NBC News' many problems aren't just a coincidence -- they're symptoms

The Washington Post

Matt Lauer, Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, Joy Reid, Ronan Farrow, Hugh Hewitt -- and even the Megyn Kelly debacle -- are all symptoms of a larger problem. As Margaret Sullivan put it, "the network’s credibility is on the line. To critics it would seem that network leadership isn’t taking that seriously enough, believing perhaps that the public is mostly unaware, and that advertisers don’t mind. But a news organization’s reputation builds — or fades — over time. Does NBC really want to be seen as a place where stars are protected too vigorously, and where ratings and profits reign supreme? Given NBC’s prominence, its foibles hurt not only the network itself, its own journalists, and its viewers. Such self-sabotage also hurts American journalism overall at a time when there are more than enough external enemies waiting to pounce."