Why Stephey Glass did what he did and what ethical flags does it raise.

Stephen Glass, a former writer for The New Republic whose over the top stories had gained him notoriety as a journalist, was discovered to be one of the biggest liar’s in journalism. Many wonder why he did the things that he did and it may be hard to come up with the answer without getting it from him. It is possible that he fabricated his works to make them appear more interesting to readers and gain notoriety for him. As seen in the Movie, Shattered Glass, the magazine focused on factual and mainly political or industrial pieces. It was in no way considered an entertaining magazine. Stephen, who appeared to relish in the limelight and affections of his peers appeared to be encouraged by the lure of wealth. While attempting to downplay to his co-workers what he was doing, he wrote articles for other magazines and embellished stories as well. First thought would be that he did it for the money, but a more analytical approach would be that he did it for the fame, the chances, and for people to see him as a great journalist that goes above and beyond to get the story.

     Despite the reasons that he had for committing the acts that he did, there are obvious ethical flags that are raised as well. Magazines such as the ones that he wrote articles for are considered highly esteemed and truthful in their reporting. It can be perceived that it speaks volumes on the way that they run their companies to have such occurances. One might ask how did Stephen Glass pull off so many falsified articles without drawing alert to himself. It might also draw conclusions that these actions were going on with more than one journalist. It breaks the trust of the readers and alienates the magazine from more reputable ones who have a tighter grip on their journalists actions.