Shattered Glass Quotes
The true story of a young journalist who fell from grace when it was found he had fabricated over half of his articles.
Caitlin Avey: What the hell did you do to Steve? He called me from his car, hysterical. I asked him what was wrong, he said, "ask Chuck?"
Chuck Lane: I fired him, okay? Not suspended, fired. Because this wasn't an isolated incident Caitlin. He cooked a dozen of them, maybe more. And we're going to have to go through them, you and I. We're going to have to go through all of them, now.
Caitlin Avey: No, the only one was Hack Heaven. He told me that himself.
Chuck Lane: If he were a stranger to you, if he was a guy you were doing a piece about, pretend that guy told you he'd only did it once. Would you take his word for it? Of course not! You'd dig and you'd bury him! And you'd feel offended if anyone told you not to.
Caitlin Avey: Every one of those pieces was fact-checked, they were all...
Chuck Lane: So was Hack Heaven!
[pause]
Chuck Lane: You're a good reporter. You've always been such a smart and thorough reporter, why can't you be one now?
Caitlin Avey: Cause what you're telling me just is impossible, Chuck.
Chuck Lane: Go upstairs. Read 'em again.
Caitlin Avey: This is bullshit!
Chuck Lane: And make sure you go all the way back, because half of them ran when Mike was still here.
Caitlin Avey: That's what this is. Of course. I mean, what are you going to do, Chuck, pick us off, one by one? Everybody that was loyal to Mike, till you have a staff that belongs to you? Is that the kind of magazine you want to run?
Chuck Lane: Caitlin, when this thing blows, there isn't going to be a magazine anymore. If you want to make this about Mike, make it about Mike. I don't give a shit. You can resent me, you can hate me, but come Monday morning, we're all going to have to answer for what we let happen here. We're all going to have an apology to make! Jesus Christ! Don't you have any idea how much shit we're about to eat? Every competitor we ever took a shot at, they're going to pounce. And they should. Because we blew it, Caitlin. He handed us fiction after fiction and we printed them all as fact. Just because... we found him "entertaining." It's indefensible. Don't you know that?
[Chuck leaves]
Chuck Lane: I fired him, okay? Not suspended, fired. Because this wasn't an isolated incident Caitlin. He cooked a dozen of them, maybe more. And we're going to have to go through them, you and I. We're going to have to go through all of them, now.
Caitlin Avey: No, the only one was Hack Heaven. He told me that himself.
Chuck Lane: If he were a stranger to you, if he was a guy you were doing a piece about, pretend that guy told you he'd only did it once. Would you take his word for it? Of course not! You'd dig and you'd bury him! And you'd feel offended if anyone told you not to.
Caitlin Avey: Every one of those pieces was fact-checked, they were all...
Chuck Lane: So was Hack Heaven!
[pause]
Chuck Lane: You're a good reporter. You've always been such a smart and thorough reporter, why can't you be one now?
Caitlin Avey: Cause what you're telling me just is impossible, Chuck.
Chuck Lane: Go upstairs. Read 'em again.
Caitlin Avey: This is bullshit!
Chuck Lane: And make sure you go all the way back, because half of them ran when Mike was still here.
Caitlin Avey: That's what this is. Of course. I mean, what are you going to do, Chuck, pick us off, one by one? Everybody that was loyal to Mike, till you have a staff that belongs to you? Is that the kind of magazine you want to run?
Chuck Lane: Caitlin, when this thing blows, there isn't going to be a magazine anymore. If you want to make this about Mike, make it about Mike. I don't give a shit. You can resent me, you can hate me, but come Monday morning, we're all going to have to answer for what we let happen here. We're all going to have an apology to make! Jesus Christ! Don't you have any idea how much shit we're about to eat? Every competitor we ever took a shot at, they're going to pounce. And they should. Because we blew it, Caitlin. He handed us fiction after fiction and we printed them all as fact. Just because... we found him "entertaining." It's indefensible. Don't you know that?
[Chuck leaves]
Chuck Lane: You had your brother pose as George Sims
Stephen Glass: What?
Chuck Lane: The phony recording from Jukt Micronics, is a Palo Alto number and your brother is a student at Stanford
Stephen Glass: No, Sims is a real guy I've spoken to him about a million times, my brother and I aren't even speaking right now
Chuck Lane: Stop it, you faked Sims, you faked the Jukt website you faked the voicemails, Restil, Hiert it's all crap, I'll trace it if you make me, I'll find it all billed to you
Stephen Glass: What?
Chuck Lane: The phony recording from Jukt Micronics, is a Palo Alto number and your brother is a student at Stanford
Stephen Glass: No, Sims is a real guy I've spoken to him about a million times, my brother and I aren't even speaking right now
Chuck Lane: Stop it, you faked Sims, you faked the Jukt website you faked the voicemails, Restil, Hiert it's all crap, I'll trace it if you make me, I'll find it all billed to you
Chuck Lane: [Outside the closed restaurant] It was ten people for dinner here?
