Buzz Bissinger of Vanity Fair magazine wrote, “At 25, Stephen Glass was the most sought-after young reporter in the nation’s capital.” A young, eager reporter, Glass was ready to make his mark on the world; a true story-teller. However, I don’t believe the mark he made was what he was aiming for.
Glass was born into the time when the Internet was was on the rise. It was a time when information flowed more freely and information was also more accessible. He was apart of “generation Y”. I think the impact that time made on Glass was far greater than he thought. The need for immediate information and satisfaction may have driven Glass to fabricate these stories. He mentions that if he’s not a doctor or lawyer, his parent’s will be disappointed. Though he is the one responsible for fabrication and lying, I think the pressure to be the best may have added to his need to write the biggest and best (yet false) stories. It is important that the directors decided to add the mean age of reporters into the movie because it shows how young and inexperienced these journalists are. It gives the audience an idea of how vulnerable they are to the real world and the pressure they are under to climb their way out of the bottom of the food chain. This is by no means an excuse, but maybe some explanation on why they act the way they do.
Glass visits an imaginary classroom inside his head, and it correlates to how he feels about himself at the time. For example, at the beginning, Glass feels on top of the world. He speaks to all the students in a positive and upbeat way and he is writing great articles that everyone loves. As his lies begin to unravel, the class becomes less and less. I think the director incorporated a creative way to support Glass’ failing career at The New Republic. The flashes into the scenes of the fake stories, as well as the classroom, allows the audience to picture in their minds the lies building, and ultimately breaking Glass. I don’t think the scene is dishonest in itself. It is an artistic way of showing Glass as a liar and a cheat. Because the perspective is also Glass’ we see the lies play out and become too much to handle, which the audience can only get from his perspective.
Loyalty plays a big role in this movie. First, Glass’ first editor shows immense loyalty when losing his job when he stands up for his employees. Glass’ friends are also loyal to him whenever he needs something from them, though it is clear he is taking advantage of them. But most of all, I think the characters in the story (besides Glass) are loyal to the truth, and what it truly means to be a journalist.
In the end, Glass hurt more people than he could imagine. Not only did he hurt himself, but he hurt the people he worked with, the newspaper’s credibility, the people who were involved with the stories he fabricated, and journalism as a whole. Trust, when lost, is not easy to get back. Glass lost everything he had been working for, all for lying.
Like Jaysen Blair, Glass picked around what he wanted to include in his stories. He “concocted stories” about serious issues such as the War in Iraq, as the NY Times explains. This goes against everything the SPJ stands for.
Source:
http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/1998/09/bissinger199809