Brian Williams: Apology, memory, the fog of war or something else?

 
We learned this week that Brian Williams made misstatements about events in Iraq involving a downed US Army helicopter forced to land by enemy fire in 2003. Williams told audiences, on more than one occasion, that he was on that helicopter. Last night, on The NBC Nightly News, Williams apologized to the public and the soldiers on board the downed chopper. He told viewers he had not been on that aircraft. Instead, he was on a different helicopter, in the same group, that arrived on the ground later. He was moved to make the admission after a soldier who had been on the downed aircraft questioned Williams' version. But now, the pilot of the helicopter Williams was in says they did take small arms fire.  This may explain some inconsistencies in Williams' earlier statements.

Williams “explained” his earlier misstatements by saying he “conflated” what happened to his own chopper with the one that actually took heavier enemy fire and was forced to land. Blaming the fog of memory, he apologized and then spoke of his support and admiration for members of the military who do what they do.

So, at best, Williams has a flawed memory of memorable events confusing details that others who were there remember more clearly. At worst, he’s more interested in burnishing his own role and experience than reporting the truth. As more information emerges, viewers and the bosses at NBC will have to decide whether to give Williams the benefit of doubt or assume the worst.

Anchoring a television newscast is much more difficult than it looks. The ease with which good anchors do their jobs is an illusion. In large markets and at the network level, teams of writers, producers, engineers, technicians, and video craftsmen and women make it all work smoothly and seamlessly. The “talent” (that’s the person you see on the screen reading the news: The Anchor) has to be a good communicator and is usually physically attractive. Anchors earn huge sums of money for their work, millions of dollars a year for those at the top.

During times of crisis good anchors sometimes work for days at a time with little sleep. During the aftermath of 9/11, Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings informed the nation with fine reporting and the ability to communicate clearly. They put events in context as the world watched in disbelief at what had happened in lower Manhattan, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. Others anchored and reported responsibly and appropriately but Jennings and Brokaw stood out. They demonstrated to the nation and world why they were in such important positions by their professionalism during a frightening time. They helped us through those terrible days.

Given the importance of an anchorman or woman’s role, NBC will have to make some tough calls about Williams’ future. He is a talented man and by most accounts a good guy. And he’s very good at his job, at least he has been for most of his career. But can he recover and regain the trust of the public? It is critically important that viewers know the news is honestly reported and presented. More information will emerge as others who were with Williams come forward.

In the early days of network television news, Walter Cronkite was known as the “most trusted man in America.” Brian Williams will never rise to that level of esteem in the public’s eyes. Times have changed and audiences are much more fragmented. The question is can he win the trust of viewers who rely on him and his network for daily doses of news and for more in-depth reporting during times of crisis. He can do so only if there is an honest accounting of how and why his earlier misstatements were made and why they continued to be repeated until a soldier who was there when a chopper went down called out the anchorman by presenting the truth.