Topic: Judgment
It must have been one of the hardest stories NBC ever had to cover. Yet they were given no choice. Brian Williams, a guy many of us have long admired, was found guilty of a serious breach of trust. Not in a court of law, but through a thorough investigation.
Nobody tried to hide the fact that there was an investigation either. We knew that was going on some time before the findings were concluded and he was given six months leave of absence without pay. Did anyone question making the investigation public? Absolutely not!
Every time he steps back into the public limelight as a journalist, if he chooses to do so, we're all going to remember that he embellished a story for his own good. Trusting him will be up to each of us as an individual.
Because of what Brian did, we may all be a little more hesitant to trust journalists in general. Yet what if NBC had tried to protect him? What would the consequences have been for the profession if/when it was found out? There is no indication that NBC cowered behind the potential threat of a lawsuit if Williams had decided to challenge their findings in a court of law?
So tell me--please tell me if you can--why "Christian ethics" marches to a different standard. In other words: Why does religion, either in its the organized or disorganized state, "reason" things so differently when faced with a breach of trust that's far more serious than Brian William's? Why do they still refuse to give full disclosure when one of their own, especially a member of the clergy, is being invesigated for sexual abuse? Why is the public not fully informed if a person is found guilty, though (for whatever reason) the case doesn't end up in court?
