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Do you plan to buy Jayson Blair's book?
I would never buy such a book, for the same reason I would not buy a book by prisoners who profit from their crimes. I find the title of the book (probably chosen by the publisher), especially offensive because it is directed at people who gave him many chances he obviously did not deserve.
Orayb Najjar, professor, NIU
I will purchase a copy of Jayson Blair’s book if for the simple reason as to get some sort of insight into why he did what he did. I believe there are lessons to be learned in the pages of his book for all journalists. Fabrication is a deadly disease for reporters that just continues to spread. Learning why one individual used such a tool may help other to avoid such urges in the future.
Andy Tavegia, Elburn Herald
No. And I can’t imagine that anyone who considers himself or herself an ethical journalist would buy the book and (1) contribute to its profitability and (2) keep the whole sorry episode that much more alive.
Gale Baldwin, Rockford Register Star
Although I enjoy good pulp fiction every now and then, I don’t plan on buying Jayson Blair’s book. I expect Blair’s book will neglect the real victims in all this the many readers who were expecting truthful, accurate and credible stories from Blair and the New York Times. Blair’s avarice did a lot of damage to the fragile trust that newspapers share with readers. Therefore I feel no need to be a part of his newfound success.
Rich Klicki, Daily Herald
“Of course not. But I’ll tell everyone I read it, then write a review.”
Rick Nagel, The Beacon News, Aurora
If someone publishes it under a different author’s name, I’d buy THAT...
Joe Corrado, The Naperville Sun
No, I don’t. The guy further stained a profession that already has trouble convincing people that we should be trusted and taken seriously. I don’t want to reward him by lining his pockets in the process.
Pete Nenni, Daily Herald
No. Details of petty scandal don’t interest me much. And I don’t think Jayson Blair has anything to teach us about good journalism. Even if he did, could you believe anything he wrote?
Larry Lough, Northwest Herald
No, I’m not going to help him reap rewards for a ‘crime’ that tarnished the reputation of journalists in general. Plus I’m not big on fiction.
Roger Ruthhart, Rock Island Argus
Not only would I not buy Jason Blair’s book, I wouldn’t even pick it up in a book store. The fact that this guy got a book deal for a nonfiction book is ridiculous. Since he didn’t have to go to an event to cover it, or even be in the same town, I will pretend to have read it.
Josh Albrecht, The Midweek, DeKalb
“The initial, gut reaction to Jayson Blair is anger and a feeling of betrayal. For those reasons, I don’t want him to benefit or profit from his lying. But, editors beware. He is going to tell the public about the inner workings of newsrooms and how editors think. True or not, the public will believe. And maybe we should, too. Editors had better read the book because their readers will be reading the book. (These types of books tend to make the best-seller list.) I am also seeing headlines in trade journals that show other newspapers having similar problems with reporters. As an old-timer in the biz, this has been hard for me to accept. I actually am starting to ask myself if I need to have a special staff meeting to remind reporters that it is not proper to make up quotes, sources or anything put in a nonfiction wrapper. I have a favorite quote, from Merlin in the movie “Excalibur.” He said: “When a man lies, he murders some part of the world.”
Lonny Cain, The Daily Times, Ottawa