Business ratings impt. As usual. If it bleeds, it leads! Give it a rest. The vultures will savor someone else's hide tomorrow!
Good lord, the sanctimony around this thing. It was becoming clear years ago that Williams was enjoying the celebrity circuit a little too much and blurring the line between entertainer and network anchor. His talk show appearances and snarky cameos had already diminished his role as a "serious" news man, and his network should have reined him in a long time ago. Now the same network parades him around for a public flogging for "tarnishing" the profession.
1
I'm baffled. We're supposed to take this as a sincere apology because he dodged and weaved and refused to admit that he lied? What kind of cockamamie logic is that?
"While that is technically accurate, the construction sounded a little too much like the infamous line from the 2004 presidential race in which John Kerry, speaking of his vote on supplemental funding for troops in Iraq, said, “I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it.”"
You do a disservice to journalism when you conflate these two incidents. Although Kerry's line made him a punching bag, it was accurate to a fault.. Kerry voted against the bill because it had attachments and amendments that he refused to accept (a legislator's duty). When the bill was "cleaned" to make its single intent clear then he voted for it - that's integrity that looks bad out of context (the way Ms. Stanley quotes it). In reality it was the honorable thing to do. The Brian Williams event shares nothing whatever with Kerry's enduring partisan distortion moment. It wasn't Kerry that lied - it was his opponents whose lies are here repeated by faulty analogy..
You do a disservice to journalism when you conflate these two incidents. Although Kerry's line made him a punching bag, it was accurate to a fault.. Kerry voted against the bill because it had attachments and amendments that he refused to accept (a legislator's duty). When the bill was "cleaned" to make its single intent clear then he voted for it - that's integrity that looks bad out of context (the way Ms. Stanley quotes it). In reality it was the honorable thing to do. The Brian Williams event shares nothing whatever with Kerry's enduring partisan distortion moment. It wasn't Kerry that lied - it was his opponents whose lies are here repeated by faulty analogy..
1
After watching the interview with Brian Williams, my impression is that he does both "get it" and "own it." He acknowledges several times that he was dishonest, that what he said was unduly influenced by ego, and he apologized. I was able to accept his apology.
Several commenters have suggested that moving BW to MSNBC will unfairly tarnish the other journalists working there. That is a reasonable concern. Very very few people have the opportunity to rebuild their professional reputation after a significant fall. But a few people can and do, usually if they can own it, pay the price for their misdeeds, and do the hard work to earn respect. Brian Williams to me looks both humbled and frankly depressed, and I think has begun to gain some insight into his behavior. I am open to giving him a chance to rebuild his career. I also hope that he uses his experience as a lesson to talk with younger up-and-coming journalists to not go down the road he went down.
Several commenters have suggested that moving BW to MSNBC will unfairly tarnish the other journalists working there. That is a reasonable concern. Very very few people have the opportunity to rebuild their professional reputation after a significant fall. But a few people can and do, usually if they can own it, pay the price for their misdeeds, and do the hard work to earn respect. Brian Williams to me looks both humbled and frankly depressed, and I think has begun to gain some insight into his behavior. I am open to giving him a chance to rebuild his career. I also hope that he uses his experience as a lesson to talk with younger up-and-coming journalists to not go down the road he went down.
1
If you asked your average American to name a three great authors or one current academic intellectual, most could not. But they can name fifteen TV talking heads of zero academic merit. This syndrome is Madison Ave corralling, and eventually owning, the minds of Americans. It's a pity. And if you proposed this dilemma to these average Americans they'd fight you over it's value as a problem. They actually think being invested in these TV talking heads is a sound use of their minds.
You care about a Brian Williams because corporate media working with advertising scientists have created him to hold your attention. Every hour you watch TV makes you stupider than you'd be if you did something fruitful like reading a great book or practicing a musical instrument.
You care about a Brian Williams because corporate media working with advertising scientists have created him to hold your attention. Every hour you watch TV makes you stupider than you'd be if you did something fruitful like reading a great book or practicing a musical instrument.
I learn from Brian Williams difficulties, learn even more about those needing yet another pound of flesh from the fallen.
From within my understandings, Williams was no longer lying: he was being absolutely honest. What he was *not* able to do was to feed on his own carcass as is being demanded by so many.
The carcass is all he has left: why do others need him to destroy that? Is not what they are already doing good enough? America has seen much better years, while current years are still becoming more predatory than ever. That should be a key worry for everybody to think about, more-so than beating up on someone already "down".
That behavior says more about the victimizers than the victim.
From within my understandings, Williams was no longer lying: he was being absolutely honest. What he was *not* able to do was to feed on his own carcass as is being demanded by so many.
The carcass is all he has left: why do others need him to destroy that? Is not what they are already doing good enough? America has seen much better years, while current years are still becoming more predatory than ever. That should be a key worry for everybody to think about, more-so than beating up on someone already "down".
That behavior says more about the victimizers than the victim.
1
MSNBCs ratings are in the toilet. Even if only to sate curiosity, people will tune in and ratings will go up at least a bit. Why is anyone surprised about Williams's return to TV?
I tihink the Eagles may have presciently had Williams in mind when they wrote "Dirty Laundry." His main interest always seemed to be getting attention. His countless silly appearances on talk shows undermined his credibility well before the other shoe dropped.
I don't understand all the hoo ha over news anchors. Brian Williams wasn't the news. He just reported it. There are many bright and brave news people doing their jobs every day. Who cares about this self-important one who struggles with the truth?
Brian Williams lied to boost his ego. It had no ill effect on anyone but Brian and his employers. Our politicians, corporations, and "news" shows lie to us daily resulting in dire consequences for the populace. Why do we allow lying as just a part of business and politics yet make Brian a public whipping boy?
So happy for Lester Holt. What a professional....someone we can trust! Not celebrity driven and full of himself.
I cannot stand lying. Some say Brian Williams has been treated too harshly and try and compare what he did to others. I don't understand that. His lying should not be minimized. He said he was present with soldiers who put their lives on the line when he was not. Pretty appalling really. To inflate his ego and get better ratings?
Hope this one gets published and would appreciate an email confirmation.
I cannot stand lying. Some say Brian Williams has been treated too harshly and try and compare what he did to others. I don't understand that. His lying should not be minimized. He said he was present with soldiers who put their lives on the line when he was not. Pretty appalling really. To inflate his ego and get better ratings?
Hope this one gets published and would appreciate an email confirmation.
Brian Williams is a fabulous fabulist still in moral denial, so the "L" word stays stuck in his vocal cord. Haven't we seen so many public figures, caught in similar predicaments or worse, having the same difficulty in offering an abject apology? In our narcissistic culture, hell-bent on self-promotion and self-aggrandizement, those with monumental egos get all the attention. So when they're caught straying, we have this hilarious three-ring circus of Orwellian obfuscation and linguistic contortions -- nobody ever says "I lied," but "I misspoke." It all depends, like the meaning of what "is" is, on how you parse the word.
I have arrived at a point in my life--after a stint in the military as a young guy, a 40-year career in NYC, and now retirement in golf-course paradise--where I believe virtually nothing said in public by any public figure, other than "good morning". It's all scripted one way or another, for promotion, branding, public relations, or obfuscation. Whether it's show biz, politics, media, sports, even the "news" (in the case of FOX), everything out of the mouths of these people sounds "canned", spun, constructed to create a specific impression in the mind of the viewer. The idea that NBC or CNN or CBS "tells the truth" is a cherished self-delusion that grew out of another time and place, another era when WWII and Vietnam reporting made icons of the likes of Murrow, Cronkite, Wallace, Smith, Collingwood, Chancellor, Rather and their ilk, and we chose to believe these guys were risking life and limb to tell us the REAL truth about the world. In many cases, back then, they were. Today, maybe you can say that about a guy like Richard Engel, but Brian Williams? Wolf Blitzer? Rachel Maddow? The small army of talking-head blonde, heavily made-up actress-clones that populate most network and cable "news" programs, and are passed off to dim-witted viewership as "journalists"? The absurdity of Matt Lauer "grilling" Brian Williams, from the "Frost/Nixon" playbook, is just more rotten fish being shilled as "fresh catch of the day". Cronkite and Wallace are gone; RIP.
Ah Brian Williams, a self-made celebrity now making the rounds on an apology tour or not quite apology tour ready to hop back into the anchor chair again, although this one of lesser height and even less credibility. Rather than cast aspersions, one need only look into the mirror as Mr. Williams is certain to avoid lest he actually view his true image, and one will see that this anchors away my friend is the spitting image of America; self-satisfied and certain of her preeminence where in every upscale neighborhood one is apt to see canines carted in baby carriages with attendant carrying customary recycled accoutrement in hand, redefining the term doggy bag and demonstrating a laisse faire narcissism nearly equal to that of Brian Williams.
Be careful what you wish for or you may get it and indeed we have.
Be careful what you wish for or you may get it and indeed we have.
1
Forgiveness for people who help shape the average unquestioning viewer*s understanding of foreign affairs that affect the future of real lives--Americans* and those in other countries--and don't have the courage and integrity to even dig for the truth and bring it to us?
Not hardly.
Books are still being written about all those supposed cowards who didn't hold Hitler and his henchmen to account when they might have been stopped. Is the destruction of Iraq and now its neighbors so inconsequential that we can just allow lies to be called the vagaries of memory? Of course the NY Times can hardly come down hard on Williams, with Judith Miller in its own recent past.
This blurring of news and entertainment is not just contemptible. It has deadly consequences for real human beings. Brian Williams is a disgrace. NBC is too.
Not hardly.
Books are still being written about all those supposed cowards who didn't hold Hitler and his henchmen to account when they might have been stopped. Is the destruction of Iraq and now its neighbors so inconsequential that we can just allow lies to be called the vagaries of memory? Of course the NY Times can hardly come down hard on Williams, with Judith Miller in its own recent past.
This blurring of news and entertainment is not just contemptible. It has deadly consequences for real human beings. Brian Williams is a disgrace. NBC is too.
What are Americans so ridiculously moralistic? There are plenty of things happening to be shocked and dismayed about such as the unfortunately regular events in places like Charleston. This man read the news (very well) and like others was placed in the field by the network to promote some extra gravitas. It's all for show. Yes, he got a bit carried away like many of us do when telling the fish-that-got-away story. So what! Network news itself is a highly filtered and fairly ordinary product and those who are " oh wow, like I'm so shocked!" should stick to reputable newspapers.
6
He is an out and out liar. And liars should not be delivering news. He sounded just like Lance Armstrong on his "apology tour", with those weird twists and turns of grammar, passive tense and other strange language formulations designed to avoid the truth and the main problem: He is a liar. He lied over and over (and probably many more times than we even know). Plain and simple. And he got caught. Plain and simple. The guy should not be a newscaster any longer.
5
Brian Williams fabricated parts of stories about activities he was actually involved in. The co-pilot of the helicopter in Iraq corroborated much of what Brian said about the incident, emphasizing, the co-pilot, his own dramatic role in all of it.
Everyone wants fame fr that 15 minute time span and Brian got more than a few 15 minute intervals. He''s a fictionalizer. Who isn't? He got caught by better liars than he could ever be.
Much ado about nothing.
Everyone wants fame fr that 15 minute time span and Brian got more than a few 15 minute intervals. He''s a fictionalizer. Who isn't? He got caught by better liars than he could ever be.
Much ado about nothing.
6
It was the devil--I mean my ego--that made be do it. Please own-up. If not a lie, it was a gross misrepresentation. Then, one might ask what is the difference?
2
Okay, let me be honest, I have never believed the evening news was so sacrosanct.
Having said that, I can take Brian Williams as a pretty good guy, understandably still flawed as most of us are, and just simply move on.
I used to watch him each evening, and would've done so again if he had had the opportunity to return.
We have all embellished stories…is there so much harm hoping for a great comeback?
Having said that, I can take Brian Williams as a pretty good guy, understandably still flawed as most of us are, and just simply move on.
I used to watch him each evening, and would've done so again if he had had the opportunity to return.
We have all embellished stories…is there so much harm hoping for a great comeback?
6
I still think he'd best pursue a new career as a sitcom dad. No credibility required, affability already assured. Win-win, Brian.
1
Politicians lie all the time and we don't give it a second thought, maybe because that's what we expect of them. We should subject a few of the worst liars to the public flogging that had taken place for Mr. Williams. Otherwise the feigned surprise and loathing is no better than what we get from politicians.
3
Oh, for God's sakes, let's not elevate this beyond its worth. He exaggerated. Everyone does it, for all kinds of reasons. It's part of the human condition. Let the poor guy pay the price being demanded and let's move on.
10
It was only a few years ago that I had my 'aha moment' when I heard Mr. Williams report CBS's dress code warning to Grammy attendees. His actual words included: ''cover up breasts and buttocks''. For a moment I wondered if this was the best way to spend 15 seconds of News, given the current state of the world. Who decides what is News, and what does the process involve? For the first time I thought that I may be smarter than these 'News people'. It was a bold step for me, because as an immigrant, I always looked [up] at US News. Back in my home country we never questioned the accuracy or importance of any News on any of the major TV networks - NBC, CBS or ABC.
I don't watch News as much, partly because of the many online sources and partly because of it's infotainment slant.
