Why Brian Williams Matters

It has now been well documented that Brian Williams flat out lied about this activities in the Middle East.  No, he did not confuse the facts, and he didn't just exaggerate.  He lied.  Big time.

To make it worse, he lied a lie that could easily be proved - not only by the soldiers with whom he was embedded, but also other NBC crew.  Given Williams' position, the latter could be assumed to keep their mouths shut or else hurt their employment prospects.  But the prior?  How did he think he could get away with it?

And get away with it he did.  For ten years.

Finally, though, the truth came crashing down, and with it so went Williams credibility.  Oh, he offered a lame apology and excuses, but he flat lied, and anyone that has followed the story closely knows he did.

So why should we care?  Because Williams is more than just a talking head.  He's the managing editor of NBC, and as such is responsible for what stories get pushed, and what stories get buried.  It is a massive responsibility.  But when a guy can't be trusted with a story that does nothing but boost his ego, how could he be trusted for accurate reporting on something that he really deems important?  How does he treat stories for politicians that he likes, or stories on companies he might have in his portfolio?    

The guy gambled every ounce of his credibility for basically nothing.  How could we expect him to behave differently once the stakes got higher?

Williams has to go.