How do you “misremember” having your helicopter shot down? That is something you probably would remember quite vividly. Nobody in America believes how Brian Williams “misremembered,” and apparently nobody in America should have believed anything he has said since day one anchoring NBC Nightly News.

The truth is, Brian Williams told a blatant lie when he said he was in a helicopter that was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade in Iraq.  The list of discrepancies in his stories continued to grow longer by the day, and the worst part is that even though Williams admitted he lied in February, he still wasn’t clear about a number  of details. A number of other “misremembered” stories have also come out.

While on his six-month suspension, Williams should resign in order to make it seem like he has a little bit of integrity.  It’s quite simple, Williams was tired of telling the real news, so he made himself the story.  If you don’t want to report the news any more, then you shouldn’t be the face of NBC.

The one thing that was worse than Williams not resigning was NBC’s reaction. It’s absurd that NBC would only suspend Brian Williams for six months. They are simply waiting for everything to blow over while he learns his lesson.  Really? Williams isn’t five years old. He knows that it’s wrong to lie. Instead, NBC should have given him the opportunity to resign, and when he refused, he should have promptly been fired.  It would have sent a clear message that NBC takes honesty seriously.   

The fact that all these lies could have occurred in the first place completely discredits NBC.  There is no way that somebody else at NBC — even Tom Brokaw — was unaware that Williams was telling lies.  After all, the company is tasked with investigating events and double checking facts.

What has taken place at NBC is a disgrace to journalism.  They showed that they care more about providing entertainment than actually reporting what happened.  It shows that a disregard for honesty permeates all of NBC.  For upper management to be so out of touch with Williams’ reports shows a great deal of incompetence.

Another unfortunate thing is the public’s complete lack of concern about Williams’ lies.   Many people have just moved on and no longer care about the situation.  While some people have started watching different newscasts, a substantial number continue to watch NBC. Few people even want to know the depths of Williams’ lies.

It’s unfortunate that the public is so quick to forget and has such low standards.  NBC and Brian Williams have proven to be irresponsible and an embarrassment to journalism.  The situation has brought doubt into the minds of many Americans at a time when honest journalism is needed more than ever before.