The Bottom Line: You may not like the truth, but we are going to continue to deliver an unvarnished version

By the Editorial Staff of Today in Fort Smith

It’s been over two decades since the journalism world was rocked by one of the most shocking scandals in modern media history -- the rise and fall of Jayson Blair, a former reporter for The New York Times whose fabrications and plagiarism brought the nation’s most esteemed newsroom to its knees.

Yet, the echoes of his misconduct are still heard -- not just in journalism schools and newsroom ethics trainings, but here in our very own office at Today in Fort Smith.

Blair, once seen as a promising young writer, was exposed in 2003 for concocting quotes, inventing sources, and even copying work from other publications. His deceit wasn’t just sloppy journalism -- it was a betrayal of public trust on a national scale.

Blair’s actions triggered a soul-searching reckoning within American media, ultimately leading to resignations, internal investigations, and a renewed emphasis on ethics, transparency, and accountability.

For us at Today in Fort Smith, Blair’s scandal is more than a historical footnote. It’s a reminder of the fragility of public trust and the responsibility we have to preserve it.

Journalism is a public service — and that means we owe our readers the truth, no matter how inconvenient, how unglamorous, or how difficult it is to uncover.

Unlike Blair, our reporters work diligently to verify facts, earn sources’ trust, and never publish a story without first asking, “Is this accurate? Is this fair? Is this ours to tell?” Blair didn’t just cut corners; he lit the whole house on fire -- and he’s the reason we triple-check that our own matches are kept far from gasoline.

As we try to mine the nuggets of news that are important to Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma, we have collected our share of critics--some who feel warranted in criticizing the message and killing the messenger in the same stroke.

We get it. We understand. The truth--whether it is couched in an intense investigative story or slaps you in the face because your baby daddy got arrested and we ran his mugshot--is still the truth. Along the way, there are promises made --and kept--to sources, grieving parents, and even law enforcement agencies.

We provide security and anonymity to our sources, compassion and cooperation to families and patience to law enforcement agencies as to not step on or in their investigations.

Yet our detractors--many of whom tell lies, commit slander and deflect their faults onto our canvas--wish we would just disappear,

Blair hasn’t disappeared. He’s now testing the waters of the podcasting world, as if a microphone absolves him of the damage he inflicted on a profession built on truth. The same man who faked interviews and deceived a nation is now out there spinning tales into a mic. Jayson, if you’re listening: put down the mic.

At Today in Fort Smith, we believe journalism should challenge the powerful, comfort the afflicted, and speak the truth -- even when it’s unpopular. The Jayson Blair scandal taught us that the moment you compromise your integrity, you lose everything else.

We haven’t forgotten that. And we never will.

That’s our promise to you.