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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Editor's notes

Bob Simon & David Carr, RIP

  The epic career collapse of a network television anchor and the unexpected deaths of two respected journalists have made for a lot of social media buzz over the past several days.

  The tale of Brian Williams' vague acquaintance with the concept of truth is now into its second week of headlines, but his six-month suspension by NBC for misremembering his experience covering the war in Iraq likely will tamp down the episodic developments for a bit. NBC executives, smarting from what has become a public relations disaster, surely hope to focus attention elsewhere. To borrow a favorite phrase of Spokesman-Review columnist Paul Turner, let's move on.

   Long-time CBS correspondent Bob Simon, 73, was killed in a car crash Wednesday in New York City, a far cry from the hazards he faced on the job covering distant wars. Simon and his coverage team spent 40 days in Iraqi prisons when they were captured by Iraqi forces at the outset of the Gulf War in 1991. A CBS colleague penned a moving tribute to Simon, making the case that often there really aren't two sides to a story.

    Lawrence Pintak, who is the founding dean of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University, weighed in on Friday with a thoughtful piece comparing the widely different styles of Simon and Williams. Pintak, a former CBS Middle East correspondent, comes out heavily in favor of Simon.

    Finally, there's the stunning and sad news of the death of David Carr, whose name is not nearly as recognized as Williams and Pintak but whose contribution to journalism was every bit as important. Carr wrote about the media industry, warts and all, in a weekly column for the New York Times. Carr, 58, collapsed in the Times newsroom on Thursday night while working. His pieces were must reading for anyone who wanted help in understanding how news, information and the media industry have evolved.

   It's been a somber week.

 

 

 

 

 



Editor's notes