Editorial: Cashing in on infamy may hit another low

Published 12:00 am Thursday, May 22, 2003

There’s plenty despicable about the case of Jayson Blair, the former New York Times reporter who burned his bosses and mocked the reading public by submitting fake stories,

then laughing about it. But somehow, the story gets more maddening with every new development.

Maybe it shouldn’t be surprising thatBlair is now negotiating deals for a book and movie based on his fraud and deception. Cashing in on publicity, no matter how badly you behaved to get it, is an American tradition. After all, people are willing to buy Charles Manson’s art work or watch Monica Lewinsky host &uot;Mr. Personality&uot; on Fox.

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But it’s truly disgusting that this arrogant ex-reporter, who &uot;couldn’t stop laughing&uot; when he read about how much turmoil his fraud had caused, will likely be living off the scandal for years to come. He betrayed the trust of his editors and his readers, and he finds it hilarious. His reward for this complete lack of ethics could be big bucks.

Any American who cares about the integrity of journalism &045; or basic decency &045; should ignore any book or movie involving this criminal, and consider throwing in a boycott of any publisher or production company involved for good measure. At some point, we need to make a statement that we as a society aren’t going reward putrid behavior with fame and fortune, and there won’t be many better chances to make that statement than the case of Jayson Blair.