Turns out it’s legal to lie (US v Alvarez 2012) http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/judicial/story/2012-06-28/supreme-court-stolen-valor/55895020/1
So, the journalists are the ones who are supposed to hold the lying politicians and others in authority accountable to the American people. If they can’t be trusted and everyone is okay with that which is already pretty close to where we are we are in big trouble. Ratings will decide what happens here and that is unfortunate. Also, I don’t get how anyone can defend this cocky self-aggrandizing. it’s not attractive at all. And, yeah people who actually need their jobs to pay rent get fired every day for a lot less than this BW debacle. The only reason this is a public scandal is because he is a public figure who lied to the public to increase his share of the audience and feed his bloated ego. Nothing to admire, here. Sorry.
I don’t whether he should be fired or not. But we shouldn’t be making excuses for him, how our memory is also failing, etc.
Post 96 had just exactly the idea I wanted to say.
I have embellished stories “in the local bar” or elsewhere, but I wasn’t representing my self to millions(for million$) as an objective news anchor.
We expect better medical advice from a doctor than from good ol’ uncle Harry; and I expect honesty and integrity from news anchors that are supposed to be telling me objective reporting.
Editorial writers/speakers not so much- they are fully disclosed as opinion pieces, but news anchors need trust.
Let’s remember too, BW isn’t telling this story for the first time in 10 years; he told it shortly after it was alleged to have occurred and continued to tell it for years. “Failing memory” doesn’t seem to apply as he started off with a lie and has pretty much stuck to the same lie for years.
Also a fan, but cannot see how he cannot be terminated. Think about it: if any intern/low level scribe on his team had made up such stories, they would be terminated. Same as if a so-called journalist for the NYT or Post made up stuff that didn’t happen.
Sure, he’s a talking head, and if he was only a talking head, NBC could get by with a suspension, or some other penalty. But he is the head of the News division, and since what he “reported” is a fireable offense for anyone else…
And his so-called first hand reports from NOLA were not presented as “news.” Dead bodies floating, suicide in the Dome, gangs taking over the Ritz??? (All such reported first-hand “news” led to support the claim of incompetence – and perhaps racism – of many government agencies, including the White House.)
Lots of assumptions seem to be being made about his reasons for embellishing stories, theories about his personality, etc. Lots of famous people get caught up in their fame and puff up. Its wrong, especially for someone who is representing the news. That said, am not quite ready to tar and feather him. I would love to see the politicians who are dishonest, manipulative, deceitful or bombastic get their comeuppance too.
Me, too. The way to achieve that is not letting a news man off the hook for lying since politicians lie all the time. It’s by holding him tell the truth about themselves and politicians.
Dan Rather was let go for a fake story. CBS News survived.
Not that wiki is all that accurate, but it says this:
I always thought of the main anchor more as a figurehead than a journalist – a presenter of other people’s work, so I wouldn’t mind if he stayed on, as long as his role remained just that. I doubt he’ll be talking about personal experiences on the air anytime soon.
So fire him as managing editor and retain him as anchor? Hmmmm. That’s quite the demotion and could be more embarrassing than he would be able to accept gracefully. It’s also a redefinition of his role that would probably be unacceptable to any self-respecting news anchor in the US. In Europe they are okay with being called newsreaders, though.
Also, Dan Rather was allowed to resign in disgrace which is basically being fired.
I guess I’m in disbelief that the viewing public is so naive to assume this hasn’t happened before or doesn’t happen. I’ll bet there’s not a leading broadcaster out there who can’t be found guilty of something similar if someone dug deep enough. Sorry if I’m cynical, it’s just that, after going to journalism school (one of the top three then) eons ago, I never looked at broadcast journalists the same again. I can’t remember exactly what it was that, or what class(es) I took that led me to this, but I’ve never given as much credence to broadcast journalism as print journalism (not that it’s perfect either). Same goes with celebrities and sports figures. I have very low expectations for these people who are in the spotlight all of the time. As much as I absolutely adore John Stewart, Colbert, and Aaron Rodgers, I wouldn’t feel betrayed if tomorrow some major story broke that shed negative light on them. Five years from now (or sooner) this will be another story that bleeds into all the other stories out there of public figures screwing up. No matter what any of us think here on CC, NBC likely already has a plan in place to deal with this, and whether we agree with it or not, life will move on for BW and NBC with or without him.
That being said, if I want the closest thing to the truth that a news outlet can give, I’ll stick to BBC and NPR. It’s been decades since I watched a nightly news program on the major networks (although there are some I will go out of my way to avoid if I’m in a public place - such as the gym - to not hear them spewing their vitriol).
Beautifully put, Teri. People make mistakes. People screw up. No one is perfect. This policy of trial in the court of public opinion is interesting to watch.
I always liked the guy, and there are not many in the news media I care for, none on the morning shows, or the cable news stations or weekend anchors.
But I think Brian is toast as a news anchor, sad to say. In this day and age where everyone’s a critic, and news gets blown out of proportion, he will not live this down.
I certainly expect him to spin off doing something similar, he’s talented and likeable, and many who fall in disgrace reinvent themselves in terrific ways. Maybe Donald Trump will get him for the next celebrity Apprentice? I don’t think we’ll see him on Dancing With The Stars .
That’s where I’m afraid we must disagree, Jym. It might have been termed a mistake to lie(embellish) his helicopter adventure once. But to claim it repeatedly over the years, and let’s don’t forget every time he thought of the truth but withheld it- that was wrong too; those add up to too many times and too many opportunities lost to define this as a mistake.
Personally, I don’t want him tarred and feathered, or forever banned from all news for all eternity, but I do think he should be fired from this particular job.
I havent formed an opinion on what they should do. I wondered if he’d be relegated to the 2 am weekend news. But I dont have an opinion at this point on what should happen. I just think the “off with their heads” mentality is over the top.
So much hyperbole.
YDS-
Which hyperbole are you referencing? Hard to tell.
All I know is if this had been a Fox news analysist, they would have thrown the book at him. He should not get a
break for it, especially since there are soldiers out there actually getting shot down.
Hmm, it seems Fox news fires reporters for telling the truth http://www.inquisitr.com/1744747/fox-news-reporters-fired-expose-monsanto-revenge/