Stephan Glass was an Excellent Liar and a Horrible Reporter: Why did Stephen Glass do what he did? What ethical flags does it raise for communicators?

Stephen Glass composed articles for New Republic magazine that were entirely fabricated or contained only bits and pieces of the truth. Glass was able to get away with it for so long due to the fact that he was entertaining, charismatic, and a former fact checker that knew how to cover up his lies. The depths he went to cover up his lies was astonishing, like the fake telephone numbers, notes, and websites. Even when he was cornered and confronted, he was not able to fess up and come clean. Along with his fake stories, he was able to create this fake office persona with false modesty, entertaining stories, empty compliments, which made him extremely likable in the workplace. Although he may have had a psychological disorder, he knowingly lied because he wanted attention and praise. He was a pathological liar that was determined to get people to like him, respect his work, and receive a Pulitzer. However, he did not ethics or patience to build a real body of work worthy of the distinguished award. He knew that sensationalized and entertaining stories would garnish him the attention and accolades that he craved. If he would have just worked harder to seek out actual stories instead of cooking his pieces, he would have made an excellent journalist, like Chuck Lane. Glass raised several ethical flags that should have caught by the editors of the New Republic right away since it is a prestigious magazine that influenced policies makers. It is the responsibility of communicators, especially in the news industry, to present the facts of an event accurately and objectively. While he was an excellent liar, there were several warning signs that his editors and colleagues at the New Republic were not able to pick up on due to the fact that they liked him. For example, his first editor, Michael Kelly, was not able to objectively review Glass' work because they were friends. When a couple elements of his story, "Spring Breakdown" did not add up, Kelly only made one phone call that didn't exactly clear With such a exaggerated story being published in the "in flight magazine of Air Force One", he should have looked into it a little further.