Last week was a terrible one for the news industry.
In what felt like a single, terrible swoop, we lost four of journalism’s most distinguished and beloved luminaries. Two tragic deaths, a resignation and betrayal of trust took these people away from us.
After public contradictions to Brian Williams’ account of his helicopter being shot down while covering the Iraq War, a litany of numerous inconsistencies and what appear to be outright fabrications were uncovered. Brian Williams was put on a six-month leave without pay. On paper, the suspension is supposed to be temporary, but it’s not too far of a leap to assume this will be the end of his career.
To see the reputation of this beloved and respected broadcast journalist tarnished with shame was a bad enough way to start off the week. Then, Jon Stewart made his tearful declaration that he’s leaving the Daily Show later this year. The next day, Bob Simon, a highly decorated 60 Minutes correspondent who rode one of the last helicopters out of Saigon and documented the genocide of the Bosnian War, was killed in a car crash in Manhattan.
When media critic David Carr collapsed in The New York Times offices and died later Thursday night, it was the final dark moment in a terrible week for journalism. Carr was venerated by thousands and was an inspiration to young writers and journalists everywhere, and his passing was every bit as devastating as he was inspiring. Following news of his death, a sort of massive wake was held for him online, with hundreds of writers and news outlets mourning the great man en masse.
Last week’s events are just cause to feel dejected. Those days were terrible to endure, but we shouldn’t dwell too long on this upsetting news. We’ve lost these great figures, but not their example or inspiration.
Much of what makes this sad is, of course, are the circumstances of their departure — death and scandal are inherently upsetting. But much of it, too, is that these men had been such steady presences in our national consciousness. Jon Stewart has been hosting “The Daily Show” for 16 years, and millions of people looked to Brian Williams to hear the news, pure and unbiased. They were major parts of our weekly, if not daily, routines — trusted and revered personalities who stood out from the vastness and the noise.
Like the first time doing your own laundry, or looking for apartments in a city on the other side of the country, change of this magnitude is incredibly daunting. But it’s probably not going to be so bad. We’ll mourn Carr and Simon, and in earnest for Williams’ redemption. And Stewart will still be with us, probably directing some bomb-ass movies. As for us, we get to carry on and enjoy the work of the up-and-coming generation of big-name journalists and support responsible outlets which will ensure their legacy survives.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 2/16/2015 under the headline “Heartbreaking week for journalists, consumers"]
