Disarray and darkness: The state of American journalism this week

No ifs, ands or buts about it - this was a bad week for anyone who cares about journalism in the U.S.

First, there’s the developing scandal surrounding NBC’s Brian Williams, who recently came under fire for saying he literally came under fire as a reporter in Iraq – a long-repeated recollection found to be untrue.

"While on Nightly News on Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, Brian misrepresented events which occurred while he was covering the Iraq War in 2003," said NBC News President Deborah Turness in a statement. “It then became clear that on other occasions Brian had done the same while telling that story in other venues. This was wrong and completely inappropriate for someone in Brian's position."

Williams has been suspended from Nightly News for six months without pay. Whether six months is long enough for his reputation to recover remains to be seen.

Next was Jon Stewart’s announcement that he would be stepping down as host of The Daily Show in the near future. Regardless of how you view Stewart, there’s no denying the impact he’s had on the way Americans consume the news.

Despite the fact that his show airs on Comedy Central, a channel where you’re just as likely to find puppets making prank phone calls to adult bookstores as you are to see biting commentary on the 24-hours news cycle, many Americans relied on Stewart to parse through the day’s headlines and get to the truth of whatever cable news’ talking heads were prattling on about.

However, while Stewart will likely remain a pop culture fixture in some capacity, legendary CBS reporter Bob Simon is gone for good. The “60 Minutes” mainstay died in a car accident in New York City on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

"Bob Simon was a giant of broadcast journalism and a dear friend to everyone in the CBS News family,” CBS News president David Rhodes said. “We are all shocked by this tragic, sudden loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bob's extended family and especially with our colleague [and Bob’s daughter] Tanya Simon.”

With so much attention put on the newsmakers, it’s easy to forget the importance of the newsreaders – the men and women Americans trust to break through the spin and report the truth.

Whether it’s the latest franchise news or live reports from war-torn regions, it’s hard to overestimate the need for people who can be trusted to report the facts.

With a week like this, you’d be forgiven for letting your head hang a little, whether due to disappointment, shock or sadness.