Here's an oldie-but-a-goodie from back in a time when the public's jading of the mainstream
media hadn't fully matured.
It's from February in 2015, just after 2000 people had been slaughtered in Nigeria, before
12 people are killed in the Charlie Hebdo newspaper debacle in France and just before
ceasefire failures in the Ukraine.
The piece is from a Journalist called Sher Watts Spooner and I just love how these guys
stick together! I've seen it close up and with a smidgen of sarcastic admiration, I've come
to think that this level of comradeship is something rarely seen outside of the fighting Forces.
SOURCE:
I know that if you lie in judicial court of law, the consequences of your falsehoods are your
own and you have to bear them alone. But in the court of public opinion, Journalists have
the luxury of having collegues of the same field running to their rescue to shore up the
perception that they are the purveyors of truth and honour.
And God forbid, that particular curtain is ever seen through.
The Brian Williams error: Why do journalists lie?
'The latest newsman to own up to a major fib is NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams.
The funny and likeable Williams has been telling the same story for years — that he was shot
down in a helicopter during the early days of the Iraq War in 2003. Except he wasn’t..'
Now come on people, it was only a 'fib'... not an outright lie for goodness sake!
It's not like it was a report or something. Except it was part of a report, but let's not get bogged
down with semantics, it's not like he's relied upon to relate accurate information via auditory
means or anything.
'...Then some soldiers who really had been shot down in a helicopter in the same incident called
him out, saying Williams was nowhere near the incident and arrived by helicopter an hour later...'
Yeah, some soldiers, huh? Some men who're fighting in a real world reckons the 'funny and likeable'
news-reader had lied to the people they are fighting for. Just some soldiers, huh?
'... An article in the military publication Stars and Stripes gave an account of the story and Williams’
explanation: He “misremembered.” “I would not have chosen to make this mistake,” Williams said.
“I don’t know what screwed up in my mind that caused me to conflate one aircraft with another.”...'
('Misremembered' isn't really a word, but we'll let it slide, huh?!)
Well Mr. Williams -who I doubt is being paid a lesser wage for reporting the truth than the people
he was supposed to be in the helicopter with, you're now telling us in a Forces magazine written by
Journalists -that at times, you cannot help but say things that are incorrect.
You're now telling us that the auto-cue, the tele-prompter and those pieces of paper you shuffle
have nothing to do with relating accurate information to the public...?
Is that what we're to take from this article written by a fellow-Journalist?
'...I’ve never been in an aircraft that’s been shot down; few of us have, and many who were shot
down didn’t survive to talk about it...'
Who's 'we'...? Journalists or Soldiers? Journalists heavily insured by their respective companies
or the men and women who use these machines everyday because its their jobs?
Why are you trying to tape Reporters to fighting men and women?
Oh, I see. It's to use the honourable aspect of troops in the battlefield and paste it onto Mr. Williams'
'misremembering'. That way, the reader will find it easier to forgive when they mistakenly attach a
chosen profession with a military order involving killing or being killed.
'...Still, it’s hard to believe that Williams could have confused being in a helicopter that was hit by
enemy RPG fire and came tumbling out of the sky with being in a helicopter that landed safely...'
Jeez-Louise! You're doubting his virtue too...? If there was only some way you could use pragmatic
words that could explain this interruption of bull-sh*tting the reader.
'...(UPDATE: Apparently now a pilot says Williams' helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire.
That's a far cry from RPG fire. And even if it's only an exaggeration, it still doesn't let Williams off the
hook.)..'
Phew! That was close! Thank heavens for the... 'a pilot'
'...It’s a story he’s apparently told for years, on and off the air — as recently as a New York Rangers
hockey game, where Williams accompanied a retired soldier who had provided ground security for
those same grounded helicopters...'
Wow! I wish I could get a well-paid job that allows me to 'misremember' on and off air.
'...The soldier received a public tribute and a standing ovation, and Williams repeated his own downed
-helicopter story on the nightly news.
So Williams has apologized and, he hopes, moved on. Twitter is not so kind;...'
You mean the reason he lied on the nightly news for years was because he went to a hockey game with
a retired soldier...? That's what we're going with? Is the reason he later apologised (spelled correctly
without US auto-correct, may I add!)... are we saying that he later apologised because he remembered
'misremembering' or that someone called him out on it?
And if they hadn't disputed his story, would he have still said sorry?
Thank you the world of Journalism, I'm glad that worrying eye-opener was put to bed.
media hadn't fully matured.
