In a move that shocked millions, Brian Williams, anchor of NBC’s “Nightly News,” admitted Wednesday that he lied about being in a helicopter that came under enemy fire in Iraq in 2003. After a Friday announcement by NBC that they are launching an internal investigation into Williams’ fact checking followed by a few days of intense scrutiny, the anchor said in a Saturday statement that he is stepping down from his role for the next several days.
“In the midst of a career spent covering and consuming news, it has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news, due to my actions,” he said the statement released by NBC. “Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us.”
Williams is not only anchor for “Nightly News,” but managing editor as well. Lester Holt, anchor for NBC’s “Dateline,” will step in Williams’ place for the time being. Williams did not make clear when, exactly, he is set to return to his chair.
The original news came shortly after NBC began an internal investigation into Williams that was set to review the incident he described in Iraq, as well as some of his reporting on Hurricane Katrina. Williams acknowledged and apologized for his error on screen Wednesday, stating that he “conflated” the two helicopters in his mind, since the event happened 12 years ago. However, America did not take too kindly to the news. Military veterans and media critics called for his immediate resignation.
“If this was 10 or 15 years ago, an anchor at any network would be gone Friday after an admission of such deception — especially when it is placed alongside the sacrifices made and pains suffered by military personnel and their families,” said critic David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun in a Wednesday column. “How could you expect anyone who served in the military to ever see this guy onscreen again and not feel contempt?”
This has not only affected Williams’ show and reputation. The credibility of NBC as a whole has been taken into question. If Williams is in fact fired, like many are suggesting, it would be a major blow to NBC’s ratings. Competitive programs on ABC and CBS average 500,000 to 2 million less viewers than NBC’s nightly news broadcasts, according to data released by Nielsen.
This is a situation in which Williams took advantage of viewers’ trust in him and certainly milked his fame and power. He definitely deserves the criticism he is getting and it is completely fair that he lost some credibility over this. People are actually affected by war crimes every day, and he took advantage of that. Being in the helicopter behind the one that came under fire was likely traumatizing — no one is arguing that. But it rightfully rubs people the wrong way that he lied about the incident for so long.
Even if he did not mean any ill will by it, and just wanted a more exciting story (admittedly what all journalists want), you can’t just stretch the truth to get that effect. The entire business of journalism and its moral and ethical basis rests on telling the truth. If someone as experienced, well-known and respected as Brian Williams can’t do that, they deserve the backlash given by their peers and the public. He cannot just expect to apologize and have this blow over. And beyond this being an ethical issue, when journalists start stretching the truth, consumers of news can’t tell what’s true and what’s exaggerated or just plain wrong, which takes the whole point out of reporting the facts.
This also brings up a larger and maybe more important question: the question of treating news anchors like celebrities. It’s fair to say that Williams was likely influenced to exaggerate the story for viewership, because he has somewhat of a celebrity status and wanted something exciting that would give him an edge. If news anchors are to be considered journalists and held up to journalistic standards, maybe it’s time to stop putting them on late-night talk shows and wining and dining them like celebrities.
