"The Sunday Political Brunch" -- February 8, 2015

Dr. Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is Chief Political Reporter at WLNE-TV ABC6 Providence, and a Political Analyst at KGO Radio AM-810, San Francisco.

(Providence, Rhode Island) – Every week in this column I try my best to dissect the latest trends in politics; interpret polls number; and, look at historic trends. The goal is to give my readers a factual, academically-based, and journalistically-honest assessment of the political landscape. My predictions are not what I “want” to happen; but rather what I “think” will happen, in a variety of races and issues. I have no agenda, other than to try to make politics more interesting for people. But this week, I find my industry under siege, so instead of “brunching” on politics this week, we are going to turn the critical eye inward on the world of journalism:

“Brian’s Song” – NBC News anchor Brian Williams, has discredited himself – and by extension – our entire profession. For years Williams has been telling stories about his coverage of the Iraq War in 2003, and that a helicopter in which he was a passenger, was attacked and crippled by enemy fire, forcing it to make an emergency landing. The story is not even remotely true, and has been completely discounted by military personnel who were there. Williams was in a helicopter, an hour behind the one attacked. His chopper never got a scratch. It’s an egregious and unforgivable tale. NBC should insist on Williams’ immediate resignation, or it should fire him. There is no other choice.

“Blair Error” – Williams is not the first journalist to tell a “tall tale,” nor, sadly, is he likely to be the last. Jayson Blair was a young reporter for the New York Times in 2002, when he was called out for making up “facts” and also plagiarizing the work of other newspapers in the famed Washington, DC sniper case. Blair was forced out and has never worked as a serious journalist again.

“Cooke’d the Books” – In 1981 Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke won the Pulitzer Prize for the story, “Jimmy’s World.” It was about an 8-year-old Washington, DC boy who was already addicted to heroin at such a young age. Even then-Washington, DC Mayor Marion Barry was drawn into the ruse, believing that Jimmy’s story was real. It wasn’t. It was a complete fabrication. Cooke was forced to resign, and the newspaper that broke Watergate was embarrassingly forced to return the Pulitzer Prize. What’s wrong with these people? Our jobs as reporter are exciting enough - as is - you don’t have to make stuff up!

“Race Will Make a Case” – I’m not one to throw race into any issue, because I often think it is gratuitous, unwarranted, and inflammatory. But Jayson Blair and Janet Cooke are both African-Americans. And sooner or later people are going to ask, “Why were the black reporters fired, but not the rich, white reporter?” NBC is going to have to deal with that – fair or not – and I wonder what MSNBC’s Rev. Al Sharpton will say about the apparent double-standard. It’s a fair question!

“Ethics Matter” – Journalism – despite what its critics might say – is a profession. And like any worthy profession, it has professional societies that promulgate a code of ethics. The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), which is primary a broadcasting fraternity, has a code of ethics which states: “Professional electronic journalists should pursue truth aggressively and present the news accurately, in context, and as completely as possible. Professional electronic journalists should: Continuously seek the truth…” and: “Resist distortions that obscure the importance of events.” It goes on to state that, “Professional electronic journalists should not: Report anything known to be false.” View the complete code of ethics here: http://www.rtdna.org/content/rtdna_code_of_ethics#.VNbELiw3nsU

“Ditto” – The Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta Chi, also has a code of ethics. It states, quite simply, at the beginning: “An ethical journalist acts with integrity.” It further states: “Journalists should: Take responsibility for the accuracy of their work. Verify information before releasing it. Use original sources whenever possible…”; and, “Remember that neither speed nor format excuses inaccuracy; and, Take special care not to misrepresent or oversimplify in promoting, previewing or summarizing a story…” and, “Gather, update and correct information throughout the life of a news story.” The entire SPJ code of ethics is here: http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

“’Misremembering’ the Facts” – Up until this week, I had never heard the word, “misremember,” which was proffered by Brian Williams as to how he got his account so grossly wrong. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary online (www.m-w.com): “The word you’ve entered isn’t in the dictionary.” Be that as it may, most people would be hard pressed not to vividly recall their aircraft being hit by rocket fire. As a news reporter, I have twice been right on the line of police versus suspect gunfire – within ten yards – and it was horrifying, frightening, and stunning all at once. My recollection is hauntingly vivid and unmistakable to this day. (One incident was in Ocala, Florida in 1987; the other in Pensacola, Florida in 1989). Either the helicopter in which Williams was riding was hit by gunfire, or it wasn’t. The facts – and his recall - would have abundant clarity!

“Why All of the Matters” – One of my best friends in college wore a button that said, “Question Authority!” It was a mantra that we should always view what we are told, with abundant skepticism. Our government and our media should constantly be viewed with the highest degree of scrutiny, and I strongly encourage that. People in authority and power need to be held to the highest standards. Trust is an “all or nothing” proposition. No one ever says, “I trust what the media says only 20 percent of the time.” Or, “I trust my boss, or my spouse, about 40 percent of the time.” You either do; or you don’t. And right now, Brian Williams has tainted the entire NBC brand – not to mention the damage industry wide. Again, he should resign, and if he doesn’t, he should be fired immediately!
What do you think? Should Brian Williams stay, or go, at NBC News? Just click the comment button at www.MarkCurtisMedia.com.

© 2015, Mark Curtis Media, LLC.

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