Stephen Glass is now a 39-year-old law clerk at a firm in Beverly Hills, California. But more than decade ago, he was a young reporter on the rise. Glass’s career in journalism came to an abrupt halt after it was discovered that over 40 of his articles – written for The New Republic, Harpers, Rolling Stone and other well-regarded magazines – were largely fabricated. Glass made up quotes, invented sources, and backed up his work with elaborate fake notes, fake websites, phony email addresses, phone numbers, and voicemail messages. After the scandal broke, Glass went into therapy, wrote a novel about his experiences called “The Fabulist,” and earned a law degree from Georgetown. Now he’s waiting for the California Supreme Court to rule whether the California should admit him to the bar.
Joe Nocera, op-ed columnist for The New York Times, thinks that this journalist who built a career on lying should in fact be admitted to the bar, and joins the program to explain why.
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