EIGHT QUESTIONS WITH
JAYSON BLAIR

We at Counterbias have not yet read your book. Lets just say, the reviews weren't so good. Now you tell us: Are the reviewers wrong? Why should we read Burning Down My Master's House: My Life at the New York Times?

The book has received fair reviews in a number of publications, including The Weekly Standard, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, The Amsterdam News, Chris Matthews' comments on MSNBC, and Publishers' Weekly, among many others. The purpose of the book was to assist people, helping them understand the situation and the state of the media and learn lessons. Initially, I wondered whether either objective would be achieved. Later it became clearer that many of the most critical comments came from those who had simply not read the book. With the passage of time, the tone has begun to change from emotional reaction to constructive and thoughtful reflection.

In a CNN Larry King interview, you said that "Some people it seems to me would like for me to crawl in a hole and disappear forever. That's just not in my nature." So what will you do instead--Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?

I am not as foolhardy to presume that I could control nor I am I presumptuous enough to guess where I will be in five to ten years.

Do you see the NY Times as having improved itself since the incident you were a part of?

In some ways its better and in some ways its worse - none of which is too surprising or shocking.

You've recently said that elitism is the biggest problem in the media, and this elitism often "comes off as a liberal bias". How do you connect "elitism" and "liberal bias", when the 'elite' are thought of as the rich, most of whom hold conservative views?

Elitism and liberalism are not mutually exclusive, and in the media and Hollywood - as well as the Upper West Side and the People's Republics of Berkley, Ann Arbor and Seattle  - they are alive and well, working together hand-and-hand. Have you ever been to New England? Met a Kennedy? What planet have you been on? It seems you have bought into the ridiculous notion that diehard liberals continue to peddle - that conservatives are the political affiliation of the rich while they are the political affiliation of the "little guy." Leaving aside the inherent condescension in referring to anyone as the little guy, the facts actually point to the notion that wealthy people trend liberal and the vast majority of poor people trend conservative (although conservative African Americans - who make up the vast majority of blacks in the country - still vote Democratic regardless of wealth).

Have you seen Shattered Glass, the movie about Stephen Glass, the former New Republic writer who made up stories and sources? Would you like to see your own story on the big screen?

I have not seen Shattered Glass and I have no objection nor affinity toward my story being turned into film.

Will you ever regain the public's respect?

Is this a question you really believe can be answered?

Apparently not. Do you have any advice for would-be journalists, that doesn't involve cheating, lying, or drugs?

Yeah. Buy the book and you'll find out - at least some of it..

You're not a journalist anymore, so the sense of objectivity has been thrown out the window. With that in mind, who do you see winning the upcoming Presidential election?

George W. Bush. Americans are too concerned about security to change horses mid-stream, Kerry has not really campaigned effectively against President Bush and the president has a lot to lose - particularly family pride given his father's defeat to Bill Clinton - which makes me believe that he will go to extraordinary efforts to gain a second term.

--Counterbias.com.
Published June 10 2004