By Uche Onyebadi

YOU may not have heard about an American journalist known as Brian Williams. If so, Wikipedia has this brief introduction: “Brian Douglas Williams is an American journalist who is the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, the evening news programme of the NBC television network, a position he assumed on December 2, 2004.”

Brian Williams belongs to the contemporary crème de la crème of American journalism. To be the anchor and managing editor of NBC’s Nightly News might be likened to being a four-star general in the army; not an army with a history of always advancing backwards when rag-tag groups like Boko Haram or Al-Shabab are retreating forward and gaining territory in the process. Williams commands such respect in American journalism as perhaps Nigeria’s Dele Giwa commanded before “unknown soldiers” sent him a parcel bomb that snuffed life out of his ebullient body, or Norbert Zongo who was mysteriously eliminated by the henchmen of Blaise Compaore’s government in Burkina Faso.

FILE PHOTO: Journalists flee the national television headquarters as gunshots are fired around the premises in Ouagadougou on November 2, 2014.  AFP PHOTO

Last week, Williams faced what must be the toughest challenge of his journalism career when news filtered out that he possibly falsified reports about his experience as a war reporter in Iraq in 2003. For several years, Williams has been telling the story about how a U.S. helicopter he was traveling in at the war zone was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade attack in a location at the deserts of Iraq. But, when Williams repeated the claim this time, the soldiers who were with him were offended by the inaccuracy that was being spun in the name of truth. Eventually, the Stars and Stripes wrote a report that challenged Williams’ claim, and included the voice of several veterans, including the man who piloted the helicopter that flew Williams to the war zone. It all came down to the fact that it was another helicopter that was fired at, and Williams and crew were nowhere near where the incident took place.

Williams has since apologized for the inaccuracy and “misremembering” the true story about the incident. Beyond that, he stepped aside from his plum position as anchor with the following words in a memo to his staff: “In the midst of a career spent covering and consuming news, it has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news, due to my actions.” He added that “Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us.”

His employers at the NBC network have launched an enquiry into the incident. But there are suggestions that even if Williams is cleared of any wrongdoing or is forgiven because of his past records, his insinuation that he might return to his position as the managing editor of the nightly news and anchor of the programme may not materialize. Trust is the currency of journalism. Once it evaporates, there is little or nothing to hold on to. The person in whom trust ceases to be an ennobling factor must fade into the doldrums and remain in the profession’s archives.

In his “I shall return” message, Williams recognized the primacy of trust in journalism. He asserted that journalists strive “to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us.” True. Trust is one of the few qualities in journalism that transcend international boundaries. Ideally, you are not allowed to get it wrong in journalism, let alone make a false claim. When you do, a mea culpa will not get you off the hook. And, amnesty will never lead to amnesia in the minds of your audience. History becomes an unforgiving recorder of your misdeeds. Few people have the personal fortune and luxury of bouncing back after such an encounter. Personally, I can’t recall any journalist who has gone to that hell called being untrustworthy and reemerged as a bonafide member of the profession.

Mental disorders

As Williams’ false claim became public, a Republican Party presidential aspirant made a claim that was patently false and cast a shadow on his reasoning and judgment. He is U.S. Senator Rand Paul, a qualified ophthalmologist. Currently, some states in the U.S. are experiencing a resurgence of measles that was officially stamped out of the country in 2000. Unfortunately, some parents, mostly conservatives and Republican Party supporters, are refusing to vaccinate their kids in the name of parental freedom of choice. Tapping into this popular sentiment among the Republican Party base, Rand Paul supported this weird belief that vaccinations are dangerous when he said this: “I’ve heard of many tragic cases of walking, talking normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines.” He has since recanted that claim.

While campaigning to be the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in 2008, candidate Hillary Clinton said this about her trip to Bosnia as first lady: “I remember landing under sniper fire (in Bosnia). There was supposed to be some kind of greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.” That spectacular claim about dodging enemy firepower turned out to be a hoax.

But, sooner than later, Rand Paul and Chris Christie will be absolved of their sins and continue with their presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton will likely win the presidency in 2016. Several U.S pastors who have fooled around with female members of their congregations and even prostitutes have been forgiven because to err is human, and forgiveness is said to be divine. How about Brian Williams? I can hear the sound of his requiem in journalism.