NBC News & The Ethics of the Brian Williams Scandal
28 January 2016
Chiderah Monde
Journalist Brian Williams returned to NBC News in September of 2015, after a suspension from the network for six months without pay. The veteran news anchor was accused of making a series of false claims in his broadcasts, in a scandal that amounted to his losing his job as managing editor and lead anchor of NBC’s premiere evening newscast,
“Nightly News,” and a highly publicized fall from grace.
Williams held the esteemed anchor position since 2004, and his decade-long tenure included several personal career highlights and achievements, including Emmy and Peabody
Awards (the penultimate for broadcast excellence). He became a popular culture icon rather than just a journalist while anchoring “Nightly,” making several Hollywood television and film appearances, garnering celebrity status, and holding the torch as the most trusted name in
American news since his predecessor, Tom Brokaw.
But Williams’ reputation took a hit when, in early 2015, several claims he made in reports over the years began to show inconsistencies and were called into question. The scandal erupted after a “Nightly News” broadcast on January 30, in which Williams retold what was widely believed to be his experience covering the Iraq War in 2003: he and the NBC
News crew on assignment were on a military helicopter that was “shot down” by enemy fire.
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During the broadcast that night the anchor mentioned it in relation to a new story about honoring some of the soldiers from the war, and this time someone challenged the dramatic tale. After the show aired, one of the soldiers who were there 12 years ago disputed Williams’ claim in a Facebook post (Tritten, 2015), apparently having had enough of the truth being manipulated. A flight engineer named Sergeant Joseph Miller revealed that the news anchor was not on the helicopter he claimed to be on, but rather arrived at the scene much later - and without any “enemy fire.” His rebuttal quickly went viral, and Williams was forced to address it
- offering an apology for mixed up details, and blaming his poor memory. The public, especially conservative media outlets in competition with NBC News, didn’t buy it.
While the Iraq helicopter story was the first inconsistency to be probed, others of
Williams’ recounts - such as claiming to have been at the fall of the Berlin Wall, and claiming to have seen a man commit suicide during a Hurricane Katrina report - also came up questionable, if not completely false. The backlash from viewers, and media firestorm it created became so severe that NBC News was forced to respond with an investigation.
In its internal review of the situation the network concluded that Williams “made a number of inaccurate statements about his own role and experiences covering events in the field. The statements in question did not for the most part occur on NBC News platforms or in the immediate aftermath of the news events, but rather on late-night programs and during public appearances, usually years after the news events in question” (NBC News, 2015).
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But the bigger issue with Brian Williams’ blunders actually involves the network - and the fact that his claims and reports weren’t questioned at all prior to the soldier’s rebuttal. In fact, the story was supported by the network for years. The NBC News online archives had
Williams’ supposed Iraq experience on file, in a story dated March 26, 2003, and with the headline, “Target Iraq: Helicopter NBC’s Brian Williams Was Riding In Comes Under Fire.”
The report remained searchable for 12 years online (Tritten, 2015). All mention of Williams’ original broadcast report has since been removed from the archives, but a quick-thinking viewer managed to upload it to YouTube first (Pepper, 2015).
While Williams’ ethics as a journalist should be - and has certainly been - called into question, it is also worth looking at the network as a whole for business ethics, as NBC News’ potential negligence of truth and accuracy in reporting for the sake of television ratings, acclaim or awards speaks volumes.
NBC is the oldest American broadcast network, and is considered one of the most trusted names in news coverage. Maintaining credibility and reporting accuracy has been woven into the code of ethics for the company (I know this as a former employee), as it is for the broadcast journalism industry overall. The scandal should have raised questions, or at least concerns, about who in the chain of command actually knew the truth - and for how long. Any “Nightly News” producers, script writers, or show executives who had a role in each evening broadcast could have known the truth about what happened in Iraq and, if they did, opted not to challenge Williams’ claims, or prevent them from being repeated throughout the span of his tenure as lead anchor. Furthermore, Williams was not alone in Iraq- as network reporters often travel with at least two crew members: a camera operator and audio engineer.
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If his helicopter was actually shot at, theirs would have been as well. Despite those details, he was the only person named, and eventually incriminated, by the network and its review.
The consequentialist response NBC News has given to the Brian Williams scandal is one that maximised the “greater good,” or utilitarian ethical stance. The network alienated
Williams as the sole responsible party, and conducted an internal investigation that suggested
NBC as a broadcast entity and corporation was willing to publicly distance itself from Williams if it meant compromising the public’s trust - one of their core values. They appeased critics by deciding to suspend Williams without pay for a substantial amount of time, and appeased the public by appointing a new, well-liked anchor in Lester Holt to continue their operations. It ended up being a great marketing move for the company: Many people praised the appointment of Holt, first because he was regarded as humble and deserving of the position, but also because his acceptance of the role elevated him to becoming the first African-
American primetime network news anchor in American history. This took attention away from the scandal, and allowed NBC News to focus on regaining public trust with a new and improved “Nightly News” show, anchor and image.
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References
NBC News. “Lester Holt Named Anchor of 'NBC Nightly News.” NBCNews.com. June 15, 2015. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lester-holt-named-anchor-nbc-nightly- news-n377831
Newport, Frank. “Brian Williams Situation Plays Out in Context of Already Low Trust in Mass Media.” Gallup. February 11, 2015. http://www.gallup.com/opinion/polling- matters/181544/brian-williams-situation-plays-context-already-low-trust-mass-media.aspx
Pepper, Chad. “Brian Williams' original account of his helicopter lie.” (VIDEO) YouTube. February 5, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyo506gcnZ4
Tritten, Travis. “NBC’s Brian Williams recants Iraq story after soldiers protest.” Stars & Stripes. February 4, 2015. http://www.stripes.com/news/us/nbc-s-brian-williams-recants-iraq- story-after-soldiers-protest-1.327792
Yu, Roger. “Brian Williams returns to air on MSNBC on Sept. 22 for pope visit.” USA TODAY. September 16, 2015. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/09/10/brian- williams-returns-air-msnbc-sept-22-pope-visit/72029836/
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