Is Brian Williams telling "tall tales" a big deal?

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Chukzombi

Chukzombi

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I watch NBC nightly news for easily over 20 years now. i went from Brokaw to Williams and not for one day have i distrusted either of them to tell me the truth. reason being, i never viewed either of them as news providers, only as someone that had a pleasant speaking voice presenting what was happening in the world. i could care less if he says he witnessed something when he didnt. i guess i would if i thought it might tarnish a later claim that really did happen. but as news is not structured that way, everything is video footage and field reporters now. the credibility of the news presenter is really not that important. any thoughts?
 
Agraza

Agraza

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It just seems like a pretty small embellishment. There could be more, but ~meh. I'm not attached to Williams, but I don't think this is a significant problem. I do think it's a bad thing, but if after all these years this is all there is, that's pretty damn good.
 
Chukzombi

Chukzombi

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Williams was initially accused of making up the helicopter story, but now web sleuths are calling some of his other stories into question. he claimed to witness a dead body floating by in the french quarter after katrina, meanwhile the french quarter did not flood. he also made claims he saved a puppy from a burning building and some other stuff. i dont really care too much if they dumped him, Lester Holt is just fine. its just i dont understand why everyone is getting so bent out of shape for Williams BS stories as long as they arent news stories themselves.
 
Hoss

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I was wondering if this would come up. I'm surprised its in the TV forum instead of the politics thread. I kinda think he's being thrown under the bus for political reasons.

I dunno, I'm not much of a consumer of TV news, but trust seems like a pretty big deal in someone who is supposed to be whittling down and spoon feeding you the news. Even if the lies he was telling didn't matter, I think his viewers have a right to be peeved that he was wasting his limited time telling those lies instead of giving them some more real news.
 
Hoss

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I was wondering if this would come up. I'm surprised its in the TV forum instead of the politics thread. I kinda think he's being thrown under the bus for political reasons.

I dunno, I'm not much of a consumer of TV news, but trust seems like a pretty big deal in someone who is supposed to be whittling down and spoon feeding you the news. Even if the lies he was telling didn't matter, I think his viewers have a right to be peeved that he was wasting his limited time telling those lies instead of giving them some more real news.
 
Agraza

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If he doesn't lie on the news itself, it's irrelevant. But if he's been saying that shit when he's in the anchor chair then no, he shouldn't be the anchor. People lie all the time. I hate it, but w/e. When actually functioning as a reporter you should be telling the truth as best as you can and promptly address any honest mistakes that you become aware of.
 
S

Silence_sl

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News trades in part on credibility. If your lead man has no credibility, then neither does the stories he covers.

The only thing he can do at this point is make a full apology and step down. This "misremembering" ploy he's using is insulting to everyone and makes him look like a bigger twat than he already is.
 
Chukzombi

Chukzombi

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Hoss_sl said:
I was wondering if this would come up. I'm surprised its in the TV forum instead of the politics thread. I kinda think he's being thrown under the bus for political reasons.

I dunno, I'm not much of a consumer of TV news, but trust seems like a pretty big deal in someone who is supposed to be whittling down and spoon feeding you the news. Even if the lies he was telling didn't matter, I think his viewers have a right to be peeved that he was wasting his limited time telling those lies instead of giving them some more real news.
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its really not an issue of right vs left as i am a hard right conservative yet i knowingly watch left wing news.i dont look at newscasters as reporters. reporters need to have credibility in their news reporting while the attractive male or females presenting it on TV just need to read the teleprompter correctly and look good while doing it.
basically this
 
Gilgamel

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Gravitas and credibility are the reasons he gets paid 14M a year. That is pretty much out the window. And if the Katrina story is true he basically took an already terrible story and tried to make it seem even worse, for whatever reason. I personally wouldn't believe a thing the man said at this point, and neither should you. He'll be out within a year.
 
Phazael

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Politically, he is being Dan Rathered. Basically, if the conservative crowd keeps wailing away on him it diverts attention from the fact that Fox more or less does this day in and day out without anyone blinking an eye.

Objectively, he deserves to be raked over the coals and should have known better, regardless of the politics. His existence as a public media figure should effectively be over after this and the misremember thing is beyond insulting.
 
Chukzombi

Chukzombi

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Gilgamel_sl said:
Gravitas and credibility are the reasons he gets paid 14M a year. That is pretty much out the window. And if the Katrina story is true he basically took an already terrible story and tried to make it seem even worse, for whatever reason. I personally wouldn't believe a thing the man said at this point, and neither should you. He'll be out within a year.
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in probably every news market, the local tv news has at least one female who has giant titties/ass doing the weather or sports. if you actually listened to them read a play by play or the 7 day forecast, you know they are just reading the teleprompter and likely do not have any expertise in those fields, they are just there to titillate. but you still watch for the forecast and the box scores. the news is no different, even though most men and women prefer a male anchor for those reasons you give. ts really a myth though. they are just as airheaded as those big tittied weather chicks
 
Gilgamel

Gilgamel

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It doesn't matter if it's a facade, it's still 80% of their job description. And I may or may not have just googled big tittied weather chicks.
 
Feien

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I guess that's what happens when you see your daughter getting her butt munched on tv, you tell yourself lies about reality.

On a more serious note, this whole situation is sad really. I like Brian Williams but he did screw up big time, even if it wasn't about something that mattered much, it's the narcissism that people don't like. However if the media keep badgering him they way they have been, it may backfire on them since people will now be more away about keeping others to the same standard.
 
Convo

Convo

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dumb.. 6 months suspension and no pay.. he should have just got canned. He will never see that job again
 
Chukzombi

Chukzombi

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well shit, thats the end of him. they need to perpetuate the news reader=reporter myth. Lester Holt is fine too. hopefully he doesnt like to spin yarns like Williams did.
 
Araxen

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Fox News can lie all day and get away with it. Why not Brian Williams?
 
Gilgamel

Gilgamel

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Araxen_sl said:
Fox News can lie all day and get away with it. Why not Brian Williams?
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Do you honestly believe Fox news is significantly more slanted than MSNBC or any number of other outlets slanted in the other direction? If their propaganda isn't your cup of tea(and it isn't mine) then fine, but don't act like they're some outlier. Grow up. They(cable news networks) are all pandering to a specific audience.
 
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