It's unfortunate that this has happened to such a 'nice guy' but it underscores our need to exercise caution when listening to the News.
I don't watch News as much, partly because of the many online sources and partly because of it's infotainment slant.
It's unfortunate that this has happened to such a 'nice guy' but it underscores our need to exercise caution when listening to the News.
2
If Mr. Williams found it impossible to admit he lied about certain events while covering the news, I would have accepted his error in judgement if he admitted to making "mistatements of facts." He fell short of crossing that threshold for the second time since his suspension.
1
I do not find it plausible to "misremember" (see Pre owned) whether the helicopter he was in was hit with bullets. It was or it wasn't. That is an event which would be etched in stone in the minds of those who have not seen military conflict. And those who would like to retreat into the gray to find the answer deep within are probably being intellectually dishonest.
1
I'm so tired of this need for the general public to feel that famous people who err must entirely prostrate themselves at the altar of public humiliation. The guy made the mistake of getting carried away with his own schtick; he has said so, said he was wrong and has apologized. So, why is it still necessary for him to use these two little words. "I lied" before his contrition is acceptable. Yes, he was a news reporter who lost some of his credibility and has been demoted. Are the rest of us so perfect that we need his utter self-abasement?
10
How is one to know when Brian William is really telling the truth? Will Mr. Williams have a catchphrase like, "On my word of honor this is true," or "Cross my heart it's true this time"? It is not just that Mr. Williams has tainted his own credibility, but what example does this send to viewers, journalists and future journalists to keep Mr. WIlliams? Not a good one, I am sad and disappointed to say.
5
I'm looking forward to Bill O'Reilly's mea culpa interview, currently scheduled for the 12th of Never. I saw Saving Private Ryan in a theater, it doesn't mean i witnessed the horrors of WWII first hand. Why do we have a double standard?
8
This was Williams' 'Walk of Shame'. Just so very unnecessary. Like watching a soap opera, which is an appropriate metaphor because the news at NBC, like news all over the networks, is an entertainment spectacle. NBC=NFL in handling this nonsense.
5
In today's journalistic culture, at least on NBC, overt and recurring breaches of honesty, integrity, and professional ethics are forgiven with a reprimand and an apology. Feigned sincerity sells but not as much as good ratings. It says something about NBC and those who watch Williams.
1
I have never disliked Brian Williams.....until maybe seeing the interview with Matt Lauer. He just wasn't likable after the Lauer interview - he tried too hard or something....???
Who wouldn't say they've "changed" with millions of dollars dangling in front of their face?
Not to say he didn't mean what he said, or hasn't felt the pain, so to speak, but it just seemed a little weird to watch. In fact, it was quite uncomfortable.
Well, maybe that's how a person is supposed to feel when someone else says they've been a fool for the whole world to see - whether it's believable or not - and really, who cares?
Williams still has a job, Lester Holt has moved on (and good for him), there's always Savannah Guthrie to fill in, and Matt Lauer is, of course, on hand to try to make the viewers believe he really is getting to the truth of the matter, and maybe even to prove it is for the viewers' benefit.
Time for a commercial, please.
Who wouldn't say they've "changed" with millions of dollars dangling in front of their face?
Not to say he didn't mean what he said, or hasn't felt the pain, so to speak, but it just seemed a little weird to watch. In fact, it was quite uncomfortable.
Well, maybe that's how a person is supposed to feel when someone else says they've been a fool for the whole world to see - whether it's believable or not - and really, who cares?
Williams still has a job, Lester Holt has moved on (and good for him), there's always Savannah Guthrie to fill in, and Matt Lauer is, of course, on hand to try to make the viewers believe he really is getting to the truth of the matter, and maybe even to prove it is for the viewers' benefit.
Time for a commercial, please.
4
Brian Williams simply got caught up in his celebrity. I'm so happy to know that Lester Holt has taken his place--I've been hearing great things about him for years. Best of luck, Lester......
3
This was a fascinating and well-choreographed ballet duet by Williams and Lauer. Lauer (and NBC) needed to reestablish or maintain credibility as a reliable news source by being tough on Williams, thus Lauer's repeated questions about lying. And on some level, NBC must have signed off on Williams' non-answers, because the network chose to air this (albeit in edited form, for brevity, of course).
1
A mea sorta culpa. It's a start.
1
One thing to remember about Mr. Williams tall tale (though there were a number of them, in addition to the helicopter incident) about being on a flight that was hit by fire - this was not a fish story. Not a simple exaggeration of how big a fish caught, how much weight he could bench press or how fast he could run the 100. This was about a war zone, where soldiers really got hit and died almost every day. Which is what makes the whole thing so disgusting and completely unacceptable. Watch his interview on Jon Steward a couple years back when Williams breathlessly recounts the story, fully embellished, then closes to Jon with something like "when you want to take a trip to the other side baby, ride with me". It makes your skin crawl.
The man is a narcissist ego-maniac to the nth degree. He not only has to make himself constantly part of the story (I, me, repeat) but had to lie incessantly to boot. That's what wrong with him, and I doubt he will ever fix it.
The man is a narcissist ego-maniac to the nth degree. He not only has to make himself constantly part of the story (I, me, repeat) but had to lie incessantly to boot. That's what wrong with him, and I doubt he will ever fix it.
6
This reminds me when John Edwards got caught having an affair during his run for the Presidency. It is much more difficult it seems for those who have very high intelligence and great skills to do the job they were given, to actually admit they do the same thing every other human does, and that is lie when it is convenient and seemingly profitable. What is odd here is that Mr. Williams will continue to garner an extremely high salary and work at NBC when someone in a much lower position would simply lose his job and thus learn that the truth is always better.
4
Whatever Brian Williams failings, he didn't create this situation on his own. He was allowed, probably even encouraged, by NBC News executives to pursue the celebrity role beyond his anchor duties and he promoted himself as a kind of all purpose, good guy celeb. Why did the executives allow this? Because, obviously, they saw it as a benefit to the news division and themselves; as Brian Williams built himself up, the news ratings grew.
One egregious example of self promotion occurred every springtime during Williams time as news anchor. The newscast would run a bunch of video clips of people speaking at college graduation ceremonies and, surprise!, would always include a clip of Williams speaking. This had a dual purpose: see what a good guy this is?, and it ensured that Williams would have a lot of invitations to speak, because colleges wanted the momentary attention that would come from being included on a national newscast.
I can't recall any other national news anchor ever engaging in that kind of mutual self promotion. Such an event can only occur when people have lost sight of the fact that they are supposed to be offering a serious news program, not a news show hosted by a celebrity anchor. The pursuit of celebrity, in and for its own purposes, has replaced journalism.
For those who would say, wasn't it always this way?, the answer is simple: NO. Williams, as did Brokaw before him, brought self promotion to new levels. The NBC News executives allowed this to happen.
One egregious example of self promotion occurred every springtime during Williams time as news anchor. The newscast would run a bunch of video clips of people speaking at college graduation ceremonies and, surprise!, would always include a clip of Williams speaking. This had a dual purpose: see what a good guy this is?, and it ensured that Williams would have a lot of invitations to speak, because colleges wanted the momentary attention that would come from being included on a national newscast.
I can't recall any other national news anchor ever engaging in that kind of mutual self promotion. Such an event can only occur when people have lost sight of the fact that they are supposed to be offering a serious news program, not a news show hosted by a celebrity anchor. The pursuit of celebrity, in and for its own purposes, has replaced journalism.
For those who would say, wasn't it always this way?, the answer is simple: NO. Williams, as did Brokaw before him, brought self promotion to new levels. The NBC News executives allowed this to happen.
Given how pathetic television news has become (largely thanks to Brian Williams, who by all accounts was allergic to hard news or investigative reporting), NBC would have done better to replace him with a literate 20-year-old woman in a bikini. They would have gained viewers and lost none of their credibility, because they have none left to lose.
1
"...going forward there are going to be new rules of the road." Versus the old rules where telling tall tales was OK?
2
Brain and memory research has shown that each time we recall a memory, we file it away in a slightly different form than the original. Our new experiences and context get factored into our recall. We mute some aspects and emphasize others. We've all compared recollections with family and friends and had the experience of totally different recall, even though you both experienced the same thing at the same time. Why isn't anyone discussing the science of the brain in this issue?
7
Because most of us don't have years and years of videotaped statements to refer to if we forget what we originally said.
4
I agree if he was reporting the new. However, he was in a situation equivalent to "cocktail party" conversation (The Letterman Show). We communicate differently in our business roles and in casual settings. Regardless, the point is how we retrieve memories and what happens to them based on science. With the years of videotape, this is an rare opportunity to show what goes on in our brains (based on research) and that what we believe to be 100% truth when we speak is likely not. What a great lesson for our society and government to learn - to better understand the human mind in all our communications.
Not surprisingly this guy cannot admit he lied. Imagine what goes on in his skull, a scary place to be.
1
Brian Williams is nothing ore than a charlatan faking everything in life. He made some good money though doing it so he can retire, write books (with the help of a professional writer and a psychiatrist), and start a Non-Profit-Organization (minimum wage for the entire team except the founder). Other than that let MSNBC keep him out of sight. He is a fake.
I have been a news junkie all my life and that includes my looking at television news correspondents as national figures who not only told us the news but who also gave us perspective on how to react. They helped us make up our minds. I was partial to CBS in their heyday and was swayed by Cronkite, Kuralt, Sevareid, Trout and others by their no nonsense serious intonations along with their precise language.
Mr. Williams is likeable but bears no resemblence to a Brokaw or the men above who took the task of reporting the nation's news as an obligation and recognized their duty to do it right. Mr Williams is shrill and as the Texans like to say all hat and no cattle. His takeover of the Nightly News from a seasoned pro like Brokaw only highlighted what viewers would be missing. He never had the gravitas necessary so he made it up.
After the furor and humiliation that was generated by his fiction he is a fortunate man to still have a position at NBC. So I dont think it was too much to ask that he appear on national television and come clean. And there he was on the Today show front and center and he wouldnt or couldnt fess up directly. Despite the demotion Mr Williams has not changed and despite the months he had off to reflect it is apparent that he never understood the legacy he inherited.
Mr. Williams is likeable but bears no resemblence to a Brokaw or the men above who took the task of reporting the nation's news as an obligation and recognized their duty to do it right. Mr Williams is shrill and as the Texans like to say all hat and no cattle. His takeover of the Nightly News from a seasoned pro like Brokaw only highlighted what viewers would be missing. He never had the gravitas necessary so he made it up.
After the furor and humiliation that was generated by his fiction he is a fortunate man to still have a position at NBC. So I dont think it was too much to ask that he appear on national television and come clean. And there he was on the Today show front and center and he wouldnt or couldnt fess up directly. Despite the demotion Mr Williams has not changed and despite the months he had off to reflect it is apparent that he never understood the legacy he inherited.
Look closely at BW's neck dring the interview, and you see rivulets of sweat. A sure sign he knew he was lying even while denying it to Matt Lauer.
1
Denial is a powerful force, and facing the consequences of a mistake can be an ordeal that takes a while, especially for a guy who enjoyed public admiration and professional success. Being exposed, hitting that wall, and then recovering and making a new life in a new reality takes time. I like Brian, and wish him well on his journey.
1
Quite frankly I don't see why Williams should not get a pass on this. Hillary Clinton gets a free ride on her Bosnia sniper lie. It's so much bigger. Yet no one in the major media outlets has ever asked her why she lied and why she lied about lying when she got caught* No one ever asked whether she was on medication or whether she has other delusions or hallucinations. She must have serious mental problems or is so power hungry she will say or do anything. Yet much of the country seems to think she should be president. Scary.
*She said she misspoke. Misspeaking is saying you had tuna salad for lunch when it was really chicken salad. Misspeaking is not saying you were a target and snipers and ran across an airport tarmac when the video shows you in a greeting ceremony smiling and accepting a bouquet of flowers from a smiling litter girl.
*She said she misspoke. Misspeaking is saying you had tuna salad for lunch when it was really chicken salad. Misspeaking is not saying you were a target and snipers and ran across an airport tarmac when the video shows you in a greeting ceremony smiling and accepting a bouquet of flowers from a smiling litter girl.
2
Would someone please tell Mr. Williams that you cannot separate your ego from yourself. In short, at least in part, you are your ego.
2
Newsreaders are not journalists, they're actors. Williams is just a worse liar than the rest of them.
What is the difference between "he didn't lie, he just didn't tell the truth," and when asked if she were African-American, a white woman answers, "I identify as Black." Is there a dissecting of truth that needs to be done? Perhaps an expansion of definition? A deeper, more progressive meaning of truth? Something other than black or white? Something is changing.
Apples and oranges.
I wish Brian Williams' confession had been done in the privacy of a church before a priest, instead of a national television audience. I can't think of a public apology that didn't ring hollow, and his was no different. You knew you were in for something of a white-wash when NBC's Savannah Guthrie, in introducing the segment last night, described his lies as "exaggerations". That's putting it mildly.
NBC did Williams a further favor by not having Tom Brocaw to do the interview. That would have made for real drama, knowing what he thinks of the man to whom he passed the baton. Instead, it was Mat Lauer, best known as a light weight who delivers soft news. All in all it left viewers with a bad taste in our mouth.
