NBC News Credibility at Stake

The American television network NBC has just suspended its news anchor Brian Williams after he wrongly recounted an incident dating back to the Iraq War. The newscast’s journalistic ethics and credibility are at stake, making this much more than a just a trivial incident. Even if times were to change, the evening news anchor still continues to be the symbol of credible and reliable information.

March 24, 2003: the Iraq War is now into its first week. A formation of three Chinook Ch-47 helicopters heads towards the front line loaded with replacement parts. The formation is then forced to slightly divert from its original flight path due to a sandstorm, in order to avoid becoming an enemy target. According to the Stars and Stripes newspaper published one week after the incident, one of the helicopters was hit by RPG and AK-47 fire, but was able to land somehow.*

The NBC team, including Brian Williams, was accompanying another unit at the time in another helicopter convoy. This convoy did not come under fire, but had to land at the same location because of the sandstorm. This was where the NBC team managed to join the attacked crew almost an hour after the incident, and was able to take pictures of the damaged helicopter.

In an exclusive NBC report on March 26, 2003, Williams described his four-helicopter convoy journey to celebrity news anchor Tom Brokaw, explaining that they learned the Chinook ahead of them did not explode mid-air, but was able to land, since the rocket passed through the airframe without detonating.

Poor Memory or Ethics?

Over time, the story was embellished to the point where a huge scandal erupted, shaking up NBC’s credibility. In 2008, Williams wrote in his blog that it was a helicopter in front of him that was hit, but the four helicopters, including his, had been targeted and forced to land. In 2013, Williams told TV host David Letterman that two of the four helicopters, including the one he was riding in, came under fire. He stated that the group would not have been rescued if an armored unit from the 3rd Infantry Division had not intervened, ensuring their protection in the desert where they spent three days and two nights.

On Jan. 30, 2015, during the NBC newscast, Williams said that he invited Sergeant Major Tim Terpak to attend a hockey match between the New York Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens. Williams then explained that Terpak was responsible for his safety during the incident, and that he had stayed in touch with the U.S. soldier, who is a New Jersey native like Williams. There are pictures of Williams and Terpak hugging each other amid the crowd’s ovation at Madison Square Garden. The PA announcer stated that it had been 12 years since the helicopter came under enemy fire.

Correcting the Facts

After seeing the NBC report on Facebook, Christopher Simeone, the pilot of Williams’ helicopter, reacted by calling the anchor a liar in a written comment. This was the beginning of Williams’ ordeal. On Feb. 4, 2015, Williams was forced to admit on live television that he made a mistake in wanting to honor a veteran, and he apologized. The story has been reported worldwide, painstakingly stripping Williams and NBC of their credibility. The media have brought up other accounts involving Williams which may have been misleading, specifically during the events of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. After Williams announced that he would not be on air for a few days, NBC finally announced his six-month suspension without pay. To get a better idea of what happened, this must be placed in the context of the emergence of a news anchor epitomizing ethics and information reliability.

The Face of Trustworthiness

The history of the newscast’s credibility begins with pioneer Walter Cronkite on CBS in 1962. He kept America in suspense with unrivaled respect during the 1960s. He was known as “the most trusted man in America.” Following him was the Peter Jennings (ABC)/ Tom Brokaw (NBC)/ Dan Rather (CBS) trio, ushering in the newscast glory days under the mark of credibility from the early 1980s to the early 2000s. The serious and solemn news anchor character has spread through Canada and beyond with Bernard Derome (Radio-Canada) in Quebec, Knowlton Nash and Peter Mansbridge (CBC), as well as Lloyd Robertson (CTV) in English-speaking Canada, among others.

After replacing Tom Brokaw in 2004, Brian Williams was the traditional news anchor who embodied the stability and credibility of the NBC newscast. He often won the viewership race with excellent spectator ratings in a highly competitive market. With the current media crisis, U.S. and Canadian networks have been busy redefining themselves and trying out new ways of presenting the evening news in order to slow the continuous erosion of market shares, and to appeal to a younger public. Williams’ departure may open up a period of instability for NBC, which must now find a balance between the newscast’s credibility and flexibility.

If this trend of criticism continues, Brian Williams may no longer have a place on the newscast. Information respectability is still dependent on journalistic ethics and the tradition of credibility among news anchors. Between a journalist’s excusable mistake and the network’s reputation, NBC runs the risk of simply wanting to safeguard its credibility.

*Editor’s note: RPG refers to a rocket-propelled grenade.