I’ve been asked a few times for my opinion on whether or not what Brian Williams, and just recently, Bill O’Reilly, did was wrong by allegedly “altering” facts in news stories. Now, I must confess, neither Brian Williams nor Bill O’Reilly (nor the moral obligations of journalists vs. enterainers) are much on my personal radar screen. As for watching the news, I believe that Bob Dylan was correct when he said, “you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” And certainly when you do need a “weatherman”, media that covets and survives on followers, is not my “go to” source. Obviously, when major events occur I do turn to the News networks. However, it’s not, as I have said, my modus operandi. That being said, I was intrigued at first as to what all the fuss was about with Brian Williams. It seemed to me that he did what pretty much everyone who lives does at some point or another – he over-exaggerated the story for the story-telling excitement or to elevate his own importance. However, digging in a bit and discussing the events with friends I realized that indeed, a news broadcaster is responsible to deliver the news as it occurred. I think that is especially so when one wears the crown of “the most trusted name in news.”