Stephen Glass: Yeah
Chuck Lane: [Looking at the business hours sign] they're closed at 3 on Sundays
Stephen Glass: yeah, I know they almost didn't let us in, but it was a couple minutes before 3 and Ian looked like he was about to cry so they said, "OK"
Chuck Lane: The Forbes guys are going to have all this too, they're going to check into the records of that office building, I'm sure they surveillance cameras and they're going to check them
Stephen Glass: This is not right Chuck I feel really attacked, you're my editor you're supposed to support me and you're taking their word against mine?
Stephen Glass: Yeah
Chuck Lane: [Looking at the business hours sign] they're closed at 3 on Sundays
Stephen Glass: yeah, I know they almost didn't let us in, but it was a couple minutes before 3 and Ian looked like he was about to cry so they said, "OK"
Chuck Lane: The Forbes guys are going to have all this too, they're going to check into the records of that office building, I'm sure they surveillance cameras and they're going to check them
Stephen Glass: This is not right Chuck I feel really attacked, you're my editor you're supposed to support me and you're taking their word against mine?
Chuck Lane: We've read through all the pieces, the entire staff and we've come up with a list of facts and sources we couldn't verify independently, I know you can't admit guilt of any kind but I want you to confirm a few titles for us
Glass' Lawyer: We're not prepared to confirm or deny anything at this point
Chuck Lane: What I'm going to do is this, I'm going to read to you a list of suspicious titles one by one if you raise an objection to a particular title, we'll fact check it again in the hope of removing it from the list, if you remain silent we'll assume that piece is fabricated either partially or entirely and it'll stay on, is that clear to everyone?
Chuck Lane: [Chuck reads from the list] "Hazardous to your Mental Health",
[Stephen remains silent]
Chuck Lane: that means it stays on the list of suspicious titles, fabricated pieces
Glass' Lawyer: We understand, can we move along?
Chuck Lane: [Chuck continues to reads from the list] "Holy Trinity", "Probable Clause", "Don't You D.A.R.E.", "Spring Breakdown"," "Monica Sells", "After the fall", "Hack Heaven "
Glass' Lawyer: We're not prepared to confirm or deny anything at this point
Chuck Lane: What I'm going to do is this, I'm going to read to you a list of suspicious titles one by one if you raise an objection to a particular title, we'll fact check it again in the hope of removing it from the list, if you remain silent we'll assume that piece is fabricated either partially or entirely and it'll stay on, is that clear to everyone?
Chuck Lane: [Chuck reads from the list] "Hazardous to your Mental Health",
[Stephen remains silent]
Chuck Lane: that means it stays on the list of suspicious titles, fabricated pieces
Glass' Lawyer: We understand, can we move along?
Chuck Lane: [Chuck continues to reads from the list] "Holy Trinity", "Probable Clause", "Don't You D.A.R.E.", "Spring Breakdown"," "Monica Sells", "After the fall", "Hack Heaven "
David Bach: I'm really sorry to bother you at night but it seemed important
Chuck Lane: It's fine, is there a problem?
David Bach: I don't know, I just got off the phone with Stephen he sounds horrible did you suspend him?
Chuck Lane: David, what is the problem
David Bach: He asked me if I would drive him to Dulles later tonight, he said he wasn't sure if he'd be safe driving by himself I thought I would draw your attention to that
Chuck Lane: Did he say where he was going?
David Bach: Yeah he said he was going to stay with his family for a while that could be only one of two places
Chuck Lane: His parents live in Highland Park right?
David Bach: Yeah, or his brother out in Palo Alto
Chuck Lane: [Surprised] I'm sorry?
David Bach: His brother at Stanford
Chuck Lane: It's fine, is there a problem?
David Bach: I don't know, I just got off the phone with Stephen he sounds horrible did you suspend him?
Chuck Lane: David, what is the problem
David Bach: He asked me if I would drive him to Dulles later tonight, he said he wasn't sure if he'd be safe driving by himself I thought I would draw your attention to that
Chuck Lane: Did he say where he was going?
David Bach: Yeah he said he was going to stay with his family for a while that could be only one of two places
Chuck Lane: His parents live in Highland Park right?
David Bach: Yeah, or his brother out in Palo Alto
Chuck Lane: [Surprised] I'm sorry?
David Bach: His brother at Stanford
Kambiz Foroohar: [Over the phone] In light of all this: how confident are you in this story?
Stephen Glass: Are we off the record?
Kambiz Foroohar: If you'd like
Stephen Glass: Well, off the record some of the things you brought up: the website, the idea that I was speaking to these people through voicemail, that they were always calling me, it didn't seem strange before but clearly there are some problems with the story you've pointed them out, one portion of the article was structured in that format, in light of all this, I'm increasingly starting to believe I've been duped
Stephen Glass: Are we off the record?
Kambiz Foroohar: If you'd like
Stephen Glass: Well, off the record some of the things you brought up: the website, the idea that I was speaking to these people through voicemail, that they were always calling me, it didn't seem strange before but clearly there are some problems with the story you've pointed them out, one portion of the article was structured in that format, in light of all this, I'm increasingly starting to believe I've been duped
