In 2003, during a US invasion in Iraq, Brian Williams claimed to be in a helicopter that was shot by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), forcing an emergency landing when in fact, the helicopter in front was the one that was shot, claiming that he made a mistake in recalling the story from 12 years ago. The most unforgivable crime any reporter can do is to lose the trust of their viewers by lying, and unfortunately Brian Williams did just that. Williams was suspended from the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) for six months. Now that his six month suspension is almost over, NBC wants him back, and estimates his return to occur between Sep. 22-27 in order to cover the Pope Francis’s visit to America.

“I think Brian Williams would be better as a makeup artist, the news channels are always hiring celebrities, if they hired real reporters then they wouldn’t have so many people doing what Brian Williams did,” networking and programming teacher Mr. Van Dyke said.

Brian Williams shouldn’t be allowed to report again because it is a reporters job to give the truth. Yet, Williams is being allowed to return during this highly important event of Pope Francis visiting Cuba. Other reporters who have lied were not given a second chance, while Brian Williams is being welcomed back with open arms. Many argue that it was a one time occurrence and it seems he has been trusted enough to cover one of the biggest events of the year.

But NBC forgot about all the other journalist who tried to lie their way to fame. One of the attention seeking journalists was Janet Cooke, who joined the Washington Post in 1980 and released a Pulitzer Prize winning story about an eight year old boy with a heroine addiction. It was not a surprise when word got out that the story was fabricated and that all her credentials were a lie as well. Cooke had to return the Pulitzer Prize and has not shown her face in the world of journalism since. To learn more about Janet Cooke, click here.

The job of a reporter is to tell the truth however, Brian Williams chose to lie. Some say that he should be put back on air since they believe that he has learned his lesson but, Brian Williams should not be given a second chance since his viewers have lost trust in him. A good reporter is one that is trustworthy.