A FRAGILE TRUST: PLAGIARISM, POWER, AND JAYSON BLAIR AT THE NEW YORK TIMES

The shocking story of Jayson Blair, the most infamous serial plagiarist of our time. In 2003, Blair was caught plagiarizing in dozens of stories and the daily operations of the Timesnewsroom became a public spectacle as every major news outlet picked up the story. The fact that Blair is African-American was emphasized again and again as accounts of the “Blair Affair” served up details in a soap-opera style tale of deception, drug abuse, racism, mental illness, hierarchy, white guilt, and power struggles inside the hallowed halls of The New York Times. Featuring exclusive interviews, including with Blair himself, A Fragile Trust is the first film to tell the whole sordid story of the scandal while exploring deeper themes of power, ethics, and responsibility in the mainstream media.