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Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

Frayed Knot Feb 10 2015 06:30 PM

Six months without pay from his jobs as anchor and managing editor of NBC's Nightly News. So who'd have thought that just a few weeks after Allison Williams had her first racy neckkid scene on the HBO show 'Girls' that his TV performance would be more embarrassing to her thant he other way around?

Edgy MD Feb 10 2015 06:32 PM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

I'm wrestling with this. I don't watch TV anymore, so I don't have a stake one way or another. But we catch a guy being a bullshitter and we care more about making him pay — and getting on our high horses and making lotsa funny graphics — then, I dunno, dealing with all the bullshit.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 10 2015 07:22 PM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Feb 10 2015 08:21 PM

Assuming it's so serious a journalistic-ethics violation that it merits a six-month unpaid suspension for punishment... how exactly does suspension address the cause (at least gross, amateurish negligence and/or a mean self-aggrandizement streak; at worst, complete, deeply-ingrained dishonesty) or result (serious, lasting credibility dent) of said violation? How can any suspension be reparative?

d'Kong76 Feb 10 2015 07:45 PM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

I doubt he'll be back at his post after six months.

Ceetar Feb 10 2015 07:46 PM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

I don't watch that show, but it seems like a harsh punishment.

d'Kong76 Feb 10 2015 08:02 PM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

I didn't know who he was, at first I thought he was a politician.

Frayed Knot Feb 10 2015 09:11 PM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

d'Kong76 wrote: I doubt he'll be back at his post after six months. I think that depends on what else turns up - and indeed I think part of the reason for the suspension is to give other things time to either surface or not. If other examples of exaggerated or flat-out made up stuff does come up (there are already rumors about Katrina) then he'll be canned before the half year is even up. If not then network acts as if the slate is clean with statements about how they have a zero policy for made-up news. The kicker here is that this story broke loose due to increased appearances by Williams on the heels of NBC's broadcast of the Super Bowl. They might like to act as if the news and entertainment divisions are separate but we all know they're not so it wasn't a coinkidink that their signature news program headed by BW just happened to have a "story" [read: promo] connected to the SB virtually every night during the run-up and it was the mixing of the two that caused the story to leak out.

Benjamin Grimm Feb 11 2015 04:43 AM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

I've never watched his news broadcast, but he's been a frequent guest with David Letterman, and he seems like a nice guy with a really good sense of humor. He's a good storyteller, and that's probably what did him in; a desire to tell a better story. I don't think he'll be back. A news anchor is supposed to have credibility. Now that that's been compromised, he's sunk.

Edgy MD Feb 11 2015 06:04 AM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

If he wants to resurface, he will, somewhere. It's TV. And we have 350 outlets now. The best assets are a recognizable face and name — even a disgraced one.

Frayed Knot Feb 11 2015 07:00 AM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

Land somewhere, sure. But, even today, any job other than his current one as face of an entire network news division would be a big step down. What I'm finding funny in the immediate aftermath here is that there are (separate and at least mostly serious) suggestions that Jon Stewart take over Williams' spot - and that Williams take over Stewart's gig.

MFS62 Feb 11 2015 07:41 AM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

I think his position, as the face of a news organization, requires a high degree of credibility. He has tried at times to insert himself into the stories instead of just reporting them. He should be censured, but I'm not sure what the appropriate punishment should be. A relative of a friend is a VP at NBC news. We'll be seeing her in about a month. I'll let you know if she shares any insight. Later

Nymr83 Feb 11 2015 10:50 AM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

he deserved to get fired, and i'm very cynical about the suspension as it gives NBC the best of both worlds... they get to look good now with a risk-free punishment and whether or not he returns in 6 months wont depend on how sorry he is but on the ratings his replacement(s) manage to get.

Ceetar Feb 11 2015 10:54 AM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

Nymr83 wrote: he deserved to get fired, and i'm very cynical about the suspension as it gives NBC the best of both worlds... they get to look good now with a risk-free punishment and whether or not he returns in 6 months wont depend on how sorry he is but on the ratings his replacement(s) manage to get. This is pretty much true of every tv show though. That's really just how it goes.

Mets Guy in Michigan Feb 11 2015 03:57 PM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

No one comes back from a six-month suspension, except maybe ARod. That said, I'm not surprised by this. A shocking amount of TV news is purely theatrical. It's a show -- infotainment. The lines became blurred long ago -- there's really not a lot of difference between the fake news of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert and the cable news commentators. They're playing a role, and the star of his role was in the copter that was shot at.

Ceetar Feb 12 2015 07:45 AM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

Mets Guy in Michigan wrote: No one comes back from a six-month suspension, except maybe ARod. That said, I'm not surprised by this. A shocking amount of TV news is purely theatrical. It's a show -- infotainment. The lines became blurred long ago -- there's really not a lot of difference between the fake news of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert and the cable news commentators. They're playing a role, and the star of his role was in the copter that was shot at. yeah, I mean it's not like he made up something that was purely false. No "Hey, there are gangs roaming the streets shooting people wearing red!" (unless I missed something in the stories) what he was talking about was something that actually happens. Sure, maybe not to him this time, but I think that's an important distinction.