NBC did Williams a further favor by not having Tom Brocaw to do the interview. That would have made for real drama, knowing what he thinks of the man to whom he passed the baton. Instead, it was Mat Lauer, best known as a light weight who delivers soft news. All in all it left viewers with a bad taste in our mouth.
2
If we are so offened by lies, why don't we demand this kind of soul cleansing from our lying politicians?
3
I can't get too excited about this. I like Brian Williams and forgive him for these transgressions. I find the outlandish behavior of the anchors on Fox news much more offensive and scandalous. I wish him the best of luck i the future.
2
We can "move on and give it a rest" as long as we never have to hear him reading the news again; if you mean we're done with Williams, I agree.
1
Brian Williams got caught while a whole host of others haven't been. So, he took a bullet for all of them and paid the price. In the end he's just a guy who's on television reading news some of which he's written and most of which is just synthesized by the writing staff off the news wire assisted by field correspondents running around getting "gets". None of this is important because network new isn't important.... and then it follows that Brian isn't important.
1
Williams was confused about where he was and when. Why would NBC want anyone who was confused on such basic facts while in a war zone reporting on anything?
3
In my view, he thought the circumstances (embedded with USArmy in a battle zone) would allow him to embellish some facts and he probably thought, being Brian Williams, I can make this work. This is not something "we all do" or "we all have done" this was a major deviation from a rigorous professional set of standards commonly followed by thousands of struggling journalists. I fear NBC will regret not having terminated his employment. On the other hand, he had to have been in the company of NBC producers who had to have been advising, assisting and supplementing his efforts to report facts. The whole thing stinks and they pawn the odor off on poor old MSNBC.
WHY? Fareed Zacharia was suspended from his job at Time Magazine for plagiarism. He was contrite in his admission and public apology. And he has resumed his career pretty much intact. So why is it different for Brian Williams. Why was he pilloried and dragged down while Zacharia was permitted to express his remorse, suspended and then resumed his job? Writers with Zacharaia's talents are few and far-between. But there are lots of news anchors lined up waiting to move ahead if one of their number stumbles, or worse, falls. I, for one, do not agree with the blood sport of those who take aim at news anchors and gloat over taking them down, as was the case with Dan Rather. Clearly, the so-called "Conservative" activists were gleeful about bringing him down. But for what reason? To improve the caliber of TV reporting? Surely not! If they wished to do that they could do a much more effective job by demanding ethics and professionalism in the constant swill of propaganda splattered all over the airwaves by Fox News. But, as is always the case, who pays the piper calls the tune.
4
Having seen him on late night shows, it was apparent he enjoyed the experience which reinforce his ego, & forgot his role as commentator, instead performing to the audience- exaggerating/lying as part of the role he was playing. He got carried away to be sure. I believe, like many of us, he needs a chance to prove himself; his deeds will tell what he's learned from this experience. The only purpose for this to be headline news is to ruin him, or to promote the Today Show.
1
I am amazed at the level of condemnation from readers in these comments. Williams got caught telling a fish tale. I think that the sadistic blood lust that has resulted is over the top.
16
First my apologies to Ms. Stanley, my initial reaction was pretty snarky. In retrospect this article is well written, accurate, and does not pull any punches. Mr. Williams made a mistake and he has owned up to it in a very disjointed manner, but yet he didn't lie---his ego lied---but he is indeed sorry.
Matt Lauer was superb---for NBC management, he labeled Mr. William's transgressions as "distortions" and as the Master of the Softball Question, he managed to get both of them across the goal line---as ugly as it was.
Mr. Williams blames his ego for inciting him to lie about his experiences in Afghanistan and who knows what else. Hopefully, Mr. Williams will be able to realize that with regards to his actions in Afghanistan they were indeed brave on their own merit. Just like Walter Cronkite or Dan Rather who both went into combat zones without any warranties from the enemy granting them safe passage, Mr. Williams also took that chance. Besides, flying in helicopters in Afghanistan is indeed a risky proposition, and the dozens of crashes due to enemy fire, weather or mechanical failure illuminate the inherent risk Mr. Williams voluntarily accepted.
Hopefully, Mr. Williams will be able to realize that he is talented, brave, and he just needs to be his own man and not try to compete with anyone's legacy. Here is wishing Mr. Williams much redemption and hopefully he will discover what works best for him. Lester Holt is truly the class act NBC needs.
Matt Lauer was superb---for NBC management, he labeled Mr. William's transgressions as "distortions" and as the Master of the Softball Question, he managed to get both of them across the goal line---as ugly as it was.
Mr. Williams blames his ego for inciting him to lie about his experiences in Afghanistan and who knows what else. Hopefully, Mr. Williams will be able to realize that with regards to his actions in Afghanistan they were indeed brave on their own merit. Just like Walter Cronkite or Dan Rather who both went into combat zones without any warranties from the enemy granting them safe passage, Mr. Williams also took that chance. Besides, flying in helicopters in Afghanistan is indeed a risky proposition, and the dozens of crashes due to enemy fire, weather or mechanical failure illuminate the inherent risk Mr. Williams voluntarily accepted.
Hopefully, Mr. Williams will be able to realize that he is talented, brave, and he just needs to be his own man and not try to compete with anyone's legacy. Here is wishing Mr. Williams much redemption and hopefully he will discover what works best for him. Lester Holt is truly the class act NBC needs.
11
David Eagleman has written a book on the nature of memory. Whenever an item is dredged out of memory, it is reprocessed so we can find ourselves remembering not the original item but the last time we remembered it. I agree that there can be an element of exaggeration in some reports, but my impression is that Brian may have come to believe his false memory. The British still to it better. Their 'news readers' do not take on celebrity status and do not become part of the story.
1
Mr. Williams has more than enough money to retire from the news business, which is what he should do.
First, I want to say that Matt Lauer took off the gloves and asked the right questions.
Having said that, upon NBC News announcing the conclusion of its investigation and the actions it was taking with regard to Williams' future at NBC, would it not be have been more appropriate for Brian Williams to first be interviewed by another broadcast news organization?
Having said that, upon NBC News announcing the conclusion of its investigation and the actions it was taking with regard to Williams' future at NBC, would it not be have been more appropriate for Brian Williams to first be interviewed by another broadcast news organization?
Really? This is a guy who got paid big bucks to keep his hair combed, his teeth brushed and stare into a teleprompter and read. Do we really need Honest Abe to perform that function.... a function less and less relevant to most Americans with each passing year?
The days of Uncle Walter are gone. I don't put any more trust into Pelley or Mahler or Williams or Holt than I do into Chris Matthews or Megyn Kelly. They've all got agendas. Let's get real here.
The days of Uncle Walter are gone. I don't put any more trust into Pelley or Mahler or Williams or Holt than I do into Chris Matthews or Megyn Kelly. They've all got agendas. Let's get real here.
1
He is fraud, evasive pretty boy that sticks to his talking points.
He still doesn't get it. And $10 million a year for reading the news. Give me a break!
Whether it's Williams's hipster manner or David Muir with the biceps and the grim visage (at least when he isn't making puppy dog eyes at the ladies), anything like dignity in network news is a thing of the past.
He lied, no matter how you phrase it, it was a lie not uttered by his ego he lied while being paid millions to report the actual happening. Is he returning that salary?????
1
"I may have lied but may be lying about this!"
"Punished plenty?" Guess I missed that.
Got mixed up in his mind. At last we know the truth.
Got mixed up in his mind. At last we know the truth.
I am inclined to forgive Mr. Williams for his slippage into a heroic but inaccurate description of the Iraq incident. Yes, given his responsibility, he needs to do a better job of editing himself and holding his ego at bay. But I don't believe he consciously put together a dishonest story. I believe he "conflated to prototype," (partly due to egotism), and I wish him well.
http://cultureworld21c.blogspot.com/2015/02/misremembering-by-prototype-...
http://cultureworld21c.blogspot.com/2015/02/misremembering-by-prototype-...
2
There was an obvious motive for Brian Williams to exaggerate his feats daring do when out in the field as a "real reporter" and anyone who has sat in a television news anchor chair, as I have, knows it: people in the news business generally consider anchors to be 3 dollar phonies unless proven otherwise. Reporters earn their street cred by the terrible things that happen to them or around them or through the horrors they've seen. (I once had a friend, who worked network news before going to L.A. local, almost bragging to me about a time his crew was killed in a helicopter crash.)
Anchors want that credit, that standing and the news anchors who are promoted fast, as Williams was, and rise to fame and money quickly want it most of all. Tall tales are one way to get it.
I have a news bulletin: Tom Brokaw, who helped recruit Williams for the anchor job at NBC News, also was prone to overstate matters. I know this from direct, personal experience. Because I once worked alongside Brokaw in the White House pressroom, I made a mental note over the years of his exaggerations, but, except for rare conversations with a few others, I kept those stories to myself. Williams might very well have learned from Brokaw that exaggeration is no terrible sin. Brokaw got away with it.
Williams was picked for the anchor chair because he was no threat to Brokaw and, indeed, drawn from the same background of "some reporting" with a quick ride to the top. Quick rides can be dangerous.
Anchors want that credit, that standing and the news anchors who are promoted fast, as Williams was, and rise to fame and money quickly want it most of all. Tall tales are one way to get it.
I have a news bulletin: Tom Brokaw, who helped recruit Williams for the anchor job at NBC News, also was prone to overstate matters. I know this from direct, personal experience. Because I once worked alongside Brokaw in the White House pressroom, I made a mental note over the years of his exaggerations, but, except for rare conversations with a few others, I kept those stories to myself. Williams might very well have learned from Brokaw that exaggeration is no terrible sin. Brokaw got away with it.
Williams was picked for the anchor chair because he was no threat to Brokaw and, indeed, drawn from the same background of "some reporting" with a quick ride to the top. Quick rides can be dangerous.
2
Hard to believe that Lester Holt is now number one. I lived in Chicago for a long time and he was a newscaster there. Pretty average. Haven't seen a local or national newscast in 20 years (a complete waste of time and I now live in Italy) so I guess he could have grown into the role. I kind of doubt it though. Lucked out I would say.
Congratulations to the corporate media for turning its readers, viewers, and listeners into public lynching mobs. Has that mistake, or lie if you will, by Brian Williams cost anyone lives? Our Presidents and cabinet members and our law makers have always lied and, in many instances, their lies caused millions of lives around the world to terminate prematurely in the most gruesome fashion in geopolitically motivated wars. Yet they are always allowed, at least those in the executive branch, to finish their terms, exit gracefully with unmatched retirement benefits.
4
Wow. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and then I watched the interview. Wow. By being unwillingly to say the truth - "I lied" - it seems he still hasn't owned what he did and continues to try to conceal the truth. Two simple words - "I lied" - would have done more for him than the many, many gyrations he espoused. How can he be trusted in the future, in any capacity related to serious media?
If Williams gets mixed up and can't tell reality he has no business reporting the news at any level. He is either a liar or incompetent. In either case he should be fired immediately!
Won`t be a big loss for me never have watched Brian Williams.
Moving on to Mr. Lester Holt a hard working gentleman and it is about time to recognize his enormous talent and the hard work he did so effortlessly.
Moving on to Mr. Lester Holt a hard working gentleman and it is about time to recognize his enormous talent and the hard work he did so effortlessly.
I don't understand why he even wants to stay in journalism. He has zero credibility. He has millions in the bank. I suppose his ego and his bank account still need to be fed.
1
Thanks for saying what I kept thinking during the interview - "I lied!" Say it, Brian. The thing that bothered me more than the verbal gymnastics was his near refusal to look Matt Lauer in the face, let alone the eyes. Mr. Willaims, most of the time, talked and talked while gazing into the middle distance directly over the interviewer's right shoulder. Was he lying while explaining himself, or simply just horribly embarrassed to have to submit to the interview by a colleague?
time to forgive. we all have burnished our past.
It was a really bad idea to have Brian Williams sit down for a Nixon/Frost type interview. Further, something really important was missing: the NBC news executives who helped to create this mess in the first place.
When you promote someone to be a "personality" instead of a serious journalist, this is what is bound to happen. Why was Williams allowed to do all those cameo star turns on other shows, entertainment shows? Why was he allowed to use NBC News to promote himself every year speaking at a college graduation ceremony? Every spring, NBC would run a compilation of grad speakers and, lo and behold!, there was a clip of Brain speaking at whatever college was lucky enough to draw him. This was a sickening level of self promotion. It is not surprising that an anchor wanted to do that, it is stunningly ignorant that NBC News participated in that festival of self love.
Back in the days of Walter Cronkite and others, even in the time of Dan Rather, there was an on-going battle between the producer/editors and the reporters and other "talent" in television news. Around the time Williams became the news anchor, the message was clear: the producers had won. In the future, no reporter or anchor would be allowed to rise to a position to challenge their power and authority. The on-air people would be treated a mere mechanical parts, flesh puppets, to be moved around and treated as the producers dictated. Williams was at peace with this system and a tool of it, too.
