1. Plagiarism:
Jayson Blair
Joseph Vera, Izabel Lopez, Nicole Bendana,
Lisa Farmer
2. Who is Jayson Blair?
Jayson Blair was a New York Times writer who is
notorious for his fabrication of fake stories and
plagiarism of quotes from other newspapers.
3. Why did Blair
fabricate stories?
Blair created the false
stories to get more
readers. Blair often
wrote about distraught
American citizens
dealing with the distress
of a lost or dead friend
or relative. These
emotional stories would
capture the emotions of
his readers
4. Why did Blair plagiarize?
Blair plagiarized to
contribute to his false
articles. Blair claimed
to have interviews
while he really stole
quotes from interviews
in less popular
newspapers.
5. How did Blair get away with it?
Blair used a location blurring cell phone and
laptop to conceal his real location. Blair would
claim that he made interviews in other places
such as Washington, West Virginia and
Cleveland, while he was really in New York.
6. Was Blair ever caught?
Public officials and
colleagues grew
suspicious of Blair in
October of 2002. In an
investigation the next
month, it was found
that he was making up
quotes and scenes.
Blair was given a letter
of reprimand in April of
2003.
7. Aftermath
After Blair's fake stories were uncovered, Blair
has gained much notoriety. The New York
Times even wrote an over 7000 word, front
page article calling referring to the event as "a
profound betrayal of trust and a low point in the
152-year history of the newspaper." Since
resigning from the New York Times, Blair has
become a life coach.
8. Citation
The New York Times. “CORRECTING THE RECORD.” The New York Times.
Dan Barry, David Barstow, Jonathan D. Glater, Adam Liptak and Jacques
Steinberg, 2003. Web. 29 August 2012. <http://www.nytimes.
com/2003/05/11/us/correcting-the-record-timeeporter-who-resigned-
leaves-long-trail-of-deception.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm>
CBS News. "No Lie, Jayson Blair's New Job: Life Coach." CBS News.
CBS News, 2009. Web. 30 August 2012. <http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-
201_162-5254438.html>
New York Magazine. "Troubled Times." New York Magazine.
Michael Wolff, 2003. Web. 30 August 2012. <http://nymag.
com/nymetro/news/media/features/n_8723/>
