The Humanization of Brian Williams

The saga regarding Brian Williams' alleged tall-tales, exaggerations, and falsehoods has produced a convergence of opinion in the elite news media, and among Americans at large, regarding whether NBC should fire its star anchor. It seems that, thus far, a plurality of the public and media figures, at least, think he should go. The fate of Mr. Williams remains uncertain at this hour. One thing will surely never change though: Brian Williams has been exposed bare, his weaknesses revealed, and his transgressions made clear. He has been outed as a human being, with all of the imperfection, sinfulness, and moral ambiguity that come with that fragile status.

This acknowledgment does not, per se, compel me to support or oppose Williams' ouster. In my view, that outcome should come about only if it is revealed that Williams' deception is a real, consistent pattern that includes his accounts of Hurricane Katrina, the Haiti earthquake, and the 2006 Israel/Lebanon conflict. Although not fully verifiable yet, these claims, if proven true, would seemingly prove that Williams' Iraq story "fog of memory" is no accident but likely part of a broader issue. The revelation that Williams, in fact, had deliberately misled viewers regarding these matters would badly (and rightfully) damage his reputation as a trusted, astute newsman.

However, those issues, while notable and worth discussing in any profile of the Williams controversy, are separate and distinct from the matter which this post seeks to address. For many years, Brian Williams has been elevated, by his fellow Americans and by his willing partners in the world of late-night, to iconic status. He became a popular cultural figure, the symbol of suaveness, smoothness, and slickness, and a television legend in the making. Williams was widely heralded in elite and public discourse as an impeccable force, the kind of talent who could win a Peabody Award while slow-jamming the news with Jimmy Fallon.

This image came crashing down this week in light of the Iraq story and newer developments. What it reveals is that it is vital, for the sake of our collective sensibility, to keep in perspective that celebrities, politicians, and other individuals in the public eye are, like all of us, inherently flawed, imperfect, and insecure in their own ways. This notion may appear obvious to some readers but unfortunately, the "aura" of Brian Williams, as The New York Times' Maureen Dowd described it, led many to lend him a title that was seemingly beyond human. Ironically, now the same elite media and public is turning on Brian Williams for being just like we are but it's all because we held him to the most unreasonable expectation: perfection. Yet again, the lesson that "lionization of public figures," as my friend Charlie Sucher summed it up, is a faulty approach bears true again.

UPDATE: As of 9:30 pm on Tuesday 2/10/15, Mr. Williams has been suspended for six months by NBC News.