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Stephen Randall Glass (born September 15, 1972) is an American paralegal who previously worked as a journalist for ''
The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hu ...
'' from 1995 to 1998, until it was revealed that many of his published articles were fabrications. An internal investigation by ''The New Republic'' determined that the majority of stories he wrote either contained false information or were fictitious. Glass later acknowledged that he had repaid over $200,000 to ''The New Republic'' and other publications for his earlier fabrications. Following the journalism scandal, Glass pursued a career in law. Although he earned a
Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...
from
Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...
and passed the bar exam in New York and California, he was unable to become a licensed attorney in either state over concerns derived from his scandal. Glass instead found work as a paralegal at the law firm Carpenter, Zuckerman & Rowley, serving as the director of special projects and trial team coordinator. Glass made a brief return to writing when he fictionalized his story in his 2003 novel ''The Fabulist''. The same year, the scandal was dramatized in the film '' Shattered Glass'', which was based on a ''
Vanity Fair Vanity Fair may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Literature * Vanity Fair, a location in '' The Pilgrim's Progress'' (1678), by John Bunyan * ''Vanity Fair'' (novel), 1848, by William Makepeace Thackeray * ''Vanity Fair'' (magazines), the ...
'' article of the same name and starred
Hayden Christensen Hayden Christensen (; born April 19, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader in the ''Star Wars'' media franchise. He first appeared in the prequel trilogy films, '' Star Wars: Episode ...
as Glass.


Early life and education

Glass grew up in a Jewish family in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, and attended Highland Park High School. He graduated from the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...
as University Scholar and was an executive editor of the
student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also rep ...
, ''
The Daily Pennsylvanian ''The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc.'' is the independent student media organization of the University of Pennsylvania. The DP, Inc. publishes The Daily Pennsylvanian newspaper, 34th Street Magazine, and Under the Button, as well as five newslette ...
''. His colleagues at ''The Daily Pennsylvanian'' included Sabrina Erdely, who later became involved in a fabricated story scandal owing to her ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' article "
A Rape on Campus "A Rape on Campus" is a retracted, defamatory ''Rolling Stone'' magazine article written by Sabrina Erdely and originally published on November 19, 2014, that describes a purported group sexual assault at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Cha ...
" and Alan Sepinwall, currently the chief television critic for Rolling Stone. Glass later graduated ''
magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...
'' from
Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...
with a
Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...
degree and was named John M. Olin Fellow in law and economics.


Career


''The New Republic''

After his 1994 graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, Glass joined ''
The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hu ...
'' in 1995 as an editorial assistant. Soon after, the 23-year-old Glass advanced to writing features. While employed full-time at ''TNR'', he also wrote for other magazines including '' Policy Review'', '' George'', ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'', '' Harper's'' and contributed to
Public Radio International Public Radio International (PRI) was an American public radio organization. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, PRI provided programming to over 850 public radio stations in the United States. PRI was one of the main providers of programmi ...
's (PRI) weekly hour-long program ''
This American Life ''This American Life'' (''TAL'') is an American monthly hour-long radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internati ...
'', hosted by Ira Glass (no relation to Stephen). Although Glass enjoyed loyalty from ''The New Republic'' staff, his reporting repeatedly drew outraged rebuttals from the subjects of his articles, eroding his credibility and leading to private skepticism from insiders at the magazine. The magazine's majority owner and editor-in-chief, Martin Peretz, later said that his wife had told him that she did not find Glass's stories credible and had stopped reading them. In December 1996, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) was the target of a hostile article by Glass titled "Hazardous to Your Mental Health". CSPI wrote a letter to the editor and issued a press release pointing out numerous inaccuracies and distortions and hinting at possible plagiarism. The organization
Drug Abuse Resistance Education Drug Abuse Resistance Education (stylized as D.A.R.E.) is an education program that seeks to prevent use of controlled drugs, membership in gangs, and violent behavior. It was founded in Los Angeles in 1983 as a joint initiative of then-LAPD chi ...
(D.A.R.E.) accused Glass of falsehoods in his March 1997 article "Don't You D.A.R.E". ''The New Republic'' defended Glass and editor Michael Kelly demanded CSPI apologize to him. In May 1997, Joe Galli of the College Republican National Committee accused Glass of fabrications in "Spring Breakdown", his lurid tale of drinking and debauchery at the 1997
Conservative Political Action Conference The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC; ) is an annual political conference attended by conservative activists and elected officials from across the United States and beyond. CPAC is hosted by the American Conservative Union (ACU) ...
. A June 1997 article called "Peddling Poppy" about a
Hofstra University Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of New ...
conference on George H. W. Bush drew a letter from Hofstra reciting errors in the story. On May 18, 1998, ''The New Republic'' published a story by Glass (by then an associate editor) entitled "Hack Heaven", purportedly telling the story of a 15-year-old hacker who had penetrated a company's computer network, then been hired by that company as a security consultant. The article opened as follows,
Adam Penenberg Adam L. Penenberg (born July 27, 1962) is an American journalist and educator. He is the editor of PandoDaily and previously wrote for ''Forbes'', ''Fast Company'', ''The New York Times'', ''Wired News'', and ''Playboy''. Penenberg is also an as ...
, a reporter with ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' magazine, became suspicious when he found no search engine results for "Jukt Micronics", found that "Jukt Micronics" had just a single phone line, and saw that its website was extremely amateurish. When challenged, Glass claimed to have been duped by "Restil". Glass took Charles Lane, the lead editor of ''The New Republic'', to the
Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which ...
hotel at which Restil had purportedly met with the Jukt executives; Lane discovered that on the day of the claimed meeting the hotel's conference room had been closed and the restaurant where the hackers supposedly ate dinner afterwards closes in the early afternoon. Lane dialed a
Palo Alto Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...
number provided by Glass and spoke with a man who identified himself as a Jukt executive; when he realized that the "executive" was actually Glass's brother, who attended
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...
in Palo Alto, he fired Glass. Lane later said:


Aftermath

''The New Republic'' subsequently determined that at least 27 of the 41 articles Glass wrote for the magazine contained fabricated material. Some of the 27, such as "Don't You D.A.R.E.", contained real reporting interwoven with fabricated quotations and incidents, while others, including "Hack Heaven," were completely made up. In the process of creating the "Hack Heaven" article, Glass had gone to especially elaborate lengths to thwart the discovery of his deception by ''TNR'' fact checkers: creating a website and voice mail account for Jukt Micronics; fabricating notes of story gathering; having fake business cards printed; and even composing editions of a fake computer hacker community newsletter. As for the balance of the 41 stories, Lane, in an interview given for the 2005 DVD edition of ''Shattered Glass'', said, "In fact, I'd bet lots of the stuff in those other 14 is fake too. ... It's not like we're vouching for those 14, that they're true. They're probably not either". ''Rolling Stone'', ''George'' and ''Harper's'' also re-examined his contributions. ''Rolling Stone'' and ''Harper's'' found the material generally accurate yet maintained they had no way of verifying information because Glass had cited anonymous sources. ''George'' discovered that at least three of the stories Glass wrote for it contained fabrications. Glass fabricated quotations in a profile piece and apologized to the article's subject, Vernon Jordan, an adviser to
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
when he was president. A court filing for Glass's application to the
California bar The State Bar of California is California's official attorney licensing agency. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, prescribing appropriate disciplin ...
gave an updated count on his journalism career: 36 of his stories at ''The New Republic'' were said to be fabricated in part or in whole, along with three articles for ''George'', two articles for ''Rolling Stone'' and one for ''Policy Review''. Glass also later wrote a letter admitting he fabricated the article he wrote for ''Harper's'' and the company retracted the story (the publication's first retraction in 165 years). Glass had contributed a story to an October 1997 episode of the NPR program ''
This American Life ''This American Life'' (''TAL'') is an American monthly hour-long radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internati ...
'' about an internship at George Washington's former plantation and another to a December 1997 episode about time he spent as a telephone psychic. The program subsequently removed both segments from the Archives section of its website "because of questions about
heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offic ...
truthfulness".


