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Tanya P. Betancourt
Dr. Amy L. Trogan
ENC 1101
26 March 2015
How much is Too Much
Washington Post opinion writer, Kathleen Parker, talks about the dilemma of false
memory versus fiction in the case of NBCs newsman, Brian Williams. Why did Brian Williams
do it? refers to the gaffe Williams has gotten himself into. The ultimate question is did he lie for
personal gains or did he indeed just remember it differently every time he repeated the traumatic
experience. Although, as an opinion writer, Parker never specifies which side she leans on, but
she does express her opinion on how this million-buck newsman is making these kinds of
mistakes. The stories being spread are misleading and his word is being questioned all the way
back to stories from earlier in his life, which may be part of an elaborate plan to make himself
more appealing to the public.
For months, and possibly even years, Parker explained that Brian Williams has done his
share of misremembering in storytelling. It has gotten to the point where the general audience
does not know what to believe anymore. Due to all the commotion the newsman was given a six
month suspension without pay. Reports and stories from his past began to surface and were being
questioned. Even reports from after hurricane Katrina were questioned. There was simply no
telling how far back he began reconstructing the truth.
In the seventies, Williams claimed he was robbed. The word claimed is used because of
allegations that his story was false or have been altered to tell a more compelling story. USA
Today posted an article about a recent tale Williams told. He phrased he was robbed at gun point

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while he was trying to sell Christmas trees in his hometown. He does not remember much of the
incident, and thats understandable since it was so long ago; but surprisingly he remembers the
exact caliber, the gun the robber used, was. a guy came up and stuck a .38 caliber pistol in my
face (Jean). It makes sense to remember come aspects of a traumatic experience, but the exact
caliber is not usually something that is remember, especially after 30 years or so. After a while
the details of that old story begin to fade, and sometimes, the person that experiences the
situation begins to question whether it really happened or if it was simply a dream. Since
Williams was young then and his inexperience may have altered what the person retains, or what
they witness. Williams said it himself, I was a teenager, if someone had pointed a gun at me, I
wouldnt have known what kind of gun it was (Jean). This proves that there is a big possibility
that he is just making these details up. Though there was most likely a police report, the robber
might have already been gone, which indicates that Brian Williams was the one person that could
divulge the information of what occurred. Slowly, Williams keeps incriminating himself by so
many inconsistent stories.
Yes, the stories have been falling for some time, but the true question of his liability
began in 2003. The original story was that he was in an ARMY helicopter and that it was forced
down by a rocket-propelled grenade. Unfortunately, for Williams his story was false, according
to the reports of the helicopter landing safely along with everyone that was on board with him.
The helicopter he was on was not the one hit and taken down. Parker pointed out that in 2006, on
air, Williams reported he was 1,500 feet in the air and saw two rockets being launched about six
miles from his location; yet, no less than a month later, he spoke with Comedy Centrals own Jon
Stewart, and said the rockets were 1,500 feet below the Chinbok he was in. At Fairfield
University, in 2007, he told the listeners the rockets sailed beneath him (Jean). Parker herself

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questioned whetehr the stories he told were intentionally misspoke, or simply, that every time he
told the story he got carried away with embellishment; there was, also a lingering uncertainty if
the details were elaborated unconsciously. Kathleen Parker states, Im torn between feeling
sorry for Williams and wanting to see him step aside out of respect for what remains of
journalistic principle. In the end it seems Parker herself is on the line about the topic, but both
sides of an opinion were told.
In a way Kathleen Parker did say what most were either thinking or about to think. I can
be considered a part of that group of people. My opinion resides on the borderline of the
undecided, but I am leaning more to the side of Williams knowing exactly what hes doing. He
seems to be elaborating on the truth to make himself interesting, and after reasonable amount of
time passes and he gets asked about it he forgets the original lie. Though scientifically this
cannot be proven, the idea that Brian Williams misremembering something may not be on
purpose, is supported. Doctor Ford Vox, a physician and journalist from Atlanta, Georgia, said
that though Williams may not have been physically going through being forced down by the
rocket, but his mind was already bonded with the people who were around and hit, so the mind
may recall him as going through the experience truth. Williams has told his story many times
before, and each time he tells it, he is retrieving it. Errors happen during memory retrieval all the
time, just as errors happen in cell division; biology isnt computer science. Furthermore, he is
subtly modifying his memory with his every retelling. Revisions occur as the memory is reencoded based on whats going on at the time he tells the story (Eck). This theory can be proven
with a limited amount of test, but the only person who can truly know is the person himself,
Brian Williams.

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The weight of Kathleen Parkers opinions are not too demanding. She allows the reader
to for their own speculation of what really is going on in the situation. Brian William seems to
have a history of spinning the truth into something larger or more significant, when in fact it may
be the simplest occasion. To a certain extent it does seem he is doing so much storytelling on
purpose, but it could be a simple neurological problem that could happen to anyone. Some
questions came to mind was, what if he is hanging the stories so much because he still does not
believe they happened? What if it is a larger neurological problem that just affects depending on
the atmosphere around him?

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References
Eck, Allison. "Neuroscience Suggests That Brian Williams May In Fact Be Misremembering."
PBS. PBS, 9 Feb. 2015. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.
Jean Mikle, The Asbury Park (N.J.) Press. "Brian Williams' Account of '70s N.J. Robbery
Questioned." USA Today. Gannett, 10 Feb. 2015. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.
Parker, Kathleen. "Why Did Brian Williams Do It?" Washington Post. The Washington Post, 10
Feb. 2015. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.