The story of Stephen Glass is just another story of someone romanced by ideas of success and fame. I think the most tragic aspect of his downfall (according to the movie) was his habit of lying to cover-up other lies and mistakes. His faulty cover-up technique was ultimately the most damning thing about him. Had Glass simply come forward and admitted, “Yes, I cooked those stories. I’m sorry,” he might have left The New Republic shamed, but with his dignity. As it were, he embarrassed himself, his editor, his friends and the magazine.
However, I am not so quick to blame Glass completely for his mistakes. Yes, he committed one of the biggest crimes one can commit in journalism, but it was ultimately The New Republic’s fault for printing stories they didn’t absolutely know to be true. It seems that the staff trusted his notes and referred only to them for fact-checking. Had anyone called the phone numbers he provided or tried to confirm names and places, surely red flags would have flown into the air.
1 comment:
I agree with your point completely. It's the responsibility of the newspapers to ensure that the information they print is accurate, and to keep their writers from plagiarizing. He should have known better and had more integrity, but in my opinion the blame still rests with the paper.
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