Did you receive a lot of flack for giving Jayson Blair an assignment?
Granger: I got a number of letters from concerned readers and subscribers — probably a few dozen. IWM: What did they say? Granger: They asked me not to publish him. IWM: Looking back, do you think that the assignment was a mistake? Granger: Absolutely not. It was a funny idea. In Man at His Best we try to have clever ideas. It was probably one of about 20 assignments we make every month. We hope to get six to eight good things out of that to run. There was no certainty it was going to run. He never wrote it. I mean, if it came in and it was funny, we could have considered running it. I just don’t think you should censor ideas. If somebody has a good idea it should be considered seriously. IWM: What do you think of Jayson Blair’s reported book deal to write his memoir? Granger: I don’t know Jayson Blair. I think what he did at the Times was reprehensible. His efforts will be judged by the public. If people don’t want to read a Jayson Blair book they won’t read a Jayson Blair book. IWM:
