Stephen Glass was a failure when it came to writing reports. He made up false statements and wove phony tales. Being a complete manipulative jerk, he also managed to get these stories published. Were his colleagues terrible at the fact checking and editing process that let his yarns slide through? Maybe... Or maybe Glass was just an awful person, who made these people his puppets.
I feel that Stephen's editors did act appropriately in firing him. Why should he have gotten a second chance? He made a huge mistake and knew it. Maybe if he had owned up to his mistake he could have kept his job, but instead he continued spinning his lie further. With the knowledge of Stephen Glass's history, I would never employ him, as anyone in their right mind would not, unless, of course, it was to write fictional stories, as it seems he is quite apt at that. As far as approving Glass to be a lawyer goes, I do not feel that would be a fitting position for him. Glass's practices as a lawyer would most likely be similar to the practices of Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago. Sure he could win any given trial, but the win would be through lies and falsehoods.
I do think Stephen Glass can obtain forgiveness, but never be trusted again. People can let go of this particular mistake he made, yet I do not think he can be trusted. There will always be the question of "What if he does this again?". I do not think he will ever gain trust again. How can you trust somebody to tell the truth if they have a long history of lying? You can't, plain and simple, you just can't.
