Brian Williams’ reporting scandal

Brian Williams, NBC news anchor, became the news story instead of the news broadcaster after he detrimentally threatened his credibility by claiming to be aboard a helicopter taken down by grenades in Iraq over a decade ago.

Up to this point, credibility was something Williams never had to worry about. According to nbcnews.com, “Williams [was] seen by more U.S. television viewers on a daily basis than any other individual.” Ever since he has overtaken the role of anchor and the managing editor of NBC Nightly News in 2004, he has developed the program into “the most-watched newscast in all of television.” Williams is also the “most highly decorated evening news anchor of the modern era.”

However, Williams’ credibility along with his reputation has been called to question since the onset of comments on the NBC Facebook page beginning in early February. The Facebook posts by viewers claimed that Williams’ version of the story was false.  Military members who were wounded in service were offended by the false story. They consider themselves part of a brotherhood, and any falsified membership to that brotherhood is not appreciated.

Williams has since claimed to have a fogged memory of the events after 12 years, though the story has developed in his mind like a stone through the ages. According to sources at CBS,  shortly after the incident in question, he told NBC that he was traveling in a group of helicopters forced down in a desert in Iraq. Williams said, “…the Chinook in front of me had almost been blown out of the sky.”  He continued to share the story of how the next three days were spent in the desert.

In 2008, Williams posted online that his helicopter came under fire. He said a helicopter in front of his had been hit.

In 2013, Williams appeared on David Letterman’s Late Show. In the interview with Letterman, he said  that two of the four helicopters he was traveling with had been hit, including the one he was in.

On Feb. 18, during a Nightly News broadcast, Williams apologized for his embellished tale. Before he aired, Williams apologized online. He has also done an interview with the newspaper Stars & Stripes.

It was left to NBC News President Deborah Turness to give Williams his six-month suspension.

Williams’ story, without lying, is a great one. Going into Iraq at that point in history is brave enough. Being lost in the Iraqi desert is a valorous story all on its own; why risk one’s whole career by telling a lie?

One might be asking, ‘Why is stretching a story such a big deal? People do it all the time?’ In the situation of Brian Williams, his whole career is built off of his credibility. News anchors need to be trusted so the audience knows that what is being reported is thoroughly researched and honest.

Williams’ main problem is whether the public believes his apology. The New York Daily News has deemed Williams’ apology insincere.

Taking into consideration just who Brian Williams is, it is easy to see why some have easily forgiven him. He has never before run into credibility issues. He is a well-known and respected character in the communications realm. One lie? Why is this so hard to recover from?

With the responsibility of being a news broadcaster, comes the responsibility of gaining and maintaining credibility. Credibility is everything in the communications field. If credibility is not possessed, who is going to pay attention or care what you have to say?