Brian Williams Is To Be Pitied, Then Fired!

In the days of Walter Cronkite and David Brinkley, Anchorman of Network News were among the most trusted men in America. I remember my grandfather coming from Queens to our house on Long Island for a visit and waiting for his news to come on. He would listen as we waited patiently for the cartoons to resume afterwards. He watched and believed every word.

With the advent of CNN and a 24 hour a day news station the network news took a hit, then came the internet and news was available at the touch of a button. With my iPad I check into news streams throughout the day now.

Yet the Anchormen of CBS, NBC and ABC still were held as men of integrity, trustworthy, even with their liberal leanings at times. Brian Williams changed all that. First it was the lies about being shot down over Iraq and now a inquiry into if he was telling the truth when he reported about Katrina.  I imagine there will be more as this story unfolds. Tom Brokaw, who sat at the NBC desk for years, has called on the network to fire Brian Williams. What they will do remains to be seen. He has lost his credibility. 

But so has sitting presidents and even some so called preachers. When my integrity was called into question a few weeks ago I laughed. A close friend failed to see what was funny. I was innocent. The charge was laughable.

Obviously this is not so with Brian. He has admitted to fabricating the truth. Why would he do it? Didn't he realize the pilot would come out and tell the true story? These are questions which need to be asked and answered. Unfortunately it does not appear to be a mistake. He lied to America. He lied to his listeners. 

We live in a time when truth is looked at as being relative. We have played with the absolutes and sought to change things here in America. We have been very proud of it. It is a bit hypocritical for there to be outrage at poor Brian Williams in one sense. He got caught. He is to be pitied. He lied to the American people. The last president who did deceived the nation to be severely punished was Richard Nixon. He had to resign. That is what Brian Williams should do. He probably will not. He should be fired. We will have to wait to see what NBC Executives do. 

Whatever happens at this point there should be pity for him and the nation who listens. It is reflective of where we are at these days when it comes to holding the truth in high regard.