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In May, New York Times reporter Jayson Blair's dirty laundry was aired out for the nation to see.
Blair had knowingly admitted to plagiarizing and concocting stories that were printed in the paper, forcing the New York Times to print more than four pages of Blair's indiscretions, and journalistic integrity saw one of its darkest days.
Six months later, the memory of Jayson Blair has still left an impression on the minds of the Carbondale community, as several members reflected on Blair and what improvements the media could make.
Sylvia Mark of Carbondale said she reads the news frequently and compares the different interpretations. When Mark read about Blair, she said she was a little distraught in Blair's employers.
"I was a little disappointed in the New York Times for not supervising correctly, even though they had been receiving complaints all along," she said.
Ellen Longbucco, a senior in anthropology, has long distrusted the news media. She said she was not surprised to hear about Blair's fabrications.
"It supported my angst," Longbucco said. "The New York Times was a revered source of media. I think the national news is basically biased and filtered."
SIUC student Chuck Quimby said his distrust in the media stems from not knowing the perspective from which the news is coming.
"You have to remember it is someone else reporting," said Quimby, a junior in radio-television from the Chicago area. "You never know who's lying or who's telling the truth, like in the Blair incident. I want to know about what is affecting me. Too much time is wasted on gossip."
Community members also pointed out areas the local and national media could improve on. Carbondale resident Sean Cassidy said he inspects the news carefully before he believes anything in the media. He said he had already been cautious of the media before Blair's lies were broadcast.
"I take everything with a grain of salt," he said. "Everything is just another news story."
Cassidy's major complaint with the Southern Illinois broadcast media is the lack of interesting news coverage.
"The local media doesn't have anything to talk about here," he said. "The top story on the news is that the corn grew a half-inch today. They will talk about how President Bush was in Paducah today and then cut to a clip of a cow eating mulch. The anchors will just laugh about it."
Mark said the problem with the overall media is the constant urge to conquest news.
"They're fickle," she said. "Everything is the story of the day. There is no depth. One day it's a wreck; the next it's who was killed."
Not everyone has a pessimistic view of journalism. Though Terri Hadsock of Murphysboro does not know much about the Blair scandal, she said she believes everything she reads or sees in the media.
"They could get sued otherwise," she said.
Hadsock said she believes reporters are a reliable source of information for the public.
"I think they are doing a good job in getting out the stories right," she said.
Though Longbucco has proceeded with caution when it came to news sources, she said the news has its objectives in the right place.
"In general, I think the media has good intentions," she said. "It does contribute to society, and it does allow us to look at other sides of a story."
