It's hard to say what role race really played in my case.

When we report stories, we don't just want to talk to people who did the right thing. We want to talk to people who did the wrong thing.

I don't know how one would define an affirmative-action hire. I ultimately do not know what role race played in my hiring.

I think people can learn from my experience - you know, any young people who are under pressure, whether you work on Wall Street or you work in a factory in Alabama, and young journalists.

I am immensely contrite. And I'm sorry for the damage I've done.

People in the news media after I got caught said how could you have not caught this guy? He had 50 corrections in four years. That's a lot of corrections. Well what they failed to look at is how many stories there were and out of 700 plus stories, 50 corrections is not a high amount.

Well the first thing I'd say is that I'm not sure exactly what I'm supposed to do to show my remorse other than to say that I'm remorseful.

I believe my own demons would have caught up with me regardless of my race and regardless of whether I worked at 'The Times.

It's very painful to have something that's not true written about you.

I feel like I delivered a blow, an unfortunate blow to a profession that not only did I personally love doing but that I value for society.

Racism built me into a person that was set up to be self-destructive.

I seek to be authentic and engaging, using my own experiences, being as vulnerable as I ask my clients to be, to enhance the process.

I can't say anything other than the fact that I feel a range of emotions including guilt, shame, sadness, betrayal, freedom and appreciation for those who have stood by me, been tough on me, and have taken the time to understand that there is a deeper story and not to believe everything they read in the newspapers.

I am making amends and seeking forgiveness. My only hope is that some good can come out of my situation.

I fooled some of the most brilliant people in journalism.