The Laughing Wolf

A Cornerstone Shatters

In a previous post, I wrote about how a free and independent press is one of the essential cornerstones of the American system of governance. I wrote early on that this and other philosophical pieces were not being done just to pontificate, but because they were integral to understanding and discussing topics of the day. Little did I know how soon this was to be needed for a major story.

The coverage to date of Jayson Blair is missing the point. The story is not his lies, nor even how the management structure at the Times (mis)handled the situation. The real story is the damage done to our system of government.

America is very unusual in that it was established with the belief that the average citizen can and should make decisions for themselves. They did not need a king or nobility acting in loco parentis for them. The key to this, however, was getting accurate information out to the public so they could make those decisions. This was to be done by various means, including a “press” independent of government. While this was not the concept of modern journalism as it is practiced today, it was the genesis of that concept.

The New York Times has long considered itself, and been regarded by many in The Media, as the newspaper of record for the United States. I admit that in my career, before I saw the light, that I aspired to have a byline there. It was the pinnacle of print journalism, and it stood for the highest standards in all areas.

The information it provided was to be beyond reproach, checked and confirmed, by a staff that knew they were the best of the best. Most members of the public have taken what it says unquestioningly because it was supposed to be this paragon of virtue.

The fact is, however, that it has been incredibly biased in its coverage. That is bad enough, but was an issue that was getting public scrutiny such that interested and responsible citizens could get the information they needed to make up their own minds on the matter.

Now has come Jayson Blair. To steal from Day By Day, the newspaper of record now has a record. The citizens who have depended on the information in it to make informed decisions and provide informed consent to the actions of government have been betrayed.

That betrayal extends beyond Mr. Blair. Mr. Blair did indeed make the decision to break every rule and canon of journalism and needs to be held accountable for his actions on professional, civil, and criminal levels.

Yet, he did not act alone. The management of the Times was well aware that there were problems with his work. One manager wrote a very strong memo that was, apparently, ignored by higher management. It is clear from the Times’ own coverage that individuals within the management chain were aware of the problems and failed to act. That failure to act was not merely a breach of journalistic ethics and responsibilities, but was an utter and abject abrogation of the responsibilities to the other employees and to the governance of the United States.

The colour of Mr. Blair’s skin has no bearing on his responsibilities as a reporter or the decisions he made. He needs to be judged on the basis of his actions and decisions, nothing else.

The same can not be said about the management of the Times, both publishing and editorial. If any individual there failed to do their duty in part or in whole because the subject was non-white, then they are as guilty of bigotry and racism as any supremacists of any stripe that they have reviled in their pages.

Journalism is not a profession that needs to provide different standards based on gender, race, or religion. There is no physical fitness requirement that needs gradation to accommodate such difference. The same standards apply to all, and discrimination of any stripe is reprehensible, condescending, and demeaning to all concerned.

Jayson Blair needs to be held fully and completely accountable for his actions, and the damage he has done. Vilifying Mr. Blair, however, is not the answer, and must not become the story that is spun out of this.

Mr. Blair did not act in a vacuum. It is evident from this instance that there are significant and serious problems with the management of the Times. Even if none of the other rumors and allegations of falsehoods with other stories and reporters are true, the management of the Times has failed of their responsibility.

A housecleaning is clearly needed at the Times. It needs to be undertaken vigorously and immediately, or else so-called newspaper of record will diminish not itself, but a critical cornerstone of our freedom.

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