In the wake of NBC's six-month suspension of Brian Williams for embellishing the truth about a helicopter incident in Iraq came word that Fox News' Bill O'Reilly is accused of telling untruths about the danger he was in while covering hostilities in Argentina, El Salvador and Northern Ireland.
(As if the description "former 'Inside Edition' host Bill O'Reilly" wasn't enough to shake his credibility).
Is everybody associated with covering the news guilty of making things up to make themselves appear more heroic? Let's hope not.
Walter Cronkite had it right: Credibility is the backbone of any news reporter. He told me that right after I forced him to go on the air to announce the death of President John F. Kennedy. Cronkite said he couldn't do it and I told him he had to – that America needed to hear it from someone who viewers respected.
Please don't make me into a hero for doing that, I was just his friend. That's what I tell people at my appearances before local service clubs, too.
What is it about guys like Brian Williams and Bill O'Reilly (allegedly), who feel the need to embellish stories about reporting? Do they think the fact that they were present isn't enough? Do they think they need to show heroism to gain favor among their viewers or readers? If so, it's sad.
When I helped Woodward and Bernstein uncover the Watergate scandal, we all just wanted the truth to come out. The fact that they didn't credit me – that in fact, in their book and movie, they called the editor "Ben Bradlee" in an obvious reference to me – was OK. It was enough that I was there, helping uncover the truth. I didn't want credit, something I always tell the audience at paid speaking engagements around Solano County.
If being heroic was crucial to being a great reporter, I would have made a much bigger deal about my role in capturing John Wilkes Booth after he killed President Abraham Lincoln. But that was just something that occurred as part of my job. I'm not a hero, just a reporter. Well, maybe I'm a hero, but when I tell audiences about how I helped capture the killer of our 16th president, I emphasize that I was pursuing a story and just happened to change history.
Williams' lies are particularly confusing – why does it matter whether the news reader on a national network was in a helicopter that was shot down? Trust me, it's not all that great, even if you're in the cockpit with the pilots like when I talked "Sully" Sullenberger into landing on the Hudson River in 2009. That was terrifying and the fact that I saved all those people's lives didn't change that.
I always emphasize that when I'm appearing at functions at local schools for my basic appearance fee.
I hope the investigations will settle the issues about how much Williams and O'Reilly (allegedly) lied about their experiences. Viewers and readers deserve to know that they can respect and trust those who bring them the news. It's like Winston Churchill said: "The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is."
I'll never forget when he told me that. It was during a bombing of London by the Nazis, right after I saved his life, which likely also saved the Western Hemisphere.
As I always tell the large crowds who pay to see me, that had nothing to do with my ability as a reporter.
You can still trust me. But make sure the check clears when you pay me.
Former Daily Republic editor Brad Stanhope is no hero, just a simple columnist. Reach him at bradstanhope@hotmail.com.
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