It's been 11 years since former New York Times reporter Jayson Blair's infamous downfall. The newspaper discovered in 2003 that their promising young reporter had plagiarized and lied his way through dozens of stories. He wrote about locations he never visited, ripped off quotes from other publications, and fabricated events that never took place.
Blair tells "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" about the first story he plagiarized.
"It was after 9/11 and we were all exhausted and all having a difficult time reporting our stories," Blair recalls in the above video. "I was sent to do a man on the street interview. And for whatever reason I didn't come back with a quote. And instead of just saying I didn't come back with the quote, I lifted a quote from The Associated Press."
"I could've simply added the words 'according to The Associate Press,' but I didn't," Blair admits.
"What I found is that when you cross the line once it becomes easier, and easier to cross it again," he says.
Later in the interview, Blair explains what was going through his mind when his lies began to snowball out of control, and how his life is today. His appearance on "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" airs Sunday, August 17 at 9 p.m. ET on OWN.