When you promote someone to be a "personality" instead of a serious journalist, this is what is bound to happen. Why was Williams allowed to do all those cameo star turns on other shows, entertainment shows? Why was he allowed to use NBC News to promote himself every year speaking at a college graduation ceremony? Every spring, NBC would run a compilation of grad speakers and, lo and behold!, there was a clip of Brain speaking at whatever college was lucky enough to draw him. This was a sickening level of self promotion. It is not surprising that an anchor wanted to do that, it is stunningly ignorant that NBC News participated in that festival of self love.
Back in the days of Walter Cronkite and others, even in the time of Dan Rather, there was an on-going battle between the producer/editors and the reporters and other "talent" in television news. Around the time Williams became the news anchor, the message was clear: the producers had won. In the future, no reporter or anchor would be allowed to rise to a position to challenge their power and authority. The on-air people would be treated a mere mechanical parts, flesh puppets, to be moved around and treated as the producers dictated. Williams was at peace with this system and a tool of it, too.
13
Whether he was fully aware, partially aware or completely unaware that he was lying at the time he said these lies is an interesting detail, but ultimately unimportant in deciding the question over what he should be allowed to do for a living and where he should be allowed to do it from this point on. Also interesting but unimportant is the amount of volition involved in these lies. Did he make these choices before speaking, were they compulsions from a "dark place" that he had no choice but to follow or did they fall somewhere in between the two?
The answers to these questions would provide interesting insight into human psychology, but are unimportant regarding his credibility as a reporter. He occasionally said things that weren't true, and some part of him knew they weren't true. And because he's in the truth-telling business, this should have been seen as an unacceptable situation by NBC-- especially since they've said his lies "for the most part" were made off-the-job. This of course means that one or more was made while on the job reporting/anchoring.
But my animosity is aimed squarely at NBC, not Williams. By not releasing the results of the company's internal investigation (i.e., by withholding the details and extent of his lies) and by placing him back before the camera anchoring and reporting, they've just destroyed their news division's reputation and credibility in the eyes of anyone who cares about this sort of thing.
The answers to these questions would provide interesting insight into human psychology, but are unimportant regarding his credibility as a reporter. He occasionally said things that weren't true, and some part of him knew they weren't true. And because he's in the truth-telling business, this should have been seen as an unacceptable situation by NBC-- especially since they've said his lies "for the most part" were made off-the-job. This of course means that one or more was made while on the job reporting/anchoring.
But my animosity is aimed squarely at NBC, not Williams. By not releasing the results of the company's internal investigation (i.e., by withholding the details and extent of his lies) and by placing him back before the camera anchoring and reporting, they've just destroyed their news division's reputation and credibility in the eyes of anyone who cares about this sort of thing.
14
i agree entirely. I would just like to add that it has been widely reported that the newsroom staff at NBC did not support his return to his former role at all.
1
Sadly, I think it was not ego that propelled Williams into oblivion, it was lack of ego. I fear that deep in his soul and psyche, he felt inadequate as a reporter in the field. He wanted that street cred and embellished his reporting roles, consciously or unconsciously to pump up his credibility -- actually a very old fashioned perception of what a network news anchor has become. I feel sorry for him.
10
Thank you Matt Lauer, you did a great job on this interview, and is a reminder of why I (used to) like the Today show (I think Matt and Willie Geist are the best ones; ok, guess you can keep Al too -ok, Al and Natalie are a good pair later in the morning, but I barely watch anymore; Today show has gone way downhill.
Please NBC get the hook and take this guy off the stage. HIs remarks are so rehearsed and who cares anymore about this narcissistic, vapid person, who belongs in showbiz, not news. He would make a super good game-show host or actor in a soap.
give the man a break - he delivers the news well -he's basically a reader... forgive him and move on and let him go back to the entertaining fun new person he was... who can blame him? he was having too much fun... he's intelligent... he's remorseful...
1
When was the last time that the 'World News' had some great prestige, or delivered some substantial infomation about anything besides the quick sound bites? I understand that the family is in motion at 6:30 but to say that the anchors and others are journalists?
1
Seems like I don't care to watch few of any news people anymore. They are no longer journalists, but fancy themselves as celebrities: Mr. Williams included. No I won't take him as being genuine any longer. Sad cause I really liked his reporting.
He's a big phony, never liked him, even before all this happened. Fake, fake, fake, and a fake apology too.
I think why he lied is pretty obvious. Who doesn't want to impress people with tales of daring-do? Or regale them by talking about all the times you literally saw history being made? The motivation to lie about these things is great. And human. But most of us -- especially when you're in a position where telling lies larger than white ones is not right (teacher, news anchor, etc.) -- resist telling them. Brian Williams wasn't able to do that, until he got caught. All he had to do in this interview was tell the full truth about why he lied and say, lesson learned, it won't happen again. His failure to do so's only going to hurt him.
For goodness sake. He made up a war story. How many of us have done that? I understand it, anyone who feels they didn't do enough somehow would get it.
Happens a million times a day.
Happens a million times a day.
1
How did the "apology tour" escape Ms Stanley's comment? Doesn't the fact that Mr. Williams is indeed on a tour to help rebuild his image tell you that the man and his institutional employer have mobilized to repair a broken egg? The beginning is not promising. Others have said it in many ways. The first interview raised more questions than it answered. Yes Mr. Williams lied. Likely Mr. Williams knows it. Ms Stanley ends with the phrase "time to move on and give it a rest." And let the tour go on? Is that moving on? Again others have said it, the way to deal with the mistakes Mr. Williams made is to acknowledge his lies using the words that any news editor would demand. "I lied". Why? can remain for the dissectors who wonder why we lied, as we all do from time to time. But the broken egg that NBC and Mr. Williams will now try to repair a sliver at a time is an unnecessary process unless the most cynical of interpretations is applied: The spin doctors have programmed Mr Williams never to use the L word.
I wonder who else has noticed the similarity between the cases of Brian Williams and Rachel Dolezol. Both can't bring themselves to say they lied, because both were able to persuade themselves at the time that what they were saying was true. I know what that's like. It's only recently, for instance, that I've been able to tell my story of reading an early Jack Kerouac manuscript without saying he'd personally given it to me, or tell the story of a Stanley Kubrick putdown without saying we'd actually known each other. It took me a while to realize that the real story was just as interesting as the embellished one. Please let's give these folks a break, and measure their worth by their overall achievements, not their minor departures from fact.
1
I really can't care less about Brian Williams, Matt Lauer, or any of the other overpaid figureheads of the major (and minor) networks. The "work" they do is insignificant.
Memory is volatile and inaccurate. At some point in the history of this man he must have known he was exaggerating his stories. But as we get older it is entirely possible to believe your own inaccurate recollection. Let's move on, leave Mr Williams to his own life and down fall and focus on the many more importanrt tragedies and wrongs that surround us everyday.
2
I agree with several of the comments referring to the absurdity of Matt Lauer who makes millions a year, interviewing Brian Williams, who made 10 million a year, as if this was a hard hitting, psychological Mea Culpa piece. For those who keep saying "Why didn't he walk or just get fired"? He had just signed a five year, 50 million dollar contract. They can't get rid of him without paying him off. He could have sued them and made their shaken news division look even more Mickey Mouse than it does. Even if he lost, they'd lose even more than he would.
What I find incredible, is how barely any focus is put on Lester Holt who has done an amazing job and kept them alive in the ratings. I guess if your black and not a matinee idol white male, your achievements go unnoticed. It brings to mind the Tuskegee Air Men who never got any recognition for their heroism during WWII, and have only recently been acknowledged for their patriotism. Now I have to remind myself: It's a show. They are performers. They are only concerned with ratings and the bottom line. We get caught up in the glories of the past generations of newscasters who really were brave, and didn't make millions of dollars, ( Murrow, Severeid). These are not those people.
What I find incredible, is how barely any focus is put on Lester Holt who has done an amazing job and kept them alive in the ratings. I guess if your black and not a matinee idol white male, your achievements go unnoticed. It brings to mind the Tuskegee Air Men who never got any recognition for their heroism during WWII, and have only recently been acknowledged for their patriotism. Now I have to remind myself: It's a show. They are performers. They are only concerned with ratings and the bottom line. We get caught up in the glories of the past generations of newscasters who really were brave, and didn't make millions of dollars, ( Murrow, Severeid). These are not those people.
I could feel his pain during the interview with Matt Laurer, I will still respect him as a journalist.
1
Williams gave the equivalent of a no contest plea. While I don't feel a second chance is deserved, I am surprised that most if not all of the talking faces on TV have said Williams is deserving some sort of opportunity to continue in his profession. Is anyone disturbed by the idea that some honorable fella has not been hired at MSNBC because Williams was hired?
Let me get this straight. They suspend the guy for 6 months. He could have quit but he didn't want to. So they find him a nice new job and send Lester off on a well-earned vacation in order to orchestrate the "big announcement". And they tell him, go on Matt Lauer's show and when he asks you at some point "did you tell a lie?", find a way to say "yeah, I told a lie and I'm sorry for that...for some reason I can't explain, I needed to make myself seem more important than I was...." All will be forgiven, Americans will welcome you back. And so Matt asks him 3 or 4 .... or 212... times in various ways "did you lie??" And the guy DOESN'T take the bait! An entire PR department at a major network must have been looking on in absolute horror!! This has long since stopped being a tragedy. It's a joke. The man is missing something he needs to perform this job and ought to be fired.
matt lauer!? waiting for the day williams gets a chance to question him about...oh, where to begin?
This is so incredibly trivial.
1
He might be a celebrity, but to me, a real man doesn't lie. A real man takes responsibility for his actions. A real man owns up to his imperfections. Brian, you have a long way to go.
In months of reading comments on articles about Williams, only one has stayed with me: I can't understand why this guy wasn't fired the minute it happened. Really, it has nothing to do with redemption or forgiveness. Williams is simply not qualified to work in news. On any channel.
11
I have seen Williams a few times as a guest with Jon Stewart and find him likeable. However, if you folks want a good TV news show, why don't you watch PBS?
23
I only saw a bit of this on last evening's NBC news but the entire performance was excruciating and why Williams ever agreed to this public abasement is a mystery to me. This is one of the most hypocritical countries in the world, witness the reactions to the Charleston shootings, so Williams' bit of embroidery (which we all do from time to time) was a huge professional error given his job but in the scheme of things not very important. His career front of house is probably over but it all needs to be seen in perspective.
34
I agree completely, I'm sure that all of the pitchfork waving folks who jumped on Williams are guilty of telling a white lie or two.
If 90% of your job is to deliver the news in a way people believe is truthful, then being exposed as a congenital liar is very important.
Befuddled as to why NBC wouldn't just let him go and move on. There are a million people is this country who are just as good-looking and just as capable of reading a teleprompter as Brian Williams. He is not indispensable.
Befuddled as to why NBC wouldn't just let him go and move on. There are a million people is this country who are just as good-looking and just as capable of reading a teleprompter as Brian Williams. He is not indispensable.
I often believes that when your eggs are broken in life, its time to make omelets. Williams has always been interested in the entertainment aspect of the television media. Now that Stephen Colbert has retired his satire character of a right wing commentator, and Jon Stewart is leaving comedy presentation of current events, there is open room for another entertainment based presentation of news and current events.
I think Williams could play on his reputation for exaggeration and embellishments by developing a Baron Munchausen type of news presentation, where inserting himself into the story would be expected, and the wilder the claim, the funnier it would be.
Amusing news presentations have become a part of the media since Chevy Chase started doing news on Saturday Night Live. Why not have Williams do what he does naturally, and does best?
I think Williams could play on his reputation for exaggeration and embellishments by developing a Baron Munchausen type of news presentation, where inserting himself into the story would be expected, and the wilder the claim, the funnier it would be.
Amusing news presentations have become a part of the media since Chevy Chase started doing news on Saturday Night Live. Why not have Williams do what he does naturally, and does best?
11
What surprises me is that after so many example of public figures making their apologies for whatever they have done, that people who are now caught in a similar situation have not had the good sense to hire themselves a small committee made up of a writer, a psychologist and a moralist to put together a reasonable mea culpa. I mean everything comes packaged these days so why not a technology wise confession.
4
"Torture" really Brian?
A fifteen million dollar salary per year?
That in itself is "sloppy" and "misleading" reporting.
A fifteen million dollar salary per year?
That in itself is "sloppy" and "misleading" reporting.
14
He did not say the 'L' word and that by itself makes him a liar. My empathy is with Matt Lauer, though. It must have been extremely difficult for him to be grilling a colleague, ( probably a mentor or his hero )and seeing him grovelling, brought down from his pedestal. I am surprised at N.B.C. Why was Williams just demoted instead of FIRED? If there was a contract in question, Williams has breached that contract by false reporting. By exaggerating his role in the stories he reported, he broke the first rule of journalism reporting invented stories instead of FACTS. I am not talking here about Fox! When He becomes the story he has breached the contract ( or so I would think ). He has lost peoples' trust, a required job description for a journalist. And that takes away his license to practice journalism.
11
We have corporate doublespeak to thank for calling lies "distortions" and dishonesty "naïveté." Anything to play down the seriousness of the fraud.
13
They should have given him a talk show at 10:00 on MSNBC. He might be able to do some sort of Charlie Rose thing. He has no credibility anymore as a hard news guy.
