Forgiveness and Lying

Turn on media, be it TV, Facebook or radio and everyone has an opinion on the Brian Williams issue. Statements I have heard are "he is the only one being punished for lying about the Iraq war." I find this logic troubling. When dealing with Mr. Williams we have to focus on the type of position he has, on the ethical expectations and requirements of his position. At this time we are not dealing with an elected official or any other professional. I assume that professional journalists are not amused or take this lightly since this affects the entire profession. While Mr. Williams has lied I think it's important to address what led to him lying. There are, I am sure, underlining issues that were present and may still be present which caused him, and causes others to do what he did. I actually saw a clip of the interview and it's interesting to see how he just went on and on embellishing the story. Of interest is Mr. Williams obvious good looks and it will be interesting to see what happens. He truly does not fit the stereotypical liar prototype, whatever that is for most people. Most people have prejudices of what a liar or "bad" guy may look like and Mr. Williams' features and "looks" are not what most people typically think of as "bad"or "liar." I will guess that we will be hearing more as time passes and that this will affect the way people perceive journalism and the media in general. All issues of lying are to be taken seriously. It is not appropriate behavior especially for professionals in esteemed positions. We need to trust and we need to trust professionals, all professionals. If people believe that more people need to be given consequences for inappropriate behavior or actions during and about Iraq then they should start grassroots groups and work toward change. We can not just let someone lie and let it be okay. Regarding the future, we can forgive Mr. Williams but he needs to do some personal work to correct any personal issues that he may have which prompted him to lie. We need to help Mr. Williams confront his demons. It will ultimately help him and even make him a better journalist and human being.