How do Brian Williams and Steve Capas Sleep at Night?

On last night’s Nightly News broadcast, NBC ignored The New York Time’s David Barstow’s Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting on the Pentagon’s “message force multiplyers” – their retired officers – who were paid network consultants pretending to provide the public with independent views and opinions on the Iraq War. NBC is more than a little sensitive that several of the worst offenders among these former brass hats are on their payroll.  (National Security News Service’s Chris Law and David Armstrong gave the story idea to Barstow four years ago.)

The Pentagon fought providing The New York Times the documents that revealed how they worked with the major networks to mislead the American public about the war.

The fact that the worst offender, General Barry McCaffrey, is still paid by NBC and allowed access to their airwaves, demonstrates why network television cannot be relied upon for honest and independent news reporting. All the networks participated in the consultants scam and ABC News even hired Tori Clarke, the Pentagon PR head who thought this program was a good idea, as an on-air consultant and news analyst. But none was more brazen than NBC. Next time you hear someone on NBC complaining about loose reporting standards on the web, just remember their role in putting propaganda on the air supporting a war that has killed thousands of Americans.

Joseph Trento

Joseph Trento has spent more than 35 years as an investigative journalist, working with both print and broadcast outlets and writing extensively. Before joining the National Security News Service in 1991, Trento worked for CNN's Special Assignment Unit, the Wilmington News Journal, and prominent journalist Jack Anderson. Trento has received six Pulitzer nominations and is the author of five books, including Prelude to Terror, The Secret History of the CIA, Widows, and Prescription for Disaster. Joe currently serves as the editor of DCBureau.org.