13
Isn't it sad that in today's world, he would get a second chance at all? I went to Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism decades ago -- the Vatican of Journalism...don't remember this would ever pass muster...what kind of journalism are we practicing today? I still remember the facts from subway crashes and murder stories I did over 20 years ago, and wouldn't forget about a helicopter crash in Iraq. Really sad he is getting a second chance at all. He has enough money to retire, so why take pity? Seems there is no backbone left in the world anymore is there?
35
"I went to Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism decades ago -- the Vatican of Journalism"
Yes, we know. You're mega important and authoritative. Why, then, is your analysis so poor?
Yes, we know. You're mega important and authoritative. Why, then, is your analysis so poor?
. . .and "decades ago" being dubbed "the Vatican of Journalism" implied offering a set of standards quite different from what that suggests today. Hello, It's 2015, Anna12, and I wonder if Brian Willams as "newsreader" is even playing the same game as you once did with your "facts from subway crashes and murder stories." The public's "news appetite" has shifted more towards entertainment. A Communications degree is more useful than one in Journalism. Sorry, but people in the News Business have mouths to feed. Gotta keep 'em watching and reading. Hence, a space like this to let them comment.
I don't agree that Brian Williams needs to be punished endlessly for his transgressions. Perhaps newsreaders should be held to a higher standard than the rest of us, or perhaps this is a "don't cast the first stone" moment.
From a pragmatic standpoint, his presence on MSNBC may help solve that network's ratings problems as well as the perception that its collection of left-leaning hosts has gotten monotonous. I would not be surprised, given enough time for viewers to accept Williams back on the air, to see him in a bigger role at MSNBC...in particular, replacing Chris Hayes with a show that a wider audience may actually want to watch.
From a pragmatic standpoint, his presence on MSNBC may help solve that network's ratings problems as well as the perception that its collection of left-leaning hosts has gotten monotonous. I would not be surprised, given enough time for viewers to accept Williams back on the air, to see him in a bigger role at MSNBC...in particular, replacing Chris Hayes with a show that a wider audience may actually want to watch.
4
Left leaning? You mean Joe Scarborough? So it is the audience that is at fault? I guess they should have been watching Fox News. Never any deception there.
After watching this 9 minute 38 sec mess it is clear to me that Mr Williams missed his true calling as a politician.
18
Mr. Williams made a mistake and has paid a big price for it. NBC after having exacted it's punishment should have moved on and returned Mr. Williams to his job. At this point Mr. Williams should resign and seek employment is another market as he will not be returned to Nightly News and MSNBC is just a side-show.
8
Heard he's still gonna made north of $5MM Per year for remainder of his contract which was for $10MM. I'd be fired for dishonesty at my job as would most people.
“It got mixed up — it got turned around in my mind”
Yeah sure, about your aircraft being hit by enemy fire.
Wow, still lying.
Yeah sure, about your aircraft being hit by enemy fire.
Wow, still lying.
11
i used to admire Brian Williams as he represented to me what a true blue respected, credible journalist should be..... until his fall from grace. I was disappointed, and sadly, this interview did not improve how i see him today. Not addressing the issues/questions simply and directly, and his use of a lot of flowery words did not exude sincerity.
8
What is his explanation? He seems to want it both ways. Was it all unwitting befuddlement? Innocent "mix ups" stemming from pitiable insecurity? Did his actions emanate from a bad place called ego or vanity, resulting in an intentional desire to appear better and more important i.e. lies.? Unfortunately, despite his oft-mentioned clarity, torturous unpacking & ownership, Brian's aha moment appeared to be his realization that because he "was already IN" the stories he was covering , his 'embellishments' were unnecessary. (!!!) There's the crux of it. All I can think of is Albert Brooks' & Broadcast News.
9
The entire Williams interview was a sham, a theater of fake contrition. He knew what he'd done, but he continued to feign innocence. No intention on his part! No, it was just all mixed up, a conflation. According to all reliable accounts, after endless hours and hours of confrontation and proof positive of Williams's lies, his bosses still could not get him to say the words, "I lied." He even curiously queried his bosses, "Do you think I might have a brain tumor?" as if a brain tumor might explain away 12 years of lies. Williams absolutely refused to say the words, "I lied," as if his years of prevarication without intention could whitewash his acts.
Andrew Lack has done NBC no favor in keeping Williams on. Turning a blind eye to Williams's lack of ethics, Lack has crushed the time-honored standards of truth and integrity in broadcast journalism. And Lack has cynically used MSNBC as its personal trash heap to off-load its high-profile liar into unspecified stint of detention until punished--like a bad kid being sent to detention in the principal's office. MSNBC deserves better.
Don't bother with the MSNBC gig, Mr. Lack. Viewers don't want to see Williams on MSNBC--with wild and fanciful tales of Breaking News: "Incoming IEDs devastate U.S. continental weather patterns!' If he is put on board at MSNBC, NBC will have guaranteed Williams his long-awaited comedy break. Williams's journalistic career is over. Surely just one NBC exec has the courage to admit that truth.
Andrew Lack has done NBC no favor in keeping Williams on. Turning a blind eye to Williams's lack of ethics, Lack has crushed the time-honored standards of truth and integrity in broadcast journalism. And Lack has cynically used MSNBC as its personal trash heap to off-load its high-profile liar into unspecified stint of detention until punished--like a bad kid being sent to detention in the principal's office. MSNBC deserves better.
Don't bother with the MSNBC gig, Mr. Lack. Viewers don't want to see Williams on MSNBC--with wild and fanciful tales of Breaking News: "Incoming IEDs devastate U.S. continental weather patterns!' If he is put on board at MSNBC, NBC will have guaranteed Williams his long-awaited comedy break. Williams's journalistic career is over. Surely just one NBC exec has the courage to admit that truth.
Hey Brian, I'll say it for you.... "You're a liar!"
and while I'm at it.... "Hey, NBC, you're a disgrace...."
and while I'm at it.... "Hey, NBC, you're a disgrace...."
30
"Hey Brian, I'll say it for you.... "You're a liar!"
and while I'm at it.... "Hey, NBC, you're a disgrace...."
Here's a disgraceful wingnut pretending he's not a disgrace by offering no substance whatever and assuming he has.
and while I'm at it.... "Hey, NBC, you're a disgrace...."
Here's a disgraceful wingnut pretending he's not a disgrace by offering no substance whatever and assuming he has.
1
Look where Lauer starts -- he doesn't ask him what he did, he doesn't ask him why he did it, he asks "how does it feel?" And his followup question? "How does it feel *personally*?" And that's what we get to hear, maudlin self-analysis by a man two centimeters deep.
22
One who lies does not tell the truth. But one who does not tell the truth does not necessarily lie. In my opinion, there is a distinction between lying and not telling the truth, and it has to do with intent. One who lies has malicious intent and is aware the lie may harm the person(s) to whom it is told -- physically, emotionally, financially, etc. On the other hand, there are many non-malicious reasons, benign reasons, for not telling the truth. We all sometimes are less than truthful, but we intend no harm to anyone and would undoubtedly bristle at being called a LIAR by someone else in self-righteous high dudgeon. Mr. Williams in vainly stoking his own ego with his fanciful stories was, now by his own admission, untruthful for sure. But I don't think he intended any harm and I don't blame him for refusing to call himself a liar. I wouldn't call him that either.
The Williams interview gave disturbing insights into a man whose ego and vanity will not allow him to face himself. He lied. He knows he lied. Yet he dodged and parried, eluded and split verbal hairs, ducked and skirted. Yes, he may have been able to say, "I said things that weren't true," be he could not own the word LIED. Williams was willing to embrace any word not fraught with intention. Thus, he stubbornly clung to inadvertent "error," but refuted lying. Try as he might, Williams's mea culpa was disingenuous.
Of great concern is NBC playing fast and loose with the truth. After its extensive investigation, NBC is fully aware that Williams lied repeatedly. Williams embarked on a scheme of elaboration--and outright lying--many times over a 12-year period. Yet, NBC refused to accept the moral implication of its own anchor engaging in deliberate dishonesty and firing Williams outright.
Further, sending Williams to MSNBC is a wretched act. NBC has signaled that it is using MSNBC as its personal dumping ground for liars. MSNBC, with honorable journalists fully of integrity--Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, Ed Schulz, Lawrence O'Donnell, and others--do not deserve to have their own reputations put at risk by babysitting a disgraced journalistic liar among them. Williams deserves his walking papers, and MSNBC deserves far better treatment than to be stuck with NBC's cast off liar.
Of great concern is NBC playing fast and loose with the truth. After its extensive investigation, NBC is fully aware that Williams lied repeatedly. Williams embarked on a scheme of elaboration--and outright lying--many times over a 12-year period. Yet, NBC refused to accept the moral implication of its own anchor engaging in deliberate dishonesty and firing Williams outright.
Further, sending Williams to MSNBC is a wretched act. NBC has signaled that it is using MSNBC as its personal dumping ground for liars. MSNBC, with honorable journalists fully of integrity--Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, Ed Schulz, Lawrence O'Donnell, and others--do not deserve to have their own reputations put at risk by babysitting a disgraced journalistic liar among them. Williams deserves his walking papers, and MSNBC deserves far better treatment than to be stuck with NBC's cast off liar.
62
It's one thing to screw up, but when you get caught you have to man up and own up, which Mr. Williams has not yet done.
He might take an example from his TV pal Dave Letterman, who was direct and forthright in his acknowledgement and apology when the time called for it.
He might take an example from his TV pal Dave Letterman, who was direct and forthright in his acknowledgement and apology when the time called for it.
20
Excellent point, b. And after Letterman manned up, he moved on, and ending up retiring with great distinction, amidst public admiration.
Certainly, Mr. Williams is entitled to redemption, after all President Clinton received it. It clearly helps that Mr. Williams has at least one NBC executive who confuses personal loyalty with professionalism to the viewers and NBC staffers.
Mr. Williams if anything reveals more of his base insecurities as he insists on hanging on when there is nothing to hang onto. Apparently, like in most places you can get fired at NBC for being untruthful on your resume, but lying on the job to viewers----you simply get a new audience.
Mr. Williams if anything reveals more of his base insecurities as he insists on hanging on when there is nothing to hang onto. Apparently, like in most places you can get fired at NBC for being untruthful on your resume, but lying on the job to viewers----you simply get a new audience.
5
How can a person tell if there is truth or not on the news anymore since it is nothing but a fast paced group of one line notations with no sense of having delved deeply into any story unless it about a celebrity becoming a transgender person. There is no analysis anymore and it is laced with stuff direct from U Tube videos promoted as entertaining because god forbid that we not entertain our audience or even get very serious about them at all. And remember we have to get that meteorologist on there to tell us the weather all over the United States when the audience only cares about local weather. What does it matter whether he lied or not?
6
I "like" Brian, from what I see of him, but he failed the only test that really matters in terms of being a newscaster for a reputable news organization. And that is that you don't make up or embellish stories if you are the person the nation turns to for news. Brian should leave the news business and try something else. He already has plenty of money and he'll be fine even if he never works another day. Let's give somebody who doesn't make up stories a chance to be the person we turn to for news. I'll feel badly for our nation if Brian somehow gets back into the spotlight at NBC, because that would be saying that telling the truth doesn't really matter to us.
6
I wonder whether or not it is worthwhile looking up the word 'sociopath.'
1
He is not good enough for MSNBC.
He is a minor reporter at best, with an enormous, undeserved ego. He is not particularly intelligent or insightful. And, he is hugely self-serving.
Imagine all of the Americans who have been out of work for years because of the greed of the 1% of this country. Talk about "torture," those are the ones experiencing torture...not this blown up, gas bag.
I have no interest in hearing or seeing him again on television.
He is a minor reporter at best, with an enormous, undeserved ego. He is not particularly intelligent or insightful. And, he is hugely self-serving.
Imagine all of the Americans who have been out of work for years because of the greed of the 1% of this country. Talk about "torture," those are the ones experiencing torture...not this blown up, gas bag.
I have no interest in hearing or seeing him again on television.
18
You know a person has not taken responsibility when they refer to their bad behavior as something that "happened" rather than something they "did."
Williams still can't believe that he actually did what he did and looks back at his previous lies in broadcasts and interviews as if that was someone else who looks and talks like him. That's how compartmentalized he is.
He suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder. The media, politics, the upper echelons of the corporate world and the entertainment industry is over-represented in this department.
Repeat after me, Brian. "Yes! I did it. I lied. I wanted to inflate my sense of self-importance and in order to do that, I lied."
Williams still can't believe that he actually did what he did and looks back at his previous lies in broadcasts and interviews as if that was someone else who looks and talks like him. That's how compartmentalized he is.
He suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder. The media, politics, the upper echelons of the corporate world and the entertainment industry is over-represented in this department.
Repeat after me, Brian. "Yes! I did it. I lied. I wanted to inflate my sense of self-importance and in order to do that, I lied."
20
It should be noted that Brian Williams has not used his position to promote a book like his predecessor, holier-than-thou Tom Brokaw did with The Greatest Generation. In the old days, back in the Sixties, in print journalism many publications even refused to review a book by a staff reporter or editor. Williams merely did his job well.
