Brian Williams and the Cryptic Fury of Sensationalized Journalism

NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams is currently on a self-imposed leave of absence as he weathers the storm of his own making by facing the consequences that stem from deceitful reportage.

Recently it was revealed that Williams had given inaccurate accounts of his coverage during the Iraq war back in 2003. His memory of being in a Chinook helicopter that was under attack from gun fire and grenades which forced a hasty landing wounding the pilot who was later awarded the purple heart for his bravery was refuted by those who actually experienced what the TV news star claimed.

After being forced in a corner, Williams had no choice but to admit that he had embellished the story and that in fact it was the helicopter ahead of the one he was in that suffered the hit from enemy fire.

Since he became the object of major scrutiny, the accusations started to mount as other instances of “memory loss” filtered in – including his coverage of Hurricane Katrina where he claimed seeing a body floating from his window while staying at The Ritz Carlton in the French Quarter even though that area was notably less affected by the storm. Then there is  Williams’ account of another helicopter ride while surveying the pummeled landscape of the Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006, and again, the charismatic newsman insinuates being in the line of direct fire as he describes a rocket launch that passed underneath the helicopter.

Needless to say, Williams is being investigated and despite issuing a public apology and owning up to his apparent lack of journalistic integrity – there are many who feel betrayed and immensely disappointed by the man who up until now represented what was supposedly ethically sound. He was the trusted face for primetime news and the ratings consistently supported his national appeal.

But the good times are diminishing quicker than a bolt of lightening as Nightly News is tumbling in the wake of all the chaos in the midst of their prized frontman’s absence, and even the more than adequate Lester Holt can’t save the day.

There are some who have come to Williams’ defense, including and not surprisingly Fox News’ master puppeteer, Bill O’Reilly who casually pointed out that this was just simply a mistake that is being blown out of proportion. The New York Times just penned a piece about the intricacies and mysteries surrounding the phenomenon of “false memory”.

All attempts to escape the likelihood that perhaps this newly anointed culprit may have gotten carried away with his own bloated persona and responded accordingly by living up to those lofty expectations.

One guy who isn’t playing into the hands of those who are intolerant of Williams’ plight happens to be none other than The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart who is quite certain the media has a rather hypocritical reaction to the scandal when you consider that the institution has succumbed to a method of reporting that is anything but valiant or even reliable.

Stewart mocks the idea that those who are in the business of news reporting are suddenly alarmed that their colleague could have misled the public about his coverage of the Iraq war when the event itself was highly questionable and based on a flat out lie. But he also recognizes the fact that Williams should be held accountable for his actions even though the ones casting stones aren’t necessarily swimming in purity.

Be that as it may – Williams was held to a standard that very few are able to successfully maintain but it looked like he was capable of being the flawless conveyor of the kind of news that grips a nation. Unfortunately being a celebrated journalist can produce a level of delirium that blurs the line between what is real and our preferred reality. Williams obviously chose to indulge in the latter because that is the American way and sadly he is poised to pay the ultimate price.