In a way Jayson Blair and Jack Kelley are the "lone gunmen" of their particular fields. They are accused, rightly for all I can tell, of fabricating stories and falsely documenting events to which they were not witness.
But the key thing is they were acting out of self-interest, alone and independent of their corporate bosses.
They were breaking the rules, but like embezzlers, succumbing to temptation, to greed.
Nothing in their narratives gets close to the real crime.
The dictated stories and, even more insidious, the anticipated slanting of what purports to be unbiased journalism - knowing what the boss wants, before he asks. So he doesn't have to.
That's still taboo.
It reminds me somehow of the way smoking has been excised from the civic spectacle, using pretty much the same manipulative techniques that caused it to become a universal adult behavior for four generations - role model examples and subliminal propaganda, coupled with theatrically sincere, heartfelt testimonials.
The technique itself is what's wrong, and it's still absolutely untouchable.
But the key thing is they were acting out of self-interest, alone and independent of their corporate bosses.
They were breaking the rules, but like embezzlers, succumbing to temptation, to greed.
Nothing in their narratives gets close to the real crime.
The dictated stories and, even more insidious, the anticipated slanting of what purports to be unbiased journalism - knowing what the boss wants, before he asks. So he doesn't have to.
That's still taboo.
It reminds me somehow of the way smoking has been excised from the civic spectacle, using pretty much the same manipulative techniques that caused it to become a universal adult behavior for four generations - role model examples and subliminal propaganda, coupled with theatrically sincere, heartfelt testimonials.
The technique itself is what's wrong, and it's still absolutely untouchable.
