Blair case should not discourage
journalists of color, editors say
Special for chipsquinn.org
Posted: May 23, 2003
Longtime editors John Quinn and John Seigenthaler
told Summer 2003 Chips Quinn Scholars that a commitment to diversity was not
the cause of the Jayson Blair case and that they should not let the fallout
from that incident haunt them.
In response to news that Blair, a New York Times reporter, fabricated
stories and lied to his editors and readers, Seigenthaler said, “It’s the culture
of the newsroom, not the color of the journalist, that is responsible for …
the case of Jayson Blair.”
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A message from John Quinn
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Scholars and friends everywhere: |
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No, Jayson Blair is not one of us.
Yes, commentators of all stripes are working
overtime to cast this misfortune in a way that
suits their views -- or maybe their prejudices.
No, the plagiarism and deceit are not matters
of race, but a lapse in newsroom culture and leadership.
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Seigenthaler, an advisory trustee for the Freedom Forum and chairman emeritus
of The Tennessean in Nashville, said, “My view is that if the culture
of the newsroom seeks not to treat stars -- either young or old -- and the handling
of their copy differently than they treat interns and new reporters, that problem
can solve itself. It’s an editorial problem, in my judgment, a newsroom-culture
problem, not a racial problem.”
Quinn, a Freedom Forum advisory trustee and former editor of USA
TODAY, noted the important role of an editor as gatekeeper. “The metropolitan
editor did his job (in warning about errors in Blair’s copy). But the higher-ups
were too lofty … to pay attention to a metro editor.”
Quinn noted that Blair is “an aberration among many people who’ve made mistakes
in their careers.”
“So when you go into your newsroom, don’t go in carrying Jayson Blair on your
back. He is not one of us. He is not one of you.” Quinn encouraged Scholars
to go to their internship newsrooms “and don’t let anyone intimidate you” about
the true value of diversity.
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