Brian Williams - why lie?

Modern journalism is beset by many challenges, logistical and fundamental, but none are as potentially dangerous as its growing cultivation of and reliance on personal brand.

“Broadcast News,” which remains the prophetic primer on the modern news industry, hinged on that conflict. “Let’s never forget, we are the real story, not them,” said Aaron, the old-fashioned television reporter of “Broadcast News” played by Albert Brooks in sarcastic condemnation of the more handsome Tom, portrayed by William Hurt. More professionally flexible than Aaron, Tom had edited in his own tearful reaction to a report featuring an interview with a rape victim.

By today’s standards, of course, Tom’s actions would seem perfectly acceptable to most — his reaction was sincere and unplanned, and we have come to accept a reporter’s, or anchor’s, reaction and/or work getting the story as part of the story.

This is not to diminish Williams’ responsibility in telling, and retelling a false and patently self-aggrandizing version of his 2003 experience. Many journalists manage to be engaging and insightful guests without making up stories about being shot at by rocket launchers. The role of news anchor requires a certain amount of star power, but the business Williams chose is journalism, the basic rule of which is: First, tell no lies.

As the many promos for his work on NBC ponderously delight in reminding us, his brand is anchored in trustworthiness. So sticking scrupulously to the facts is not only a requirement of his job, it is in his own personal best interest.

As he is discovering now.

So the people would prefer someone telling them exciting falsehoods, when he should be relaying factual news items.

If I want exciting fiction, I go and watch or read a thriller. When I watch the News, I want to hear what is actually news, and not somebody's exciting fantasy.

This would be enough to end many journalists’ careers. But Williams is likely going to be fine. Why? NBC has always positioned him less as a journalist and more as an entertainer. I’m not saying he doesn’t have plenty of journalistic input in his position as managing editor of his program, but most know him not from reporting the news, but slow-jamming it with Jimmy Fallon.

The former generation of nightly news anchors, of which Walter Cronkite was the Platonic ideal, was seen as a bunch of serious men who covered serious topics and had to be trusted by the people of America. Williams’s predecessor, Tom Brokaw, was certainly one of those. You believed every word he said, but he never seemed like he would be a particularly fun or interesting person to sit next to at a dinner party.

Former NBCUniversal boss Bob Wright is sticking his neck out for embattled anchorman Brian Williams.
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Wright, who was in charge when Williams was hired from CBS and began a news show for sister network MSNBC in the ’90s, said, “Some of this puffing up [exaggeration] is accurate, but Brian Williams has helped NBC News. He has been the strongest supporter of the military of any of the news players. He never comes back with negative stories, he wouldn’t question if we’re spending too much. All the stories are very accurate. It’s ironic the military people are complaining. These were the people he held in high esteem.

Part of Williams’ self-delusion is that he’s some sort of ordinary Joe in touch with the real America. He nudges profiles to describe him as a “blue-collar Jersey guy.” His dad was an executive, not a coal miner. He fancies himself as in tune with the working men as he collects $10 million a year for successfully looking “troubled” or “sincere” or “amused” while reading 20 minutes of script off a prompter.

In the military, bragging about the courageous stuff you didn’t do is known as theft of valor. “Nobody is trying to steal anyone’s valor,” Williams insisted. Oh. OK, then. Tell that to all the military heroes whose stories haven’t been told.

It’s all worked almost too well. These days, when people come up to Williams in public, more often than not it’s to praise his extracurricular work. “No one ever stops me at La Guardia to say ‘That oil-price-per-barrel graphic you guys use? Killer,’ ” he says. At the same time, given the role his lighter side has played in keeping his cultural footprint from shrinking, one could argue that Williams has yet to really receive his due as a comedian. He gets credit for showing up, but not enough for what he does once he gets there. A close study of Williams’s ever-growing body of work reveals a versatile performer who can disappear into a character, play the straight man, deliver a monologue, or trade barbs from the other side of the desk. He’s a confident, kempt success in a profession dominated by neurotics and Apatovian man-children. Isn’t it time we took the comedy of Brian Williams seriously?

I’m sure NBC’s team is a group of conscientious professionals of high integrity; reportedly, it will be headed by Richard Esposito, the head of NBC’s investigative unit. But in the end, it’s still investigating the boss. (And in fact there’s some doubt as to whether this is any “investigation” at all, or whether it’s instead simply “fact checking” before addressing the controversy.)

That shouldn’t be a satisfying answer to any journalistic outlet. And a big part of the problem here is that NBC News isn’t acting like a news organization; it’s acting like a business doing crisis p.r

Before Mr. Williams apologized for exaggerating an account of a forced helicopter landing during the Iraq war, he ranked as the 23rd-most-trusted person in the country — on par with Denzel Washington, Warren E. Buffett and Robin Roberts. On Monday, he ranked as No. 835.

Is there anyone here saying he/she has never done it?

Feb 2015

Neuroscience Suggests that Brian Williams May In Fact Be “Misremembering”

Brian Williams is the center of a journalistic controversy right now—but it’s possible that he may have neuroscience on his side.
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hawkeye10 wrote:

Full disclosure: NBC.com is one of the top ten places I go for news lately. I hate the redesigned CNN.com and use NBC instead for a first look at what is going on in any given day.

I have not watched a nightly broadcast on any network for at least 5 years.

I go to CBS.

I have no idea of what has happened to CNN...but it is almost like someone doing a parody of a terrible news station. I expect any day to see Geraldo Rivera opening Al Capone's safe on CNN.


It truly sucks.

Not as much as Fox NEWS...but it sucks.

Frank Apisa wrote:

Is there anyone here saying he/she has never done it?

I've never done it.

The man is basically a saddo, imo, who intentionally puffed himself up in order to gain kudos from his viewing public. He isn't being malicious, I don't think.
He is just feeding off the glamour and glory of others and attempting to somehow always get himself included in that particular spotlight.

Very sad, but he always has juggling cats and doggies to fall back on.

Or voiceovers for acne treatment, etc.