Lester Holt Calls Out Danger of Giving ‘Open Platform for Misinformation’ in Speech Accepting Edward R. Murrow Award

NBC News anchor Lester Holt received the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism Tuesday night, and delivered a virtual speech in which he warned against disinformation and rejected the prevalence of undue “fairness” in journalism.

Holt addressed the “unprecedented attacks” on the press and what journalists can learn from the current climate. A main argument: “That fairness is over-rated.”

“Before you run with or tweet that headline, let me explain a bit,” the Nightly News anchor continued. “The idea that we should always give two sides equal weight and merit does not reflect the world we find ourselves in. That the sun sets in the west is a fact. Any contrary view does not deserve our time or attention.”

“Decisions to not give unsupported arguments equal time are not a dereliction of journalistic responsibility or some kind of agenda. In fact, it’s just the opposite,” Holt said.

“Providing an open platform for misinformation, for anyone to come say whatever they want, especially when issues of public health and safety are at stake, can be quite dangerous. Our duty is to be fair to the truth.”

Holt also called out media companies for prioritizing “the need to be liked” over “being respected” and offering honest and factual journalism.

“While we all like to be liked, we don’t let that stand in the way of calling out uncomfortable truths,” Holt said. “That we have had to be more direct in our language in recent times only speaks to the volume and gravity of particular statements and claims. Remember this: fact checking is not a vendetta or attack. We all have a stake in us getting it right.”

Finding a balance, however, is important, and Holt urged journalists to no shy away from “revealing reporting,” while refraining from “snark, belittling or arrogance.”

Later in the speech, Holt directly addressed the virtual audience and urged them to take their responsibility as “citizen journalists” seriously, and remember the power social media holds in captivating large audiences.

“Whether in 240 characters or in a 30-minute newscast, we need to weigh our words, consider our sources, report what we know to be true, not what we wish to be true,” Holt said.

Watch above. His speech begins at the 8 minute mark.