5
Well done, Alessandra. You captured the emotion of the interview experience perfectly -- both that of Mr. Williams and how he presented and that of the viewers and what we might have seen. I believed Mr. Williams had more character than he has shown. I would have expected him to state the facts at this point. Life is gray -- we get that. But, he might have earned our loyalty back by being downright honest and clear. Certainly, anything less than the facts would have incited a reaction from him on his nightly news. Maybe thats why I am so very disappointed in him now.
Many have felt a loss with his departure from evening news. We trusted him and held him to a high standard. Shame on me for thinking he was anything more than a salesman or politician.
Many have felt a loss with his departure from evening news. We trusted him and held him to a high standard. Shame on me for thinking he was anything more than a salesman or politician.
8
Bax: Well said. I, for one, am so glad about Lester Holt now being the permanent anchor. What a class act....so professional, classy, and not full of himself. How refreshing!!
Wow, thanks so much for the opportunity to see these two great "journalists," so far beyond the limited means of the Brokows and Cronkites of my youth, sitting down together to pretend to get this straightened out! It's so great to realize that these two journalists can present such true, deep hitting reporting (even if they are on the same business team and they want to let us know what great, honest and disciplined people they are, albeit slightly flawed = the hook). And thanks so much to the Times for allowing us to read this hard hitting, objective reporting with no mention of the NBC PR team's diligent efforts to focus group all this baloney to see if, somehow, we would buy it.
10
I am amazed that we are so surprised by this. Brian Williams was a solid anchor, and delivered pseudo truths as well as anyone else. It is only that he was caught that his reputation was soiled. As a progressive, I feel poisoned every second I watch MSNBC, as it represents no reasonable progressive ideas, just as Fox news represents no sense of reasonable conservatism. The inability of journalists to articulate the value of conservatism in congress with progressivism suggests to met that Brian Williams will be fine, and that our collective polity will not.
3
Forgiveness people. That's what this should be about. Who of us out there has not told a lie to "better our story" at one point in our lives?
I for one will watch Brian wherever he goes!
I for one will watch Brian wherever he goes!
8
That is so poor and lame. Just because "everyone" else lies, I will ! What a cop-out! No, not everyone is a liar. It is too easy to lie , especially in today's world, so maybe it takes a stronger character and integrity to be honest. Integrity....without it what do you have. Trust....without it what do you have.
No, some want to minimize Brian Williams' behavior. Maybe it makes them feel better about the lies and exaggerations they tell.
No, some want to minimize Brian Williams' behavior. Maybe it makes them feel better about the lies and exaggerations they tell.
I am more offended by this stab at an apology than I was when he missed the mark on Nightly News. He stuck to his taking points better than a candidate on the stump. I don't care to see another broadcast by this man.
7
Despite his downfall I can say that Brian Williams is a good human being. A while ago I took a group of troubled students, and their rabbis (one for every two students on an insiders' tour of NBC. I used to work there. We stopped by Mr. Williams's office on the off chance that they could meet him. His assistant said Mr. Williams was busy on a conference call. Just then he looked outside his door and said, "Hello, Richard; how are you?"." I asked him if he could say hello to the boys. He came out and shook each person's hand and said hello. A very fine gesture from a basically fine human being,
12
I wonder if he can make the argument that he had as irresistible impulse to make false statements, as opposed to any intent to lie?
4
This decision to retain Williams is, of course, absurdly ridiculous.
11
Remember the scene in the movie Broadcast News, where William Hurt's anchorman character fakes a tear? The Holly Hunter character is freaked out by his dishonesty and it makes her abandon broadcast news as a corrupted profession. Well, Brian Williams did a whole lot worse than fake a tear. How the standards have fallen.
5
The truth will forever escape Williams and viewers will always know that, making his presence on TV a joke. What is so difficult about saying, I lied?
12
Based on the article, all the more reason to see him go permanently. Why reward such dishonorable behavior? Lester Holt is better choice.
6
PS. I am also wondering why other commenters are comparing this to Fox News saying this is "acceptable" compared to Fox...Neither should be allowed but Fox is a company and Williams is a person. Corporations can do what they want, but reporters are supposed to try to tell the truth.
2
I credit Brian Williams with getting me to watch the evening news again. I looked forward to his broadcast and would watch for the entire half hour.
Now I no longer watch it. Lester Holt is a solid anchor, but I get bored and drift off within the first five minutes of his newscast.
Brian Williams has paid his penance. Please bring him back!
Now I no longer watch it. Lester Holt is a solid anchor, but I get bored and drift off within the first five minutes of his newscast.
Brian Williams has paid his penance. Please bring him back!
2
What t he man did as a person was perfectly ordinary but as a newsperson, absolutely unforgivable. He should have retired completely from the business and found something else to do with his time. Probably could be a hell of a teacher. Nothing like a good story laced into a lecture to make it interesting and the man can also tell a joke.
8
When you come right down to it, Williams is a perfect representative of America's corporate media. He's mealy-mouthed with no real appreciation for blunt factual reality. He's just getting the same kid glove treatment the networks give to any public figure. The exception is Fox, but they're usually only aggressive with Democrats.
4
It's a classic case of sin and redemption. "let him who is without sin among you cast the first stone." I would hope we could forgive him, accept his apology, and let him get on with his life. We all make mistakes, we all exaggerate, we all tell lies: this is proof that telling the truth is the best policy, and I think Brian Williams really knows that now.
6
Brian Williams was being paid handsomely to tell the unadulterated truth all of the time. Unless, you are truly a liar to your core, it seems any half-descent person could adhere to the truth when delivering a news story. It seems as though you are attempting to downplay or excuse his behavior. There is absolutely no excuse. He should have been fired and not given a golden parachute with a new assignment..
2
To attract a broad audience, NBC News has always tried to be as uncontroversial as possible. This, of course, has meant no hard-hitting questions, and no stories that would offend the worldview of most people.
To them, journalistic integrity is mostly about being accurate. It's not about holding powerful people accountable or "giving voice to the voiceless." In light of this, I can see why Brian Williams had to step down.
To them, journalistic integrity is mostly about being accurate. It's not about holding powerful people accountable or "giving voice to the voiceless." In light of this, I can see why Brian Williams had to step down.
1
Two words, so simple, and yet seemingly impossible for Williams to say, "I lied." He is still parsing words and finding ways to obfuscate what he did and what he did not do. He still has not confronted this directly to himself or presumably to his employer or the public. Unless and until he does that unequivocally, his credibility remains zero and still reflects badly on NBC. He has not used the time of his suspension to honestly see and understand all of this.
Perhaps this new assignment on MSNBC will be a face-saving way for him to fade away. His employer surely does not owe him the proceeds of his $50-million contract given that his lies have brought the organization into disrepute - precisely what morals clauses are for.
Perhaps this new assignment on MSNBC will be a face-saving way for him to fade away. His employer surely does not owe him the proceeds of his $50-million contract given that his lies have brought the organization into disrepute - precisely what morals clauses are for.
12
Why all the piling on? Brian Williams did not lie in the true sense of the word. He merely embroidered and dramatized his role, but he didn't actually lie. From the outcry one would think he made up the war and Katrina. Regarding the latter he delivered an essay that was elegiac. Moreover, Williams has paid his dues and brought more experience--White House correspondent and foreign coverage--to his anchor role than many others. I remind people that he is not running for President of the United States or any other public office. He is an anchor
for goodness sake.
for goodness sake.
4
I was pulling for him during the Lauer interview for the first few minutes. The fact that he wouldn't admit to lying turned the tide against him however. Reality is I expect a President to lie. As the joke goes "are the lips moving?" However, I expect a news person to tell the truth about the news. All the time.
I don't wish him any harm. Hopefully he can turn this trust thing around. Mr. Williams was perhaps exceptionally good at his job; not easy to find a replacement but now is not the time to give him the anchor position back, and possibly never. Lester Holt deserves the position as he is an excellent anchor as well.
I'm 61 years old so I grew up in the "anchor world". Times are different now and I think Mr. Williams may be the last of the heavyweight anchors in my lifetime. News is more diversified than ever before so I think there is a good chance the "heavyweights" may go the way of the dinosaur.
I don't wish him any harm. Hopefully he can turn this trust thing around. Mr. Williams was perhaps exceptionally good at his job; not easy to find a replacement but now is not the time to give him the anchor position back, and possibly never. Lester Holt deserves the position as he is an excellent anchor as well.
I'm 61 years old so I grew up in the "anchor world". Times are different now and I think Mr. Williams may be the last of the heavyweight anchors in my lifetime. News is more diversified than ever before so I think there is a good chance the "heavyweights" may go the way of the dinosaur.
He said the helicopter he was in was downed when in fact it wasn't. How is that not a lie? Your point though, about him not running for office is exactly what he seems like he's doing. He's still spinning it like he IS a politician ("I did not have sexual relations with that woman." "It depends on what the meaning of 'is' is."). He already knows what his punishment is. There was no need to avoid just speaking freely. But instead, he spoke either like a man who has something in his contract that he needs to avoid triggering or as a man who is still not quite being honest with himself. He kept answering the question of "Did you lie?" with the reason _why_ he lied, instead of first admitting that he did. As if he refused to accept the general definition of the word. Yes, we should all move on from this sorry spectacle. But my how much smaller this man is to me now than before I watched him performance.
1
We have become a culture in which honest, straightforward admissions of wrongdoing have become increasingly difficult, if not impossible, for our public figures to make.
Williams's Clintonian difficulty in answering Lauer's questions with anything like clarity matched that of Rachel Dolezal. Neither one had the courage to say "I lied, and I hurt others and myself with my deceptions."
I'm sure that the Williams family has had a miserable time with this. He could at least have acknowledged their chagrin and pain.
Williams's Clintonian difficulty in answering Lauer's questions with anything like clarity matched that of Rachel Dolezal. Neither one had the courage to say "I lied, and I hurt others and myself with my deceptions."
I'm sure that the Williams family has had a miserable time with this. He could at least have acknowledged their chagrin and pain.
7
Give the man a break. I have exaggerated things I have done before to make myself look better, or to get a laugh sat a party. I suspect we all have. Even so, I consider myself a truthful person and would not go so far as to call my exaggerations lies. Embellishments, yes. Lies sounds unnecessarily harsh. The man has been brought down by a culture that seems poised to play gotcha at every turn. Let he who has never exaggerated his exploits cast the first stone.
7
I was a BW fan and reg viewer. I was pulling for him. As a journalist who had conducted thousands of interviews I expected BW to anticipate every question and answer each with measured aforethought. During the interview I was at times embarrassed for him and at other time saddened. Unfortunately his return to a demoted TV career may have been made more difficult.
5
He is a comedian not a newsperson.
Let him do stand-up at the Comedy or some other venue but he should not be on the air as a journalist. He just doesn't measure up any more.
There is no forgiveness for liars when truth is your most important (and only) asset.
Let him do stand-up at the Comedy or some other venue but he should not be on the air as a journalist. He just doesn't measure up any more.
There is no forgiveness for liars when truth is your most important (and only) asset.
11
Your comments are absolutely accurate. Williams had been lobbying to take over the Leno show, then wanted his own variety-talk show, and had been angling for years to do stand-up and improv. His wife even rented out the entire Upright Citizens' Brigade for his birthday so he could do stand-up comedy before an audience.
In lying and embellishing to such an extreme extent, Williams has shown incontrovertibly that he does not grasp the nature of his role as a journalist. Journalists do not embellish, lie, or exaggerate. They do not hone their chops as raconteurs. They understand unequivocally that they are not the story. Their only job is to tell factual information to viewers and never, never compromise their only asset: credibility. Williams has so destroyed his credibility that he can never return to broadcast journalism. With his great financial fortune, he has more opportunities to create an honorable life for himself in the future, but he should never dream of returning to delivering news.
NBC has handled this scandal abominably: keeping Williams on board only to dump him as damaged goods on MSNBC. His very presence will unquestionably jeopardize the careers and credibility of MSNBC journalists, besmirching their years of integrity. If NBC had any respect for its viewers and for the serious roles of journalists, it would fire Williams immediately. Instead, he stays & MSNBC is stuck with a liar who refuses to admit he lied.
In lying and embellishing to such an extreme extent, Williams has shown incontrovertibly that he does not grasp the nature of his role as a journalist. Journalists do not embellish, lie, or exaggerate. They do not hone their chops as raconteurs. They understand unequivocally that they are not the story. Their only job is to tell factual information to viewers and never, never compromise their only asset: credibility. Williams has so destroyed his credibility that he can never return to broadcast journalism. With his great financial fortune, he has more opportunities to create an honorable life for himself in the future, but he should never dream of returning to delivering news.
NBC has handled this scandal abominably: keeping Williams on board only to dump him as damaged goods on MSNBC. His very presence will unquestionably jeopardize the careers and credibility of MSNBC journalists, besmirching their years of integrity. If NBC had any respect for its viewers and for the serious roles of journalists, it would fire Williams immediately. Instead, he stays & MSNBC is stuck with a liar who refuses to admit he lied.
2
Does Williams actually believe everyone is just going to forget about it?
17
Why did it take the network so long to make such an obvious decision? And how will he have the credibility to go over to MSNBC? Seemed like Lester Holt should have inherited his job much quicker.
