Former NBC News Writer Slams Brian Williams’s Scripts

By MERVIN BLOCK
Mar. 24, 2008

Brian Williams is not only first in the evening news ratings, but he also rates first with me.

What I mean is, so far this year I’ve written two articles about him for my website. In 2006, I wrote one article about him. And in the past few years, I’ve also written more than one article about the newscast he anchors, NBC’s Nightly News. After all, people would rather read about a winner than a loser.

Although the articles have been widely noted and quoted, neither Williams nor anyone else at NBC News has written to me to comment. Or complain. Or cheer me on.

Now, though, I’ve received an e-mail from a former NBC News writer-producer, Charles Coates. He’s a friend of mine, a retired journalism professor and the author of Professional’s TV News Handbook. Because his letter is pertinent, I’ve posted it here at my website. If I were to post the letter with the March 6 article on Williams, the people who’ve already read the article—or read about it—would miss Coates’s letter.

My most recent article, posted on March 6, “Brian Williams: History-Maker,” includes a dozen excerpts from scripts delivered by Williams on Nightly News.

That article is apparently what prompted Coates to e-mail me–and this is his entire message:

“I never wrote like that for Huntley, Brinkley, Chancellor or Brokaw (or MacNeil or Vanocur or McGee or Gabe Pressman or Bill Ryan or Frank Blair).

“First, I lack the imagination to do it. And second, they would not have read it.”

© Mervin Block 2008

Mervin offers more writing tips at mervinblock.com. And still more in Writing Broadcast News—Shorter, Sharper, Stronger.


By MERVIN BLOCK
Mar. 24, 2008

Brian Williams is not only first in the evening news ratings, but he also rates first with me.

What I mean is, so far this year I’ve written two articles about him for my website. In 2006, I wrote one article about him. And in the past few years, I’ve also written more than one article about the newscast he anchors, NBC’s Nightly News. After all, people would rather read about a winner than a loser.

Although the articles have been widely noted and quoted, neither Williams nor anyone else at NBC News has written to me to comment. Or complain. Or cheer me on.

Now, though, I’ve received an e-mail from a former NBC News writer-producer, Charles Coates. He’s a friend of mine, a retired journalism professor and the author of Professional’s TV News Handbook. Because his letter is pertinent, I’ve posted it here at my website. If I were to post the letter with the March 6 article on Williams, the people who’ve already read the article—or read about it—would miss Coates’s letter.

My most recent article, posted on March 6, “Brian Williams: History-Maker,” includes a dozen excerpts from scripts delivered by Williams on Nightly News.

That article is apparently what prompted Coates to e-mail me–and this is his entire message:

“I never wrote like that for Huntley, Brinkley, Chancellor or Brokaw (or MacNeil or Vanocur or McGee or Gabe Pressman or Bill Ryan or Frank Blair).

“First, I lack the imagination to do it. And second, they would not have read it.”

© Mervin Block 2008

Mervin offers more writing tips at mervinblock.com. And still more in Writing Broadcast News—Shorter, Sharper, Stronger.