Jayson Blair facts for kids

Jayson Thomas Blair (born March 23, 1976) is a former American journalist. He used to work for The New York Times, a very famous newspaper. In May 2003, he left the newspaper after it was discovered that he had made up parts of his stories and copied information from others without giving them credit.

In 2004, Jayson Blair wrote a book called Burning Down My Masters' House. In this book, he talked about his time as a journalist and shared that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after leaving the New York Times. He also shared his thoughts on how people of different backgrounds were treated at the newspaper. After this, he started a support group for people with bipolar disorder and began a new career helping others as a life coach.

Early Life and Education

Jayson Blair was born in Columbia, Maryland. His father worked for the government, and his mother was a schoolteacher. When he was a student at the University of Maryland, College Park, he was a journalist for the school newspaper. For the 1996–1997 school year, he became the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Diamondback. Some students felt he was very competitive in his work.

In 1998, Jayson Blair had a summer internship at The New York Times. He was offered a longer internship, but he decided to finish his college classes first. He returned to the Times in June 1999. He was later promoted to a full reporter and then to an editor.

What Happened Next

After Jayson Blair's actions were discovered, there was a big investigation at The New York Times. This event caused a lot of discussion among the staff. The newspaper's executive editor, Howell Raines, and managing editor, Gerald Boyd, both resigned because they lost support from the newsroom staff after the scandal.

After leaving the Times, Jayson Blair faced health challenges and received treatment. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder for the first time. He has since talked about how he struggled with this condition.

Later Career and Activities

After leaving the Times, Jayson Blair went back to college to finish his degree.

In 2004, he wrote his book, Burning Down My Masters' House. This book sold more copies after he was interviewed by famous TV hosts like Larry King and Bill O'Reilly. In his book, he talked about his struggles with bipolar disorder, which was diagnosed after he left the newspaper. He also shared his thoughts on how journalism worked at the Times and discussions among the senior editors.

Since the events at the Times, Jayson Blair has spoken to journalism classes and groups. He talks about the small steps that led him to make up and copy stories. He has also said that he regrets writing his book so soon after the events and suggests that people not read it.

In 2006, Jayson Blair started a support group for people with bipolar disorder, and he continues to receive treatment for it. In 2007, he became a life coach, helping people in Virginia. He opened his own coaching center three years later.

In 2023, Jayson Blair returned to journalism by starting a podcast called the Silver Linings Handbook. This podcast features interviews with many different people, including journalists, business people, and legal professionals. He also supports more ethical reporting in the true crime genre. In 2024, he started a Substack (an online newsletter platform) called The True Crime Times, where he works as a writer and editor with lawyers Brett Talley and Alice LaCour.

See also

• Judith Miller
• Brian Williams
• Sabrina Erdely
• Wendy Bergen
• Jack Kelley
• Janet Cooke
• Johann Hari
• Journalism scandals
• Kevin Deutsch
• Stephen Glass
• Ruth Shalit
• Claas Relotius
• Fake news