Brian Williams, American Hero?

Is Williams still popular?

Ten-year reporting veteran and beloved nightly news anchor Brian D. Williams has recently been suspended for six months for “misrepresenting events which occurred” while he was covering the Iraq War in 2003. Mr. Williams was recanting a story from his days broad casting during the war: the story goes like this, he was in a Chinook Helicopter that was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade that was forced to crash land. Not long after this story aired Lance Reynolds, a solider on the downed helicopter, and many other crewmembers attested that Brian Williams was in a helicopter that arrived almost an hour after said attacks. After 12 years, and many retellings of this “story”, Brian Williams apologized on national television. Stating that he had “made a mistake in recalling the events of 12 years ago.” This is when he was asked to step aside.

So what? People lie to use all the time, politicians, reporters our parents our friends. Why is it such a big deal that Brian Williams told this white lie in order to increase his internet fame. That’s the question Magid took to the streets. Magid is on of the largest media-consulting firms. Their surveying team went to the public to see their opinion on the action taken by, and taken dealing with Brian Williams. Out of those who said they watch the nightly news at least once a month “ 48% -- said they thought Williams could restore his credibility”, of the daily viewers of the news “58%..” and the vast majority of people sided with the notion that this should not be grounds for him losing his job. The replace speculated to take over his spot has been Jon Stewart

of the Daily Show, although people do show support of him. 

The story has made national headlines nonetheless. Even to the point were it was mentioned in one of the SNL 40 Year Anniversary skit. Magid argues that the “millennials”, aka the new and upcoming viewers of the Nightly News, are very lenient with this sort of thing and they will give him a “break”.

Personally, this lie did not really hurt anyone. I don’t think he should lose his job, but I do think Jon Stewart could do a fabulous job reporting news on a more serious light.

This was the midday snowday news,

Todd Uckermark… signing off.