10
Wall Street will welcome his as one of there own. They do not ever worry about truth, facts or hubris. He'll fit right in.
15
Mr. Williams, "it" is your lies and the "bad place" is your mind. Quit talking as if these events happened outside of your control. Own your mistakes and move on. Or not, I don't think we really care that much.
46
I feel no need to make him suffer. Enough, already.
I just don't want him as my source of news. Enough, already.
I just don't want him as my source of news. Enough, already.
36
The problem is that you not wanting your news from him is precisely what makes him suffer.
I was "in a bad place". What does that mean?? When any of the rest of us lie on the job and get caught they lose their job , period.
Don't you have enough money to go quietly away?
Don't you have enough money to go quietly away?
25
I miss Peter Jennings.
34
Hard to feel sorry for him since he has millions of dollars, but hopefully one day the public will become more educated on the nature of memory and the various factors that can influence it. One could Wikipedia Elizabeth Loftus for a primer on some of the research on memory and the funny errors we are prone to when telling and re-telling stories or even incorporating ourselves into rich stories we have heard but were not part of. Remember where you were when learning of the Challenger explosion? Here's two things: you are probably very confident in your recollection, and very possibly incorrect. How do we know? Via interviews with people immediately following the event and then a few years later. A quick google search on this classic study links to a relatively informative page: http://www.rburton.com/_i_on_being_certain_i___believing_you_are_right_e...
4
He's only human BUT he's still a disgrace to journalism and should retire.
27
I think Matt Lauer was about as tough and pressing as we could expect when one colleague is interviewing another. However, the fact that Brian Williams still couldn't utter the words, "I lied," is a bit sad and uninspiring. I liked Brian Williams very much as a TV personality and news anchor prior to all of this. It's very likely his banishment to MSNBC is nothing more than a misguided PR move by NBC. It does nothing to resolve their damaged reputation as a news organization, and I suspect Williams will be a side-show on MSNBC, the channel that is little more than a liberal response to Fox News programming anyway. Welcome to the margins, Brian Williams. Good luck returning to the mainstream.
3
NBC was obviously covering their butts since he's being sent down to MSNBC and a totally unbiased interview was impossible to achieve. Why not put him on a stool in the middle of the sidewalk and have everyday people ask him questions? The self-serving mainstream media, only interested in profits and the almighty dollar, cannot even conduct an interview that doesn't make us all wonder why the hell we should listen to network anchors anyway. Get your news somewhere else and be always, always skeptical when the point is to make a buck.
Brian Williams did not mean to say that these last 5 months have been torture. He misspoke- and really meant to say that these last 5 months have been like "enhanced interrogation".
18
I still don't know what he was saying but I do know he was using lots of words without really saying something. Toddlers make more sense sometimes when they are caught with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar! I am truly disappointed, less in the embellishment but more in the "explanation." Let's face it, being in the media/public eye today is tough - cell phones, the internet, constant monitoring and watching eyes from every angle. But if you told an untruth, change that today. Say "I messed up." Then add "big time!"
14
This is overall a tragic shooting-self-in-the-foot loss of reputation story for this once admired confident man. Personally, I've already moved on to Lester Holt and am pleased he's on the nightly news to stay. When Matt Lauer asked Mr. Williams if he was aware he wasn't telling the truth, Williams beat around the bush. A direct answer to a question many want an answer to was hedged. I believe a straight answer to that important question would have helped in his rehabilitation. It would have let himself and us know whether his stretching truth was a conscious or unconscious act. And knowing that can serve as a barometer regarding ones level of self awareness. Self-awareness, or being in touch with one's inner self, is a prerequisite for self-directed change. Yet, regardless of the whys and wherefores of any of this, it's painful to watch someone high on the broadcasting totem pole fall from grace. And it's understandable there's a feeling of torture associated with it for him. There's an old wisdom saying that goes, "Every situation properly perceived is an opportunity to heal." Meaning when due to circumstances we are forced to face demons we might not even known is there, it can become an opportunity to finally face and fix our broken parts. And we can only do that when in the hot seat. Status quo doesn't work. So here's hoping Mr. Williams takes advantage of this opportunity to heal and get himself back on track to make a contribution to the world of news.
4
He should've just taken his millions and went away but, no, NBC had to make some more money on his "fall from grace" with a cynical, drawn-out browbeating we all knew was coming. Let's just let Mr. Williams fade away unless he wants to make his situation into a teaching moment by looking straight into the camera and say, "I lied and mislead viewers because I became bigger than the news. I'm retiring because no one can really trust me anymore." End of interview, end of story.
I'm guessing there's a PR consultant out there who's behind his verbal gymnastics.
6
;Or a shrink maybe???
3
If there was a PR consultant behind those verbal gymnastics, it sure wasn't a very convincing one.
I never understood the obsession in this country with anointing TV anchor people with mythical status. They really aren't even journalists.
In England they are called "news readers" which is an accurate description of their job. Brian Williams is probably a very nice person, but I'm sure he spends more time each day getting his hair and makeup right than he does doing actual journalism.
In England they are called "news readers" which is an accurate description of their job. Brian Williams is probably a very nice person, but I'm sure he spends more time each day getting his hair and makeup right than he does doing actual journalism.
77
Agree, this is what happens when news readers get too self-important, want to be part of the 'story' and insert themselves into the news.
9
It all started with Uncle Walter Cronkite, the "most trusted man in America" when there were only 3 big news outlets in a limited news cycle. These days, Americans can get their news from so many sources, I'm surprised networks think these irrelevant news readers are worth millions of dollars a year. I watch Muir on ABC just so I can try to predict when he's going to announce deadly storms in the heartland, some quick cellphone video of some animal doing something we've all seen before or a health scare designed to sell his sponsors drugs. All for profit now, Walter's rolling in his grave.
Although this may well be true in England, that isn't the case in the United States. Here, TV anchors HAVE traditionally been journalists: Walter Cronkite, Huntley/Brinkley, John Chancellor, Peter Jennings. These people had news beats before they were anchors. I don't think Tom Brokaw would take kindly to being called a News Reader.
Maybe we're in the midst of a generational shift. Perhaps at some point we'll collectively decide that the folks who deliver the news really are only Readers.
But until that happens, we're going to hold Brian Williams to the same standard we held Uncle Walt.
Maybe we're in the midst of a generational shift. Perhaps at some point we'll collectively decide that the folks who deliver the news really are only Readers.
But until that happens, we're going to hold Brian Williams to the same standard we held Uncle Walt.
3
The actions of the executives at NBC with respect to Mr. Williams, clearly demonstrates their view of MSNBC.
Very sad.
Very sad.
27
Should we hold news anchors to a higher standard of 'truth' then we hold other folks? I believe we should just as we held news anchors like Walter Cronkite to higher standards than the man on the street. If the people reading the news are confused by fact versus fiction than the rest of us don't stand much of a chance of understanding what is going on in the world. I feel sorry for Mr. Williams as he seems to have lost touch with this essential distinction.
10
I loved watching Brian nightly. I loved his articles about our lives, our performers, our music, etc. I will, and do, miss him.
I hope that Lester will mellow out a little. I know that he's nervous, but when he played the bass in the item about the pianist, I got a glimpse of the Lester that I hope will emerge.
I hope that Lester will mellow out a little. I know that he's nervous, but when he played the bass in the item about the pianist, I got a glimpse of the Lester that I hope will emerge.
4
I found Brian Williams' apparent lack of acknowledgement about his wrong-doings and inability to come out and actually admit to "lying" confounding. What was the point of this interview since it neither dispels my concerns about his ability to report the truth nor his capacity to learn from previous mistakes.
19
he does not have the courage to tell that he lied. he was not mistaken. he lied.
18
Brian Williams may not have lied in the sense that most define lying, but he engaged in curious and rather unimportant exaggerations that enhanced the aura of personal danger. These exaggerations called into question his judgment while inhabiting a position of trust presenting the NBC "Nightly News". Viewers rightly felt that there was no room for such untrue personal embellishments mixed in with the stories being presented. It is quite sensible that NBC management concluded that Williams could not return to his position presenting the "Nightly News" no matter how much sackcloth and ashes he might don as penance. In short, Brian Williams is damaged goods as far as presenting the "Nightly News" and the like.
22
The powerful NEVER apologize. Why would they?
Jon Stewart may be a comedian, but Jon has delivered more real news with more real in-depth investigation than Brian Williams and Lara Logan have combined.
Jon Stewart may be a comedian, but Jon has delivered more real news with more real in-depth investigation than Brian Williams and Lara Logan have combined.
28
The interview reminded me of the time when John Edwards denied the paternity allegations to Bob Woodruff. Neither one of the interviewees could bring themselves to tell the truth.
9
Dear NYT writers: stop trying to influence the public into "forgiving" or letting bygones be bygones by publishing stories about an Andrew Lack (who cares except insiders?) and sympathetic dispatches. We get it, you like him, you like him!
I won't believe Williams again about anything. Tear drops, sweat, anguish, "torture" aside - the fact that he is willing to crawl back to TV points to trouble ahead. How can he ever be taken seriously as a reporter again? He's a face who reads teleprompters and when he finally hit it big with a story, it was the one about him making up stories.
Had Lester Holt done the same outrageous thing, who believes that Holt would have been given any chance at returning?
Tragically, at the network, they are still pouring over the audience numbers for the interview to justify putting Williams back on the air. But the exces don't realize that most viewers who watched the interview also enjoy "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," "Survivor" and the like.
Here's a news tip for NBC: A lot of journalists have lost their jobs over the years. There are a bunch of smart broadcast journalist who beam charisma and inspires confidence (including people of color and older women!) who could contribute to NBC or MSNBC and help it begin a new chapter.
I won't believe Williams again about anything. Tear drops, sweat, anguish, "torture" aside - the fact that he is willing to crawl back to TV points to trouble ahead. How can he ever be taken seriously as a reporter again? He's a face who reads teleprompters and when he finally hit it big with a story, it was the one about him making up stories.
Had Lester Holt done the same outrageous thing, who believes that Holt would have been given any chance at returning?
Tragically, at the network, they are still pouring over the audience numbers for the interview to justify putting Williams back on the air. But the exces don't realize that most viewers who watched the interview also enjoy "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," "Survivor" and the like.
Here's a news tip for NBC: A lot of journalists have lost their jobs over the years. There are a bunch of smart broadcast journalist who beam charisma and inspires confidence (including people of color and older women!) who could contribute to NBC or MSNBC and help it begin a new chapter.
22
Brian Williams is a sad character, less a man than a self-anointed celebrity continually rewarded within a self-congratulatory industry far removed from a public and events they report. Equipped with a snide sneer from day one in front of the camera, this narcissist will soon from fade completely from view as the reflection ages and becomes Dorian Gray.
15
I really don't care if these "news" celebrities make things up about their personal lives. "News" on the Today show amounts to celebrities joking with each other on the couch and interviewing other celebrities.
But he really should use a description other than "torture" to describe his life since his ego led him astray.
Embarrassment, for sure, having to cut back on limo rides while his multimillion dollar salary was suspended, maybe, but "torture" is a bit much.
But he really should use a description other than "torture" to describe his life since his ego led him astray.
Embarrassment, for sure, having to cut back on limo rides while his multimillion dollar salary was suspended, maybe, but "torture" is a bit much.
10
I absolutely agree with you. The Today Show is nothing more than the early version of Entertainment Tonight.
The practice of torture and the torture that he supposedly endured have nothing to do with one another. There are certainly better words to choose from - agonizing, tormenting, excruciating - but torture? Sorry Mr Williams, but you have lost me here.
The practice of torture and the torture that he supposedly endured have nothing to do with one another. There are certainly better words to choose from - agonizing, tormenting, excruciating - but torture? Sorry Mr Williams, but you have lost me here.
1
I'm rooting for you, Mr. Williams, but you can't keep invoking the Costanza Defense ("it's not a lie if *you* believe it").
3
People may be willing to forgive Brian Williams but they aren't going to forget. And it will be even harder to forget his hyperbole and prevarications while he sits like a can of damaged goods on the discount shelf at MSNBC. High standards for journalism and reporting the truth were always in doubt there. With this demotion, not any more.
5
If he didn't lie, and didn't realize he not telling the truth until it was too late, and he can't explain it other than to blame it on vanity, for example, there's nothing to convince he won't do it again! Is it less important to get breaking news right on MSNBC? Time to stick a fork in Brian Williams, he's done.
8
Brian Williams is a sad pathetic joke of a man being given a second chance in life that the average working stiff in America would never get. Does anyone wonder why the little people in America who go to work everyday and play by the rules; and if they don't they are gone without a second thought are so cynical? Williams should take the obscene pay he earned over the years for reading a script for 12 minutes a night and just disappear but he won't because the elite don't pay by the rules that we little people have to play by.
13
I watched the entire Today Show interview. I was really, really rooting for Brian. And he was doing so well -- right up until the moment he refused to admit that he lied. Or even "embellished" the truth. (Gosh, you'd think that with 4 months to think about it, he would have anticipated this question!).
For me, that's when all of the air just leaked out of the balloon. It pains me to say it, but Mr. Williams has now completely lost any shred of trust I may have been able to conjure up for him. So incredibly disappointing.
