Since 2003 Brian Williams has repeated bragged about being on a helicopter which was shot down in Iraq. Reporters for the Stars and Stripes have determined that Williams was not on the helicopter which was shot down, but was on another helicopter which was not even in the area when the first chopper was hit by a rocket propelled grenade and crashed. Williams has confirmed this account and apologized. 
Journalism purports to be a profession, but when it comes to television journalism it is a sad reality that it is also entertainment.
Years ago I tried a case involving a local news anchor in front of Judge Seitz. Sitting at the defense table was the VP and General Manager of a local television station. On the witness stand was a highly compensated "investigative reporter" whose testimony had been marked by a remarkable lack of candor, which had upset not just me, but also Judge Seitz.
That reporter, whose credibility was questioned in front of her boss by a federal judge remained on the air for years until she showed up drunk on the air during a hurricane. I told the Herald reporter covering the trial off the record that I had no doubt that if she were a Herald reporter and the Executive Editor witnessed what was going on, that she would be fired within hours. He agreed but said television was not journalism.
Fifteen years later, the state of journalism is even more precarious. Newspapers, with a few exceptions are dying, and much of the nontraditional Internet reporting is without any accountability. Television news survives with a 24/7 news cycle and blatant partisanship because it is entertainment not news.
Brian Williams has to go. One cannot lie for a dozen years repeatedly and then say how sorry he is. He committed professional fraud. I, for one, am not entertained and I only hope his boss won't let him work until the next time he gets caught in a big lie.
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