[Opinion] NYT`s Conscience

When pop group `New Kids on the Block` visited this country about a decade ago and held a concert, teenager fans were shouting and screaming at the sight of their idols. The show began at 7:30 p.m. on the day while most newspapers set their deadlines at 6:00 p.m. Some newspapers came up with stories about the concert and reactions of fans with such titles as `Some 10,000 teenagers danced and screamed night away,` in instances of fabrication. There were time when newspaper rushed to print out U.S. President or North Korean Delegation `Arrives in Seoul,` while the visitors were on their way. The risky practice of fabricating stories was condoned at that time.

The essence of newspaper articles is on-the-scene reports. Comments from people involved and detailed descriptions of the scenes add dynamics. To interview with people and look into the scenes, reporters are rushing into the spots. At times, it is not easy to find witnesses or victims even when they are at the scene. Then, they feel tempted to fabricate stories. The world`s renowned newspaper, The New York Times is now having a low point of its 152-year history as one of its former employees, 27-year-old Jayson Blair, was found having committed acts of journalistic fraud including copying other articles.

Willam Safire, one of the most conservative columnists working with NYT, which takes a liberal stance, wrote a column titled `Huge Black Eye.` He wrote, `The New York Times has been the world`s most rigorously read newspaper that respects fairness and objectivity. It has won more Pulitzer awards than any other paper. But this fraudulent guy deceived the paper and its readers.` He went on to write, `I never kept silent when dovish writers and left-wing editorialists countered my columns about defense and economics. And NYT gave fair chances to conservative editorialists like me. When articles were lopsided to the left, conservatives played a role of striking balance. This is why NYT people felt so outraged about this act of fraud and plagiarism.

A newspaper can make a mistake since it always runs out of time. But it is not easy to admit the mistake and make a public apology to readers. NYT issues in its online edition a detailed story of how Jayson Blair fabricated reports instead of working on the scenes. `Self-examination is healthy but self-absorption is not; self-correction is a winner but self-flagellation is a sure loser,` The Times emphasized. Korean newspapers also must learn a lesson from NYT`s huge black eye.

Hwang Ho-taek, Editorial Writer, hthwang@donga.com