Edgy MD Feb 12 2015 08:14 AM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

The funny thing is that we've all got an opinion but nobody really is all that familiar with his act anyway because network evening news is dead. Stewart announces he's leaving The Daily Show, and social media blows up like he died.

Ceetar Feb 12 2015 08:42 AM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

Edgy MD wrote: The funny thing is that we've all got an opinion but nobody really is all that familiar with his act anyway because network evening news is dead. Stewart announces he's leaving The Daily Show, and social media blows up like he died. hell, suspending Williams might be good for ratings. You're right, and here's a chance. 6 months suspension implies he'll return after that. So get creative and see what happens. I know the jokes out there that Stewart should do it (but he implied he was starting to get burnt out, I doubt he'd want to get more serious with it) but there are plenty of other funny comedians too if you want to go that route. Or throw someone onto the fire. Hire some 22 year old kid out of school. Of course, Williams was just the guy reading the news. The whole system is what's broken. Simply hiring someone else is just a different deck chair on the Titanic.

Edgy MD Feb 12 2015 08:54 AM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

I certainly didn't mean to suggest that Jon Stewart should become the new NBC national anchor.

Ceetar Feb 12 2015 09:28 AM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

Edgy MD wrote: I certainly didn't mean to suggest that Jon Stewart should become the new NBC national anchor. not you. Frayed Knot mentioned it prior. It's been suggested by folks.

Frayed Knot Feb 12 2015 10:23 AM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

Ceetar wrote: Of course, Williams was just the guy reading the news. The whole system is what's broken. Simply hiring someone else is just a different deck chair on the Titanic. Except that the networks have spent years and marketing efforts promoting the idea that the anchor is decidedly NOT just a teleprompter reader. All the anchors, since the Cronkite days probably, are generally listed as 'Managing Editors' so as to completely distance themselves from the idea that their anchor is merely a pretty boy version of the William Hurt character in 'Broadcast News'. And it's this idea that he's so involved reporting and not just reading that stories of being in choppers being shot at or slumming it in post-Katrina New Orleans are promoted so as to add to the image.

d'Kong76 Feb 12 2015 12:50 PM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

Ceetar wrote: yeah, I mean it's not like he made up something that was purely false. Yes he did, he wasn't on the helicopter. Ceetar wrote: No "Hey, there are gangs roaming the streets shooting people wearing red!" (unless I missed something in the stories) what he was talking about was something that actually happens. Sure, maybe not to him this time, but I think that's an important distinction. But he wasn't on the helicopter. Making up war stories because you're on a tv camera in front of you while guys are coming home without arms and legs or in a bag is just plum wrong.

Ceetar Feb 12 2015 12:53 PM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

d'Kong76 wrote: Ceetar wrote: yeah, I mean it's not like he made up something that was purely false. Yes he did, he wasn't on the helicopter. Ceetar wrote: No "Hey, there are gangs roaming the streets shooting people wearing red!" (unless I missed something in the stories) what he was talking about was something that actually happens. Sure, maybe not to him this time, but I think that's an important distinction. But he wasn't on the helicopter. There's a difference between pure fiction and falsely claiming you've been through something that actually happened. Difference between saying you were at the Mets World Series clincher in '86 and '88.

d'Kong76 Feb 12 2015 12:58 PM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

Ceetar wrote: There's a difference between pure fiction and falsely claiming you've been through something that actually happened. To me, lying is lying.

Benjamin Grimm Feb 12 2015 02:29 PM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

I agree. Once you're proven to have lied, your credibility is damaged.

Edgy MD Feb 12 2015 08:50 PM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

Nothing to do with Williams... specifically... but the Times published a thoughtful article today about the nature and meaning of public shaming.

Frayed Knot Feb 13 2015 06:48 AM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I agree. Once you're proven to have lied, your credibility is damaged. And the thing is there's so little difference between the content and variety of stories on each of the network shows (and even less depth to the stories) that the only really choice to those who still watch nightly news programs is the perceived 'likability' and 'credibility' of the anchor. Once folks then latch onto a particular network they tend to stay there out of habit and/or loyalty to 'their' guy, but once those habits are broken they're easily replaced. As all that applies in this case, NBC viewers will either get used to Lester Holt and not really care if Williams ever comes back or they'll turn elsewhere and pick up a new viewing routine. Only if NBC ratings plummet over the next half year to the point where the head honchos are convinced that only Williams can save them (and if no other tall tales pop up in between) do I see them turning back to him with the hope that things will have all blown over by then. But, absent that scenario, they'll probably begin to wonder what justifies them paying him all that scratch to come back.

themetfairy Feb 13 2015 07:30 AM Re: Brian Williams - 6 month suspension

He'd be better off hosting a talk show at this point. He's personable enough to carry it off, and the credibility issue won't bite him so much in that setting.