Tom Brokaw seems to be capping his long, distinguished career as a newsman with a crass act of hucksterism for Angelina Jolie and her upcoming movie “Unbroken.”
The NBC News veteran (who announced last week that he is being treated for multiple myeloma, a form of cancer) narrated a three-minute trailer. which aired on NBC amid the network’s Olympics coverage, for the NBC Universal film.
Yesterday, NBC’s “Today” show aired an interview Brokaw conducted with Jolie, and with the subject of the movie, 97-year-old Louis Zamperini, a former distance runner who won gold in the 1500 meters at the 1936 Olympics and then became a World War II hero.
“Is Brokaw no longer a journalist?” one media maven asked. “Is he just a shill for NBC Universal? Maybe he’ll conduct tours at their theme parks.”
In the trailer, Brokaw says, “Zamperini’s miraculous journey of resilience is one of the most inspirational stories ever known.”
Blogger Roger Friedman wondered, “What next? Brian Williams touting ‘Despicable Me 3’?”″