Later work

After journalism, Glass earned a J.D. degree at
Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...
. He then passed the New York State bar examination in 2000 but the Committee of Bar Examiners refused to certify him on its moral fitness test, citing ethics concerns related to his journalistic malpractice. He later abandoned his efforts to be admitted to the bar in New York. In 2003, Glass published a so-called "
biographical novel The biographical novel is a genre of novel which provides a fictional account of a contemporary or historical person's life. Like other forms of biographical fiction, details are often trimmed or reimagined to meet the artistic needs of the fictio ...
", ''The Fabulist''. Glass sat for an interview with the weekly news program ''
60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique st ...
'' timed to coincide with the release of his book. ''The New Republic'' literary editor,
Leon Wieseltier Leon Wieseltier (; born June 14, 1952) is an American critic and magazine editor. From 1983 to 2014, he was the literary editor of ''The New Republic''. He was a contributing editor and critic at ''The Atlantic'' until October 27, 2017, when the ...
, complained, "The creep is doing it again. Even when it comes to reckoning with his own sins, he is still incapable of nonfiction. The careerism of his repentance is repulsively consistent with the careerism of his crimes". One reviewer of ''The Fabulist'' commented, "The irony—we must have irony in a tale this tawdry—is that Mr. Glass is abundantly talented. He's funny and fluent and daring. In a parallel universe, I could imagine him becoming a perfectly respectable novelist—a prize-winner, perhaps, with a bit of luck". Also in 2003, Glass briefly returned to journalism, writing an article about Canadian
marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various t ...
laws for ''Rolling Stone''. On November 7, 2003, Glass participated in a panel discussion on journalistic ethics at
George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presi ...
, along with the editor who had hired him at ''The New Republic'',
Andrew Sullivan Andrew Michael Sullivan (born 10 August 1963) is a British-American author, editor, and blogger. Sullivan is a political commentator, a former editor of ''The New Republic'', and the author or editor of six books. He started a political blog, ' ...
, who accused Glass of being a "serial liar" who was using "contrition as a career move". A film about the scandal, '' Shattered Glass'', was released in October 2003 and depicted a stylized view of Glass's rise and fall at ''The New Republic''. Written and directed by Billy Ray, it starred
Hayden Christensen Hayden Christensen (; born April 19, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader in the ''Star Wars'' media franchise. He first appeared in the prequel trilogy films, '' Star Wars: Episode ...
as Glass, Peter Sarsgaard as Charles Lane, Hank Azaria as Michael Kelly and Steve Zahn as
Adam Penenberg Adam L. Penenberg (born July 27, 1962) is an American journalist and educator. He is the editor of PandoDaily and previously wrote for ''Forbes'', ''Fast Company'', ''The New York Times'', ''Wired News'', and ''Playboy''. Penenberg is also an as ...
. The film, appearing shortly after ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' suffered a similar
plagiarism Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and though ...
scandal with the discovery of Jayson Blair's fabrications, occasioned critiques of journalism by nationally prominent journalists such as
Frank Rich Frank Hart Rich Jr. (born 1949) is an American essayist and liberal op-ed columnist, who held various positions within ''The New York Times'' from 1980 to 2011. He has also produced television series and documentaries for HBO. Rich is curren ...
and
Mark Bowden Mark Robert Bowden (; born July 17, 1951) is an American journalist and writer. He is a national correspondent for ''The Atlantic''. He is best known for his book '' Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War'' (1999) about the 1993 U.S. military r ...
. Glass was out of the public eye for several years following the release of his novel and the film. In 2007, he was performing with a Los Angeles comedy troupe known as Un-Cabaret. After working for two judges in Washington, D.C., Glass was hired by a personal injury law firm in
West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages in ...
in 2004, where he remains . When joining the firm, a senior partner told Glass that being exposed as a serial fabricator "is the best thing that ever happened to you. Now that you've fallen on your face, you can actually be a useful human being." Also remarking later, "brilliance that has overcome failure can be truly useful to your fellow man." Glass is not licensed to practice law. At the firm he is listed as director of special projects.


Restitution

In 2015, Glass again made the news after reportedly sending ''Harper's Magazine'' a check for $10,000 – what he was paid for the false articles – writing in the attached letter that he wanted "to make right that part of my many transgressions...I recognize that repaying Harper's will not remedy my wrongdoing, make us even, or undo what I did wrong. That said, I did not deserve the money that Harper's paid me and it should be returned". Glass has stated he has repaid $200,000 to ''The New Republic, Rolling Stone, Harper's'' and the publisher of ''Policy Review''.


