By Zach Waltz
Associate Editor
Let me start off by saying that I have the utmost respect for Brian Williams as a person. He has been one of the premiere broadcast journalists for as long as I can remember.
Recently, Williams, an anchor for NBC nightly news since 2004, has been involved in a controversy, causing him to be suspended for six months without pay. Williams’ integrity was called into question when his story of being on a Chinook helicopter that was shot down in Iraq turned out to be false. Williams’ account was false in the fact that he was on a separate helicopter that arrived to the crash site nearly an hour later. He has recounted this story many times on national television. The problem arose when he was at a New York Rangers game with one of the soldiers who was actually on the helicopter, and the soldier called him out for not actually being there.
The whole incident calls into question Williams’ entire collection of work in journalism. I would like to think that this was a one-time deal where he tweaked the details of a story to make it sound more riveting, but this type of sensationalism doesn’t just happen like that. It is a conscious decision to bend the truth so that a story becomes more interesting.
Williams told his story multiple times in different settings, so this goes far beyond just a simple news report. This story became a part of his life like he was actually there.
While it could have been just that one time, it makes viewers wonder what else he possibly could have sensationalized. It’s an easy trap to fall into because the people with the best news get the best ratings which leads to better money. While it may seem like a harmless fib that he didn’t think would come back to bite him, Williams neglected his responsibility as a journalist to provide the facts and not what would get the best ratings. Here’s the thing about Williams’ case: he has been a well-respected reporter and anchor for many years, so why would he feel the need to make such an egregious error? Did he really think none of those soldiers would speak up eventually?
These are questions I can’t answer, but as someone who watches the news and as an American citizen, I feel cheated; someone who has been held in high regard for my life time has suddenly had his integrity besmirched. I wish this hadn’t come out about Williams because I do think he is an outstanding person, but his lack in judgment has led to what could be his ultimate downfall. It will be hard to have the same sense of trust and respect for Williams going forward after his suspension.