It's from February in 2015, just after 2000 people had been slaughtered in Nigeria, before
12 people are killed in the Charlie Hebdo newspaper debacle in France and just before
ceasefire failures in the Ukraine.
The piece is from a Journalist called Sher Watts Spooner and I just love how these guys
stick together! I've seen it close up and with a smidgen of sarcastic admiration, I've come
to think that this level of comradeship is something rarely seen outside of the fighting Forces.
SOURCE:
I know that if you lie in judicial court of law, the consequences of your falsehoods are your
own and you have to bear them alone. But in the court of public opinion, Journalists have
the luxury of having collegues of the same field running to their rescue to shore up the
perception that they are the purveyors of truth and honour.
And God forbid, that particular curtain is ever seen through.
The Brian Williams error: Why do journalists lie?
'The latest newsman to own up to a major fib is NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams.
The funny and likeable Williams has been telling the same story for years — that he was shot
down in a helicopter during the early days of the Iraq War in 2003. Except he wasn’t..'
Now come on people, it was only a 'fib'... not an outright lie for goodness sake!
It's not like it was a report or something. Except it was part of a report, but let's not get bogged
down with semantics, it's not like he's relied upon to relate accurate information via auditory
means or anything.
'...Then some soldiers who really had been shot down in a helicopter in the same incident called
him out, saying Williams was nowhere near the incident and arrived by helicopter an hour later...'
Yeah, some soldiers, huh? Some men who're fighting in a real world reckons the 'funny and likeable'
news-reader had lied to the people they are fighting for. Just some soldiers, huh?
'... An article in the military publication Stars and Stripes gave an account of the story and Williams’
explanation: He “misremembered.” “I would not have chosen to make this mistake,” Williams said.
“I don’t know what screwed up in my mind that caused me to conflate one aircraft with another.”...'
('Misremembered' isn't really a word, but we'll let it slide, huh?!)
Well Mr. Williams -who I doubt is being paid a lesser wage for reporting the truth than the people
he was supposed to be in the helicopter with, you're now telling us in a Forces magazine written by
Journalists -that at times, you cannot help but say things that are incorrect.
You're now telling us that the auto-cue, the tele-prompter and those pieces of paper you shuffle
have nothing to do with relating accurate information to the public...?
Is that what we're to take from this article written by a fellow-Journalist?
'...I’ve never been in an aircraft that’s been shot down; few of us have, and many who were shot
down didn’t survive to talk about it...'
Who's 'we'...? Journalists or Soldiers? Journalists heavily insured by their respective companies
or the men and women who use these machines everyday because its their jobs?
Why are you trying to tape Reporters to fighting men and women?
Oh, I see. It's to use the honourable aspect of troops in the battlefield and paste it onto Mr. Williams'
'misremembering'. That way, the reader will find it easier to forgive when they mistakenly attach a
chosen profession with a military order involving killing or being killed.
'...Still, it’s hard to believe that Williams could have confused being in a helicopter that was hit by
enemy RPG fire and came tumbling out of the sky with being in a helicopter that landed safely...'
Jeez-Louise! You're doubting his virtue too...? If there was only some way you could use pragmatic
words that could explain this interruption of bull-sh*tting the reader.
'...(UPDATE: Apparently now a pilot says Williams' helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire.
That's a far cry from RPG fire. And even if it's only an exaggeration, it still doesn't let Williams off the
hook.)..'
Phew! That was close! Thank heavens for the... 'a pilot'
'...It’s a story he’s apparently told for years, on and off the air — as recently as a New York Rangers
hockey game, where Williams accompanied a retired soldier who had provided ground security for
those same grounded helicopters...'
Wow! I wish I could get a well-paid job that allows me to 'misremember' on and off air.
'...The soldier received a public tribute and a standing ovation, and Williams repeated his own downed
-helicopter story on the nightly news.
So Williams has apologized and, he hopes, moved on. Twitter is not so kind;...'
You mean the reason he lied on the nightly news for years was because he went to a hockey game with
a retired soldier...? That's what we're going with? Is the reason he later apologised (spelled correctly
without US auto-correct, may I add!)... are we saying that he later apologised because he remembered
'misremembering' or that someone called him out on it?
And if they hadn't disputed his story, would he have still said sorry?
Thank you the world of Journalism, I'm glad that worrying eye-opener was put to bed.
Edith Head Gives Good Wardrobe.