My two favorite TV journalists are leaving the building. One by choice, and the other by bad acts. I adore Brian Williams. After 29 years, he announced he was leaving NBC. So smooth, self-deprecating and informative. He even has a soap opera backstory. As a very well-respected national news anchor, he claimed he was part of a rescue team — or not. Lucky for him, his boss, Jeff Zucker, was in charge. He decided Williams needed to be let go from his 6:30 p.m. gig but he still should be on air. Thus, Williams got his second act. We hope he has a third act. Zucker, now head of CNN, did not think Chris Cuomo deserved a second act. Watching him was my nightly treat. At the beginning of the COVID pandemic, he and his brother, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, were so fun to watch — especially their "mom always liked you best" riffs. Then Andrew Cuomo's desires became known to the public. Ugh. At least I can watch his kid brother.

I was impressed when he did not come on air to defend his brother. Oh, wait, he was doing it off the air. He was offering much moolah to anyone who could get dirt on the woman who was coming forward with sexual harassment charges. Now, Chris Cuomo has lost all his journo cache. Goodbye, CNN. When Zucker decided CNN would not give him severance pay, Cuomo lawyered up and is seeking $18 million, what he has left on his contract. He ended his SiriusXM talk hour. HarperCollins decided to shred his upcoming book. The only statement he has made suggests it is all about family. He certainly had an amazing father in Gov. Mario Cuomo. Go to YouTube and watch the speech he gave to the public during a very rocky time in America.

What Chris Cuomo did is a stain on the profession. First of all, it is called the fourth estate. It is the journalist's job to keep the government in line — executive and legislative. A journalist I admired for years was taken off my list. She admitted she knew Ronald Reagan was suffering from signs of dementia. She decided not to reveal the problem; she needed to protect the president. No, it was her job to let the public know what was going on with the leader of the western world. Cuomo's job was not to protect his brother but it was to report the news. I get that he is family. So were the Borgias and the Sopranos. A tough call for me. Will I watch Cuomo if he gets another gig? I keep changing my mind every nanosecond. I'll keep you posted.

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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