First Rather, now Williams

[herbu]

What's up with the network news anchors? First it was CBS Dan Rather caught making up lies about Bush. Now it's NBC Brian Williams making up stories about his own experience, (not unlike Hillary claiming she was shot at by snipers).

I wonder if this is something new, or modern communication just makes it easier to catch these guys. I remember when CBS had Walter Cronkite, and NBC had Huntley and Brinkley. They were just about the only source for national and international news, there was no easy way to verify their stories, and they were widely regarded as honorable and accurate reporters.

Were they as deceitful as Rather and Williams, and we just didn't know?
If not, what changed? It's not like these guys made up their stories spontaneously. The networks had a bunch of staff working with these guys, and the staff knew the stories were lies.

I understand the "News" media has evolved into clear liberal and conservative camps. This is not about that. This is simply the integrity of major network news. Gone?

 

[Adam]

I don't watch the news much, and I had to go look this story up. From what I gather, he admitted to embellishing his experience on a helicopter, and is accused of embellishing his experiences post-Katrina. I also got the impression that he never told that helicopter story on the news itself, but rather on other shows like talk shows. I haven't read that much this morning, but I don't see him being accused of changing facts of stories not related to his own experience, or being accused of lying about his helicopter experience on NBC News.

Seems like a guy who got caught up in wanting to think, and wanting others to think, that he experienced some of the stuff that he reports on daily. I don't know about his life and career, but I imagine that a lot of it involves sitting in an office or behind a camera, reporting about what other people have done. I'm not that judgmental about that, but like I said, I don't watch the news that much and don't have experience with him talking about those stories - just what I read about this morning.

 

[Alex2507]

Breaking News: Liars report lies. Great apology though. I'd vote for him.

 

[Swerd]

The current case with Brian Williams's "embellished memory" seems similar to those memories that some military veterans have – they don't match the facts. Memories and adrenalin can do funny things in wartime. Many debriefings of those directly involved in combat contained significant exaggerations, most of which were truly believed at the time by the person involved.

Memories and time also do funny things, especially for those who believe military or war time experiences lend credibility to a person. We can all recall stories of people who falsely claimed they were awarded prestigious combat medals while in the service. In this case, the memories were those of a civilian newsman, who should have known better.

I personally doubt if any comparisons can be made between the Dan Rather case from years ago, and Brian Williams now. Dan Rather wasn't talking about himself, but the unexplained military record of W. There was no "fog of war" involved. There were those who believed that Dan Rather and CBS News were deliberately fed false information, as if they were being set up. But there doesn't seem any trail of evidence that exists today to support that idea. However, other deliberate disinformation campaigns, meant to smear reputations or careers, were done by members of the W administration while in office.

 

[Ponzio]

Hillary did the same thing on her trip to Baghdad. The lead helicopter took some incoming, not hers. I guess they get so freaked out and they blurt out, "I" came under fire, when they land. Sadly a staffer/mother isn't around to tell them they told a fib and they play along until they believe it themselves ... delusions feeds the ego.

 

[Rickster71]

I don't know who actually said this,
“If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you're misinformed.” [Not Twain; no known source.]

The egotistical TelePrompter readers have been lying for generations.

I won't even touch the Lies by Omission they commit every day.
Here's a small list off the top of my head:

One big one was when they lied about Audi cars having "Unattended or Sudden Acceleration" problems. They tried to do the same with Toyota a few years ago. http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/03/the-best-of-ttac-the-audi-5000-intended-unintended-acceleration-debacle/

Remember when they said the first Glock pistol was made out of plastic and could get through airport x-rays?

Or when they said cell phones caused brain tumors?

Or when NBC edited the 911 tapes from the Trayvon Martin case: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/02/nbc-launches-internal-probe-over-edited-11-call-in-trayvon-martin-shooting/
Don't hold your breath.

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[markw]

Where have all the Edward R Murrows and Walter Cronkites gone?

 

[Swerd]

Where have all the Edward R Murrows and Walter Cronkites gone?

I have 2 thoughts:

1. Murrow, Cronkite, and others of that time, were replaced by younger people who were more interested in being stars on TV than they were in journalism.
   
   
2. In today's climate, would Murrow or Cronkite have the same reputations as they had in their day? Or would they also be constantly scrutinized and attacked.

 

[Rickster71]

It's debatable if one news anchor, whether one from the last generation or one from now will make or break the credibility of one station's news.
This whole things sounds more like a systemic problem with our news.

I saw this today: Downed chopper pilot says he told NBC 12 years ago that Williams’ story was false.
http://www.bizpacreview.com/2015/02/08/downed-chopper-pilot-says-he-told-nbc-12-years-ago-that-williams-story-was-false-178473
NBC never acted on this after all these years either.

 

[markw]

The main stream news nowadays serves less to keep the general public informed as to what's really happening in the world as much as to keep it's attention focused on some areas while ignoring others entirely to the benefit of some concerns, but that's a whole 'nuther discussion.

But, one thing that Walter Cronkite did that was outstanding was to be the first in that area who publicly acknowledged that we were losing the Viet-Nam war. That did energize a generation and, I think, the news took it's cue from that that it could actually sway public opinion. The rest is history. Shortly after that, Watergate was broken by Woodward and Bernstein and from then on, it was a new ball game that's gotten us to where the media now controls us without most of us even realizing it.

It was only a matter of time before they actually started drinking their own kool-aide.

 

[Rickster71]

Once it was realized that The pen is mightier than the sword. It was downhill for truly neutral news reporting. That much power corrupts mere mortals.

 

[Rickster71]

Before I head out I'll drop a few Noam Chomsky quotes:
Propaganda is to democracy what violence is to a dictatorship.

..... about 20% who make up the political class and are expected to participate as cultural managers in a limited fashion -- are indoctrinated, and most people -- the other 80% of the population -- are marginalized, diverted from political awareness and participation in self-governing, and reduced to apathy so they don't vote or take charge.
Media are a tool of society's power elites and owned and controlled by them and are used to impose those illusions that are Necessary to keep people diverted from the political process.

 

[Swerd]

Walter Cronkite wasn't the first newsman to sway US public opinion about a war.

William Randolph Hearst helped rouse anti-Spanish sentiment before the Spanish-American War in 1898.

Edward R. Murrow became famous because his 1940 radio broadcasts from London during the Blitz had such a large effect on convincing Americans that backing the British against Germany was something worthwhile. I think we now tend to forget how widespread isolationism was before WW2.

There were probably similar examples prior to WW1 or the Civil War, but I don't know them.

 

[markw]

I think Cronkite resonated with me because I was among the generation affected most by that war,

 

[Swerd]

I think Cronkite resonated with me because I was among the generation affected most by that war,

Me too. At the time, I remember being upset with how long it took for US public opinion to turn against that war. I was young and had made up my mind pretty quickly.

My parents, perhaps typical of people their age, had their doubts about Vietnam long before Uncle Walter said it was time to get out. But they kept quiet. Their experiences with widespread national unity during WW2, and their memories of the anti-communist witch hunts that happened in the late 1940s & early 50s, made them reluctant to speak up. Maybe they needed someone like Cronkite to prod them.

Do you remember Eric Sevareid? He's another one I miss.

 

[Chu Gai]

Williams' reporting from the front lines during The Battle of the Bulge as German artillery shells exploded around him will always stand as a model of courage and clarity for generations to come.