With his climbing of the slippery ladder that is to lead the 21st century as this generation's Walter Cronkite, this is a very interesting episode in the timeline of NBC News as Brian Williams has announced he will be taking a leave of absence thanks to his fudging in recalling Iraq war stories.
Whether it was a solo decision or one by the higher-ups, no one can be sure. What is certain is that his journalistic integrity has been compromised, but this leave and seemingly heartfelt apology may restore him in the public eye. What he experienced in Iraq and his subsequent constant incorrect retellings of the helicopter incident is actually something fairly common for one who was in such a traumatic environment (I know, I know, he still had much more protection than the average citizen, but still one can suffer from PTSD from episodes unrelated to the person).
As a psychology major, I learned that false memories are incredibly widespread. The duration of time between the incident in addition to specific communication cues can lead to the creation of false memories. This is especially seen during cases of childhood sexual abuse (does the term 'repressed memories' sound familiar?).
In Williams's case, his experience in being the helicopter an hour after the crashed predecessor could have been influenced by the his experienced emotions and those around him who may have posed questions such as 'Are you scratched from the accident?'. (Note the language which implies that there was an accident and is thus asking for a pseudo-confirmation under the assumption that he was present.)
He has also been a pseudo-celebrity. I caught a taping of Williams at David Letterman in October 2014, and was struck by how he was sharp enough to maintain an interest and knowledge in a wide expanse of topics. Such intellectual rigor is always demanding on the mind.
As a psychology major, I learned that false memories are incredibly widespread. The duration of time between the incident in addition to specific communication cues can lead to the creation of false memories. This is especially seen during cases of childhood sexual abuse (does the term 'repressed memories' sound familiar?).
In Williams's case, his experience in being the helicopter an hour after the crashed predecessor could have been influenced by the his experienced emotions and those around him who may have posed questions such as 'Are you scratched from the accident?'. (Note the language which implies that there was an accident and is thus asking for a pseudo-confirmation under the assumption that he was present.)
He has also been a pseudo-celebrity. I caught a taping of Williams at David Letterman in October 2014, and was struck by how he was sharp enough to maintain an interest and knowledge in a wide expanse of topics. Such intellectual rigor is always demanding on the mind.
Which isn't to say that maybe he wasn't just straight up lying to make himself seem like he had more clout than his competitors. People hear, feel, and think whatever they like: in a part-time job interview recently, I mentioned serving on the Board of Trustees not out of self-service, but to specifically address a question. After an hour, what I had thought was a positive interview became condescending. The woman suddenly decided to give me tips for the future and referenced my above example: 'I know you're very, very, very (sic) proud of serving on the Board of Trustees because you wouldn't stop talking about it, but I just want to let you know that in the future, be careful about talking about that kind of stuff because some people might get jealous -- I mean, I don't care, but I'm just telling you some people will get jealous,'. I talked about the board exactly twice. Her false memory was fueled out of something I don't care to analyze as I reminded myself to think through her criticisms.
So we'll see if anything changes if or when he comes back. Until then, it's Lester Holt in the spotlight.
So we'll see if anything changes if or when he comes back. Until then, it's Lester Holt in the spotlight.