ABSTRACT
The cases of Stephen Glass and Patricia Smith are being lumped together—two journalists caught lying repeatedly by their employers, the New Republic and the Boston Globe. But each represents a different problem for American journalism, already struggling with credibility ratings somewhere between those of used car dealers and serial killers. Glass is an example of what can happen because of the Washington buzz factor. The New Republic found that he had fabricated all or part of at least 23 of 41 articles he wrote for the magazine in the past two and a half years. Patricia Smith, 43, who wrote a popular twice-weekly metro column for the Boston Globe, was asked to resign after admitting that she made up parts of four recent columns. A finalist for last year's Pulitzer Prize for commentary, Smith told dramatic and emotional stories of everyday life in the Boston area.
