Glass, Stephen

In 1998, while working as journalist for The New Republic (TNR) and freelancing for other publications that included George, Harper's, Vanity Fair, the New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, and Rolling Stone, 25-year-old Stephen Glass was found to be guilty of constructing a web of lies that had propelled him to the top of his field. Glass has since said that his deception began with making up a quotation to add a spark to an existing story, spread to coloring his articles with made-up details, and eventually grew to encompass stories made up entirely of whole cloth.

Glass knew how to get past fact-checkers at various publications because he had begun his career at TNR in that department. His deception was so complete that he invented official-sounding organizations and prepared fake notes of meetings that never took place. To bolster his stories, he provided phony letterheads, newsletters, business cards, and phone numbers, and even made up a fake Web site on his office computer. The discovery of Glass's fabrications sent TNR and all of the other publications for which Glass worked scurrying to check his “facts.” TNR subsequently discovered that Glass had fabricated all or parts of 27 of the 41 stories written for the magazine, which had a nine-decade-long history of coming down hard on others for any missteps.

Years after the scandal involving Stephen Glass came to light, his name continues to be synonymous with lying in journalism. While his supporters believe he has accepted blame for his actions and reformed his character, his detractors continue to cast doubts on his reformation. Some observers believe that not all the fault for his deception lies with Glass himself. They point out that his deception was a response to the New Journalism in which writers are rewarded more for presenting a colorful story than for presenting actual facts. Psychologist Robert Reich has identified Glass as a “primary liar,” one who lies to recreate a new sense of identity in order to make himself or herself look better in their own eyes. Journalist Chris Jozefowicz insists that Glass's editors and readers must also accept a share of the blame because of their thirst for sensational stories that go beyond a simple reporting of facts.