Brian Williams: Has The Fat Lady Sung Her Song?

 

Photo Credit: David Shankbone

It's a real shame he felt the need to embellish a story and in turn, damage his career this way. Brian Williams was probably the only reporter/anchor at NBC (on either cable or broadcast) that seemed to even attempt to show any sort of objectivity in his reporting. He didn't always succeed, but more often than not he did. Now we learn this. Disappointed? Yes. Surprised? Not really. I believe there are several factors that led to the scenario where something like this could happen. It's not the first time something like this has happened and I'm sure it won't be the last. But it is the first time someone with the stature of Brian Williams has gotten caught and called out on it. As for this particular situation, NBC thinks a 6 month suspension without pay is appropriate punishment. For Williams, that amounts to a loss of up of $4,000,000 to HIS bottom line. I think Brian Williams done at NBC, at least as far as the Nightly News broadcast goes. NBC typically wins 3 or 4 of the 5 nightly news battles each week on the "broadcast networks." If his "temporary" replacement, Lester Holt, can come in and sustain that or even improve those numbers, the end result is a foregone conclusion. There's no way NBC/Comcast takes a highly visible, much respected, and successful African American out of the anchor chair. It just isn't going to happen. That said, can Williams salvage his career? Maybe. Will he ever anchor a nightly newscast again? Who knows. Time will tell. Maybe Brian Williams can find a spot on MSNBC or at FOX? I certainly hope so, but there's a lot of trust to re-earned and regained before he can do that. Either way, it's a real shame to see an otherwise stellar career take this kind of hit. The fat lady has sung her song for Williams just yet, but at the end of the day and regardless of the how or why, he has no one to blame his current situation on but himself. A cautionary tale indeed.

Til Next Time..................

Bonehead of the Week, February 20, 2006

Some people just don't get it!

Throughout this past week all we heard about was Dick Cheney, his hunting accident, and "Wah, why weren't we told, Wah!." I promised myself I wasn't gonna rant...uh...I mean write about the insanity we call the White House Press Corp. I was really good too! I was able to keep my promise for seven and a half days. Then I made the mistake of watching the end of the Daytona 500 again today. When I originally taped the race Sunday, I let the tape continue to record afterwards and caught this weeks "Meet the Press." I watched that too! Big Mistake!!!!

Tim Russerts first guest was NBC Senior White House Correspondent David Gregory. What a blow hard! If there were ever an A List Elitist masquerading as a journalist David Gregory would be it. David who? Yeah that's right David who, that's what most of America was asking last week. David "who" showed his backside all last week by yelling almost daily at White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan about why the Press Corp wasn't immediately notified of the hunting accident that Vice President Cheney was involved in. All of a sudden the fact that the VP accidentally shot someone was taking a back seat to the fact that Mr Who's enormus ego was a little bruised. Were the questions he was asking legitimate ones? Maybe....maybe not, but right now that's irrelevant. The fact is the David Gregory acted like a spoiled little 6 year old throwing a temper tantrum because his mamma wouldn't buy him a piece of candy in the supermarket check out line. Personally, I think he let a little of his personal dislike of the current administration slip through. For those of you who need it spelled out in BIG BLOCK LETTERS...........LIBERAL MEDIA BIAS AT ITS FINEST!!! Or maybe it is as simple as his embarrasment over being scooped by a tiny newspaper in South Texas. Now when was the last time a newspaper scooped national television? Either way, he got his pompus mug on Meet the Press and gave an apology that wasn't really an apology, continuing to spout his liberal plablum, earning him this weeks "Bonehead of the Week" award.

One final thought to throw out there....Just once, I'd like hear the White House Press Secretary, whoever he maybe, say something like this to one of those idiotic, over-indulged White House reporters: "David, you know, we didn't inform you immediately because, quite frankly, we didn't think it was any of your damn business!"

(originally posted 2-20-06 on Yahoo 360)