Maureen Dowd, "Anchors Aweigh": She That Is Without Sin Among You, Let Her First Cast a Stone at Him

In case you didn't know it already, reporters are a bit strange. Some 32 years ago, I was "escorting" a journalist from a leading US newspaper around southern Lebanon, and toward the end of the day, he complained that he had not witnessed any "action." I explained to him that the thud in the background was from artillery in the Chouf Mountains, but politely refrained from inquiring if he would feel any better if I were to position him under an exploding shell.

In her latest New York Times op-ed entitled "Anchors Aweigh," Maureen Dowd makes light of Brian Williams's tales of valor while reporting from Iraq. Dowd writes:

"Although Williams’s determination to wrap himself in others’ valor is indefensible, it seems almost redundant to gnaw on his bones, given the fact that the Internet has already taken down a much larger target: the long-ingrained automatic impulse to turn on the TV when news happens."

Hey, Maureen, since when are journalists expected to report honestly? Moreover, if columnists can plagiarize the work of others and retain their positions, why shouldn't reporters be allowed to embellish their exploits?

And to take this one step further, if future presidential candidate Hillary Clinton can tell the world how her helicopter came under fire in Bosnia, why should anyone give a damn about poor Brian?