Monday, February 29, 2016

Research Activity: Brian Williams


Brian Williams, a news anchor for NBC, has had a couple incidents where he has "embellished" a story that he was a part of. He stated that a helicopter he was in was shot down by an RPG and forced to make an emergency landing while flying over Iraq. It was proven that Williams's helicopter was not attacked and was, in fact, half an hour away from the incident. He has also stated that he and some other people watched a man commit suicide in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The people with him have said that no such event ever happened, that they only heard a story about a man committing suicide. In yet another incident, he claimed he was there when the Berlin Wall fell when, in fact, he did not arrive in Berlin until the next day and that he flew into Baghdad with a SEAL Team but the SEALs do not actually embed journalists. Williams was suspended for for 6 months without pay and NBC suffered a loss of credibility due to his actions. This is similar to the Stephen Glass story because, like Stephen Glass, Brian Williams was trying to produce sensational and interesting news, even if that meant bending the truth. 

I feel that the editor's responsibility is to protect the integrity of the publication regardless of loyalty towards the reporters. I feel like Shattered Glass showed me how the profession of journalism works and what sort of standards journalists and editors are held to.

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