Academic Quote by David Edelstein
“It's no mystery why many of us in the media can't get enough of the fabricators Jayson Blair and Stephen Glass, the latter of whom concocted more than a score of bogus feature stories for the New Republic (and who wrote for other magazines, including this one, once) in the mid-1990s. Anyone--journalist, student, academic--who has ever stared at a blank screen, their brains grinding emptiness, and thought, How can I fill this hole? knows that in those desperate moments before a deadline, almost anyone can do almost anything: make stuff up, plagiarize, scribble senseless half-truths.”
About This Quote
Source Article: The New Yorker, “The Fabricators”, 1998
Desperate deadlines can push journalists to fabricate or plagiarize content to fill gaps.
In simple terms: Pressure leads to dishonest shortcuts.
Key Takeaway
Resist shortcuts; uphold integrity.
Themes
journalism
ethics
pressure
creativity
Mood
anxious
reflective
Type
advice
cautionary
When to use this quote
- newsroom
- academic writing
- content creation
- deadline crunch
Key Concepts
fabrication
plagiarism
deadline stress
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you handle writer’s block without compromising ethics?
- What systems can prevent fabrication?
A Different Perspective
The temptation to cheat undermines trust and long‑term credibility.
