What to learn from Blair

What should a young journalist learn from the events surrounding Jayson Blair?

1) If you say you went somewhere, go there. If you say you saw something, you better have seen it.

2) Don't lie.

3) Don't make up people, quotes and events.

4) There needs to be a conversation going on in the newsroom between all levels, so editors having a problem with a writer can let their superiors know what is up before the writer is promoted.

5) Look at the last few years. If you want to become a novelist, or at least write a book and make news with it... do something extrememly unethical. Then deny it over and over. And then write a book saying you did it, or this is what you would have done if you had done it. The only setback is, you have to be famous (like a hall of fame running back), or work for a famous place (like New York Times or New Republic) in order to make headlines.