political tools to attack other people. And that makes me sad, as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: You mention about the chemical addiction and you talked about the two top editors at the "Times" who had such a close relationship with him. Is he getting help right now?
WEINTRAUB: He's been in and out of rehab over the last few weeks. So, yes, I guess he's getting help right now. And I don't want to come across as too cynical. I mean he's obviously struggling very hard to come to grips with what he's done and he obviously feels very badly about what he's done.
HEMMER: When you look at the book offer that you mentioned, how much of this is him looking for credit right now and even more attention?
WEINTRAUB: You know, I can't understand another person's motivations completely. But I think it's a mix of waiting not to go away in the eyes of the public, waiting the public to see him more sympathetically so he can sell that book idea and can sell the movie rights. But also he's just like anyone else, he wants to look like a hero, not a villain. And right now Jayson Blair is looked upon as one of the great villains in America.
HEMMER: And it's been a huge bombshell.
Andrew Kirtzman, good work, WCBS and the interview with Jayson Blair.
WEINTRAUB: 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 June 6, 2003 - 09:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The man at the center of the scandal that brought down two top editors of the "New York Times" now speaking out, his first television interview since this story broke. After executive editor Howell Raines and managing editor Gerald Boyd resigned yesterday, Jayson Blair talked about what happened with WCBS reporter Andrew Kirtzman here in New York City.
A sample of that interview now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAYSON BLAIR: It's very complicated and it has to do with my own human demons, my own weaknesses. And it ranges from, you know, my struggles with substance abuse to my own struggles with mental illness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Andrew Kirtzman the reporter with that interview from WCBS is with us here now live on AMERICAN MORNING.
Thanks for stopping by today.
ANDREW KIRTZMAN, REPORTER, WCBS-TV: Sure.
HEMMER: Why did he agree to talk?
KIRTZMAN: Well, it came after a very long pursuit. I had been trying to get Jayson Blair on the air for well over a week and he and I had played a kind of a cat and mouse game. I had gone through computer database searches, knocked on a lot of doors, interviewed bartenders, the bars he frequented. And he's sort of sending me e- mails back kind of giving me teasing hints about where he was. I got one saying I'm staying with some friends in Connecticut. And it was kind of a catch me if you can situation. And finally it worked out yesterday.
HEMMER: Andrew, in the past couple of weeks, he sent out a few e-mails responding to certain news organizations. At the time he appeared to be somewhat arrogant. A lot of people looked from the outside and said this man is full of a lot of hubris right now. He appeared somewhat more apologetic with your interview yesterday. Let's listen to part of that clip and talk about it in a moment here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAIR: I'm truly sorry for my actions and what they've done. I felt like, you know, I was in a cycle of self-destruction that I never intended and I never intended for it to hurt anyone else. And for the pain that it's caused my colleagues, you know, great and wonderful journalists at the "Times," I'm sorry. The same for my family and friends and anybody else who's been affected by it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Why did he explain his change in tone?
WEINTRAUB: Well, what I would explain it as is a little remorse at having boasted about what he had done at the "New York Times" in an interview with the "New York Observer" a few weeks ago. And he's now being advised. He has a lot of professionals telling him how to look more sympathetic to the public. And he's got a book to sell. He's got movie rights he wants to sell. And he has embraced that kind of American tradition of victim hood. Now it's a matter of drug addiction. He even said mental illness, which is pushing that tradition a little further.
He wants to appear sympathetic and so now he's apologizing. He says I'm sorry for it all.
HEMMER: So then two of the top editors are out at the "Times." And you talked about that, as well. A quick cut from that question now from Jayson Blair.
WEINTRAUB: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAIR: People have a lot of different agendas in this situation and I feel that some people have used my mistakes, my deception as political tools to attack other people. And that makes me sad, as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: You mention about the chemical addiction and you talked about the two top editors at the "Times" who had such a close relationship with him. Is he getting help right now?
WEINTRAUB: He's been in and out of rehab over the last few weeks. So, yes, I guess he's getting help right now. And I don't want to come across as too cynical. I mean he's obviously struggling very hard to come to grips with what he's done and he obviously feels very badly about what he's done.
HEMMER: When you look at the book offer that you mentioned, how much of this is him looking for credit right now and even more attention?
WEINTRAUB: You know, I can't understand another person's motivations completely. But I think it's a mix of waiting not to go away in the eyes of the public, waiting the public to see him more sympathetically so he can sell that book idea and can sell the movie rights. But also he's just like anyone else, he wants to look like a hero, not a villain. And right now Jayson Blair is looked upon as one of the great villains in America.
HEMMER: And it's been a huge bombshell.
Andrew Kirtzman, good work, WCBS and the interview with Jayson Blair.
WEINTRAUB: 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