Unsuccessful California Bar application

In 2009, Glass applied to join the
State Bar of California The State Bar of California is California's official attorney licensing agency. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, prescribing appropriate disciplin ...
. The Committee of Bar Examiners refused to certify him, finding that he did not satisfy California's moral fitness test because of his history of journalistic deception. Insisting that he had reformed, Glass then petitioned the State Bar Court's hearing department, which found that Glass possessed the necessary "good moral character" to be admitted as an attorney. The Committee of Bar Examiners sought review in the State Bar's Review Department and filed a Writ of Review, thereby petitioning the California Supreme Court to review the decision. On November 16, 2011, the Supreme Court granted the petition, the first time in 11 years the court had granted review in a moral character case. On January 3, 2012, Glass's attorneys filed papers with the Court arguing that his behavior had been beyond reproach for more than 13 years and this was proof that he had reformed. On November 6, 2013, the California Supreme Court heard arguments in Glass's case and ruled unanimously against him in an opinion issued January 27, 2014. The lengthy opinion describes in minute detail the applicant's history, record, the bar's applicable standard of review, the appeal and its analysis of how Glass failed to satisfy the court's standards, concluding, "On this record, he has not sustained his heavy burden of demonstrating rehabilitation and fitness for the practice of law". On that basis, Glass was denied admission to the California bar.


Personal life

In 1998, Glass met lawyer
Julie Hilden Julie Cope Hilden (April 19, 1968 - March 17, 2018) was an American novelist and lawyer. Biography Hilden grew up in Hawaii and New Jersey. She graduated with a B.A. in philosophy from Harvard College, a J.D. from Yale Law School, and an M. ...
in connection with his legal issues. They began dating in 2000, and married in 2014 after she was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. Glass tended to her in their home in Venice, Los Angeles and hired a housekeeper and aides to stay with her while he was at work. Hilden died in 2018.


Published novels

*


See also

* Claas Relotius * Jayson Blair *
Ruth Shalit Ruth Shalit Barrett (; born 1971) is an American freelance writer and journalist whose work has appeared in ''The New Republic'', ''The Wall Street Journal'', ''ELLE'', ''New York Magazine'' and ''The Atlantic''. In 1999 she resigned from ''T ...
* Journalism scandals *
Schön scandal The Schön scandal concerns German physicist Jan Hendrik Schön (born August 1970 in Verden an der Aller, Lower Saxony, Germany) who briefly rose to prominence after a series of apparent breakthroughs with semiconductors that were later discovered ...
* Fake news


References


Further reading

* Chait, Jonathan
"Remembrance of Things Passed: How my friend Stephen Glass got away with it
''Washington Monthly'', July/August 2003. * ''New Republic''

June 1, 1998. (First statement), an

June 29, 1998. (Second statement). * Rosin, Hanna
"Glass Houses"
''Slate'', May 21, 2003. * Salon.com
Hacker heaven, editors' hell
May 14, 1998. * ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
''
Lies, damn lies and fiction
May 11, 1998. (Forbes exposes Glass's fabrications in The New Republic's "Hack Heaven" article) * ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
''
continued from Lies, damn lies and fiction
May 11, 1998. (Large screenshot of Glass's AOL website for phony "Jukt Micronics" firm he concocted for "Hack Heaven" article) * ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
''
The New York Times Scandal Recalls Glass Episode
May 20, 2003. (Article about the Jayson Blair scandal, to which are appended links to many ''Forbes'' articles about the Glass scandal) * Rick McGinnis Web site
A Tissue of Lies: The Stephen R. Glass Index
– Complete list of Glass articles, with known fabrications marked.
"Loving Lies"
by Bill Adair, ''
Air Mail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be th ...
'' December 4, 2021.


External links

Many of the articles that Glass wrote for ''The New Republic'' are no longer available online. Below are links to some of those articles which Glass is suspected of fabricating in part or in whole:
"A Day on the Streets"
for ''The Daily Pennsylvanian'', June 6, 1991
"Taxis and the Meaning of Work"
August 5, 1996

published January 6 & 13, 1997

published January 27, 1997

published March 3, 1997

published March 24, 1997
"Spring Breakdown"
published March 31, 1997

published July 14 & 21, 1997

published September 15, 1997
"Monica Sells"
April 13, 1998 {{DEFAULTSORT:Glass, Stephen 1972 births 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American journalists 21st-century American Jews American male journalists Fake news in the United States Georgetown University Law Center alumni Jewish American writers Journalistic hoaxes Journalistic scandals Living people Paralegals People from Highland Park, Illinois People from Venice, Los Angeles The Daily Pennsylvanian people The New Republic people University of Pennsylvania alumni