Credibility is the most important thing there is in a news operation. Hard to attain, harder to maintain, and way too easy to lose.

So when someone takes a chunk out of it, it hurts. And when that someone is at the top of the heap, it hurts even more.

NBC’s Brian Williams is now among the self-inflicted victims, admitting conflating some memories (“conflate-gate?” No! Please! Let’s not go there.) on his coverage of the war in the Mid-East, and being questioned about Hurricane Katrina coverage. It appears he may have crossed a line that’s uncrossable in the profession, into fiction. And covering himself covering the news…seldom a good idea.

Not the first to do so, and not the most egregious, but when someone as prominent as he is does it, it hurts not only him, but every reporter, anchor, and newsroom in the country. You’ll probably hear “If we can’t trust him, who can we trust?” and “They’re all liars…this just proves it.”

If I can, I’ll still watch Brian Williams because I enjoy his style, his writing and his sense of humor. But, I’ll trust him a little less. And that’s the worst thing you can say to or about a reporter.

Don Riggs, Issaquah