By RACHEL BAHOR
Staff Writer
Brian Williams, popular NBC reporter and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, has made recent headlines due to his six-month suspension. Williams, while covering the Iraq War, lied about his involvement with an explosion on what he claimed to be his military helicopter. It has since been discovered that the helicopter in front of his was struck, while his aircraft was unharmed, exposing his fabrication of the event.
When scrolling through my Facebook feed I have seen nothing but outrage regarding his suspension. With comments ranging from “NBC has lost a viewer,” to “everyone makes mistakes,” the general public seems to be quite displeased with NBC’s decision. While Williams has, up to this point, been seen as a responsible, articulate news anchor, we cannot forget the duties that reporters and journalists have to the public.
In a world that is passing entertainment off as news, it is vital that these larger, legitimate news outlets continue to enforce high standards. Looking at this situation, I think that NBC had every right to suspend Brian Williams. While it is true that “everyone makes mistakes,” in the news business it is a reporter’s duty to the public to be truthful and unbiased. Sharing false stories not only discredits Williams, but NBC as well.
The first principle in the “Journalist’s Code of Ethics,” created by the Society of Professional Journalism, is “seek the truth and report it.” It is the public’s right to be given accurate information as well as context of the events coming from an unbiased view. Although I don’t think every reporter is guilty of such fabrications, situations like this make me question the validity of what I’m reading.
In the eyes of NBC, it is not worth the risk of possibly losing accreditation as well as viewers. If consumers feel they must question their source’s facts, they will go to another source. NBC was being proactive by suspending Williams, proving to their viewers that if behavior similar to this was detected among other reporters, actions would be taken to ensure the accuracy of their content. Those opposing William’s suspension should appreciate the attempts NBC is making to live as closely to the “Journalist’s Code of Ethics” as possible.
While it is not satisfying seeing a successful reporter’s mistake be made so public, it is reassuring to see a news outlet taking action against unethical activity among their staff. I could only hope that the same actions would be taken by other outlets, keeping the focus on disseminating accurate information to the public.
