Not about race, says Times
Times insists that Blair incident not about race.
In response to questions about the editorial climate that allowed Jayson Blair to submit factually incorrect articles, New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger assured readers that it had nothing to do with race.
When asked if a desire on the part of Times editors for a higher quantity of superficial reporting might have contributed to Blair’s success, Times spokesperson Catherine Mathis reiterated that “this has nothing to do with race.”
Managing editor Gerald Boyd was asked if perhaps Blair was tolerated because he produced what they wanted, “a quantity of mediocre work that doesn’t push the envelope.” Boyd responded emphatically that “this is not about race.”
There have been concerns that an environment that could produce a Jayson Blair might also encourage other reporters to fudge their work. Times executive editor Howard Raines responded to concerns that Times reporting might be generally low quality by stating “perhaps we gave him one chance too many because of his race.”
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- “There are claims that Mr Raines and Gerald Boyd, the managing editor, were lenient because Mr Blair is an African American.”
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