A few weeks ago, an old tape was released.

Two characters in that tape have found themselves in the media spotlight because of the content.

Their names are Donald Trump and Billy Bush.

Take a moment and watch the tape here.

This is an example of two public figures thinking the rules don’t apply to them and forgetting their life is under a microscope. I’m not going to spend time unpacking how this tape was wrong on multiple levels because the public and the media took care of that already.

Even though the tape was released years later, the effects sting today for both men.

For Trump, he un-doubtly lost hundreds of women voters and most likely, men too. Bush, on the other hand, lost his job.

Just a few days ago, NBC News sent Bush on his way after suspending him so they could further review of the situation.

See how the announcement was handled live on the TODAY Show the morning after in this show clip.

NBC News once again proves they have no tolerance for unethical behavior. The last major incident was with Brian Williams—he too got the boot from his position.

In professional environments, the no-tolerance policy for ethical mistakes is critical to company’s reputations. In seeing how this was handled by NBC gives me hope that people in their management have a ethical code they operate on. But I can’t help but wonder how much goes on behind the scenes that is swept under the rug.

Did Billy Bush receive any backlash from NBC when the incident first happened years ago?

Did Billy Bush receive any backlash from NBC when the incident first happened years ago?

What about Brian Williams? Were his sensationalized statements discussed with management when they first happened?

The public may never know. But I would hope the ‘no tolerance policy’ that NBC seems to exhibit when put in the limelight is also put into practice behind the curtain.

Journalists must be held to an ethical standard in and out of the limelight, or else, they have no grounds to stand on.

 

Photo Credits: eos.org