For me, that's when all of the air just leaked out of the balloon. It pains me to say it, but Mr. Williams has now completely lost any shred of trust I may have been able to conjure up for him. So incredibly disappointing.
17
I agree. I wonder if his attorney warned him to never say he lied because it would be tacit admission that he violated his contract and give NBC firm cause to fire him outright.
I think believing one's own lies is co-morbid with other problems, at least that's been my experience when I've encountered it in people in my own life.
11
A $25 million/year talking head interviewing a $10 million/year talking head. In light of what is going on in the world today, home and abroad, serious coverage of such an event borders on the obscene.
82
Right on, kayakereh!
I forgive him.
Look forward to his return.
Look forward to his return.
5
Well, he didn't DELIBERATELY mislead people. As a clinical psychologist, I have no trouble understanding his explanation. Matt Lauer is a bully; it's not the first time that I've observed this; he did the same with that woman who chose a Black identity. He must be without sin; he's so eager to cast the first stone.
17
What a coincidence - I identify as psychologist, too! Let's talk soon about the pathology of extravagant personal claims that can't be verified because they're made anonymously.
4
???Anonymously? On network TV?
No, "Doc," in the comment section. Thanks for asking. Next time, resist the appeal to authority. You're welcome!
I haven't lived in the US for some time, so I have the benefit of not knowing who Brian Williams is or what the helicopter incident is all about. It is quite clear that he lied and doesn't have real regrets - not to mention he didn't practice his canned speech from the PR agency very well. His demeanor is wooden and without any natural emotion. I wouldn't trust him or the used car company that employs him, let alone a media outlet.
14
and you wonder why fewer people watch the network news ......?
10
Why is it important that Brian Williams remain on television? I don't believe this drama is needed by most people. There are plenty of attractive, intelligent, erudite, and hard working people in our country that can read the news off cue cards and engage in superficial repartee.
130
I have yet to read or hear from any news source the word "lied" when referencing the inception of two illegal, costly and unnecessary wars as desired by Bush/Cheney & Co. Why should Mr. Williams be held to a higher standard?
46
Still not believable. Sorry.
7
Does this remind anyone of Mrs. Clinton "Saying things that were wrong" when she claimed she and Chelsea ran
across the tarmac under sniper fire ?
across the tarmac under sniper fire ?
Stop sending anchors out on assignment. Keep them behind their desk. That should help reduce the probability of this happening again.
3
Exactly. There's criticism of Lester Holt not interrupting his well-deserved vacation to be in Charleston, when NBC has many well-qualified national correspondents. Beyond media reporting on other media, who really cares?
3
It is true that Brian Williams lied. It is also true that he has not directly apologized for having lied. But I believe he has received sufficient condemnation and it is time for us to leave him alone.
Instead I'd urge us to shift our attention to Bill O'Reilly who lied about his war reporting from Argentina. He has not only not issued an apology, even a half-hearted one, choosing instead to go on the attack on the people who have questioned his story. If anyone should be fired, he would be high on that list.
Instead I'd urge us to shift our attention to Bill O'Reilly who lied about his war reporting from Argentina. He has not only not issued an apology, even a half-hearted one, choosing instead to go on the attack on the people who have questioned his story. If anyone should be fired, he would be high on that list.
43
I watched Mr. Williams twisting and turning, but not under a withering barrage of questions from left field, these were questions that anyone should have anticipated. I concluded that he either doesn't remember what really happened, or more probable, that can't bring himself to admit in public that he purposely lied about the facts and got caught. Sadly the latter is a better carer move. That said, is any slick network talking head any more credible than the next?
7
After listening to Matt Lauer interviewing Brian Williams and Matt trying multiple times to get Brian to say he lied , but Brian skirted the "L" word by saying " he was in another place and was wrong" is only showing that Brian refuses to accept responsibility for his lies. So his apology tour for me is a waste and I think NBC needs to move on without Brian tainting NBC's reputation any longer. There was no remorse , in my view, from Brian. I commend Matt for trying.
53
I found Williams sickening. I will not be watching anything he does.
I agree, the retention of Brian Williams extends NBC's liability and reputation.
He either lied or the word lost all it's meaning and should be redefined as "not telling the truth". There can't be two things about it. Time to switch from MSNBC to CNN, I guess :/
6
His transgressions do not seem to merit the degree of high tech scorn, public humiliation, and punishment that has been directed his way, most of it by his own company and industry. Man, we can be hard on each other. Fortunately we also like a good second act. Good luck to Mr. Williams on that.
85
Wish you can say the same for many who are not so privileged. I do agree with Mr. Williams having suffered enough, the fact remains has open acceptance tht he lied too the very audience that trusted him. It could have been an act of humility if he had taken the chance given to openly acknowledge that instead is skirted around an playing with words to escape clear responsibility.
Mr. Williams has proven untrustworthy and is being returned to a role in which he needs to be trusted. This interview didn't convince me that he's now trustworthy. But once you're in the club, your cronies will protect you. Lucky guy.
4
Maybe. But after his performance (and I mean that literally) on TODAY, I predict Williams will be gone from the air by winter.
Here's what I really think is going on: Williams' lawyer, fearsome Bob Barnett, bargained hard to force NBC News to honor that expensive contract. So pay they will. But NBC will have revenge -- they will have Williams slowly twist in the wind at MSNBC, to public ridicule. The game plan is that eventually, no one will notice or care anymore.
Here's what I really think is going on: Williams' lawyer, fearsome Bob Barnett, bargained hard to force NBC News to honor that expensive contract. So pay they will. But NBC will have revenge -- they will have Williams slowly twist in the wind at MSNBC, to public ridicule. The game plan is that eventually, no one will notice or care anymore.
To have Williams work in any kind capacity at NBC is insane. He is supposed to be a journalist. Journalists are supposed to tell the truth. Brian Williams lied. So, he should no longer be a journalist of any type. By the way, it was not a minor fib. He pretended to have been in a helicopter that crashed in combat. The untruth was so egregious that it outraged soldiers involved with the incident who came forward with the truth. The NBC staff had been hiding Williams' lies for years. Williams is so divorced from reality that he needs massive psychological help, not a job with MSNBC (which needs to have the highest journalistic standards - to distinguish itself from Fox News).
9
You Lied, Man. Just own up to it, come clean and move on. You're just dragging this out, Brian. Sometimes the best way to look good is to look bad when you look bad, to admit that you straight up lied, wanted to look good and that you get it and are sorry. You're an anchor and a newscaster. You need our trust. After watching you squirm with Matt I trust you even less than I did 3 days ago.
You aren't owning anything. Own that you lied and only then can you start to rebuild.
It's tough, Man, but you can do it.
You aren't owning anything. Own that you lied and only then can you start to rebuild.
It's tough, Man, but you can do it.
6
Holy Cow, give the guy a break. He's a talking head not a journalist. He got $10 million a year. Of course he thought he was superman.
4
Does any of this really matter? Mr. Williams, like all of his predecessors, is nothing more than the (pretty) face of the network news division. He has a certain gravity (albeit not as much as Lester Holt) and enunciates well but the words he speaks are largely not his own and the news he delivers represents the small fraction of the day's events that his bosses consider to be newsworthy. On any given night these guys (not even one woman at the present time...) give us three or four "hard news" stories - at least one of which is apt to be weather-related- followed by lifestyle stuff, a selection of home-videos "gone viral" and a paean to the American hero of the week. They're glorified news-readers, and Williams was neither better nor worse than any of the rest of them. Insofar as his credibility is concerned, anyone who believes what these people are selling (or. more to the point, thinks that they're hearing about all of the important events that take place on any given day) is someone who doesn't read the NY Times.
5
I guess a guy who's earning 10 million bucks a year for reading a teleprompter might have a tendency to exaggerate his off-the-cuff comments to break up the monotony. It happens. Totally justified.
1
I am offended that he calls his six month time-out "torture." To me it means he still has learned nothing. This faux interview -- all scripted wll in advance and no doubt rehearsed by both - -is beneath both men and beneath us as viewers. Andrew Lack was good a decade ago but now he seems tone deaf to me. This painful "interview" should not have been aired.
49
Exactly. He's the victim?
Aside from the painful spectacle of watching Williams having his pants taken down - it is interesting to see the job is given to the ever sneering , towel snapping Lauer. Lauer of course is the moral standard who stands above us all. His little wolf like teeth flashing under the studio lights between each barbed question is stomach churning
5
BW has made a bucket of money over the course of his career.Thicker skin than I have. What kind of personality would place themselves into a situation where every time their face shows on the screen the public will remember him as the fall from grace liar? He should just go away and do something more important than being a talking head.
6
Brian Williams has been on television for 30 years. He's probably told 10,000 stories, uttered millions of sentences, asked millions of questions. NBC commissions a months long, extraordinarily in-depth FBI-esque investigation and they turn up 11 inaccuracies?
I guarantee that if you conducted the same type of investigation into any television journalist/news anchor who has been on the air for decades you would find the same thing.
I guarantee that if you conducted the same type of investigation into any television journalist/news anchor who has been on the air for decades you would find the same thing.
6
If you strung together all the letters in the sentences of lies by Bill O'Reilly, they would go to the moon… and back!
5
These were not "inaccuracies," but were intentional blatant lies that he told to make himself look good. I suspect that if an impartial investigation were to happen there would be way more than 11 incidents. The network has a vested interest in the number being low. If they had come back with hundreds of incidents then they would likely have lost many viewers.
4
No doubt true. But is there no distinction between an "inaccuracy" and a "lie"? And isn't that the point?
Yet, on the whole I agree with the general sentiment of this article: it is time for this fairly trivial matter to go away, particularly since Williams will not longer be headlining at NBC Nightly News.
Yet, on the whole I agree with the general sentiment of this article: it is time for this fairly trivial matter to go away, particularly since Williams will not longer be headlining at NBC Nightly News.
2
Brian Williams and David Petraeus are prime examples of big wigs getting more forgiveness than is usually extended to regular folks. There's a place in the world for mercy. But right now there is way too much special treatment for those at the top.
21
So it's agreed Williams was contemptible in making himself out to be heroic, when he's just very rich and very privileged, but NBC management and his current critics weren't troubled in the slightest when he refused to acknowledge on-air that his Iraq war "experts" were coordinating their "messaging" with the Pentagon; even going so far to assert that one of these ex-generals, who was also making big bucks in the weapons industry at the time, was his friend, and therefore beyond reproach.
Broadcast Pentagon propaganda and report that fact and you remain a culture hero if your jaw is square enough; lie about which helicopter you were in, and you're a disgrace to the news business. Strange priorities....
Broadcast Pentagon propaganda and report that fact and you remain a culture hero if your jaw is square enough; lie about which helicopter you were in, and you're a disgrace to the news business. Strange priorities....
2
Alas, a fatal typo. Williams *refused* to "report that fact" -- that his expert sources were getting their storyline from the Pentagon, both before and after the invasion.
It was reported, but no thanks to Brian Williams.
It was reported, but no thanks to Brian Williams.
As a viewer, this interview was awful to watch the humiliation of Mr. Williams by
Mr. Lauer. Mr. Williams has already been sufficiently punished for his misdeeds, so let's move on and acknowledge that most humans are imperfect.
Mr. Lauer. Mr. Williams has already been sufficiently punished for his misdeeds, so let's move on and acknowledge that most humans are imperfect.
7
yes, we're all imperfect. We are also accountable for our misdeeds. Williams, his minions and NBC News struggle to avoid that basic tenet of human relationships. After all, money and reputations (other than his) are at stake.
The lying itself is a psychological issue. I'd even be sympathetic if the guy would be human. But really, the CYA attitude all over NBC News is what I find despicable.
The lying itself is a psychological issue. I'd even be sympathetic if the guy would be human. But really, the CYA attitude all over NBC News is what I find despicable.
I love MSNBC, watch it all the time, but having Williams there, in any capacity, will taint all the other anchors and hosts. He really ought to take his money and retire somewhere, write a book, go fishing. It's going to be impossible to look at him and believe him. Come back in a few years or not at all. This seems really bad for MSNBC.
116
Are you joking? Nothing can be bad for MSNBC. Everything would be an improvement and, as a liar, he'd fit right in with the others.
1
Be specific, Bayili. Who lies? At least show some Internet courage, whydontcha.
It's ridiculous to expect anyone to have accurate memories of something that happened 12 years ago. Each time we "remember" something, that memory changes, and 12 years of remembering can change it a lot. The only time we should rely on memories is when no other record exists.
3
I think I'd remember whether or not a helicopter I was in was shot down.
This reminds me of the author James Frey who was exposed as a liar on countless points in his "nonfiction" book, "A Million Little Pieces." One of the lies was about having root canals performed without Novocain. When confronted about this, he said, "I really can't remember."
Who could have root canals done without Novocain, then just "not remember"? I propose that being shot down in a helicopter would be a tad unforgettable also.
This reminds me of the author James Frey who was exposed as a liar on countless points in his "nonfiction" book, "A Million Little Pieces." One of the lies was about having root canals performed without Novocain. When confronted about this, he said, "I really can't remember."
Who could have root canals done without Novocain, then just "not remember"? I propose that being shot down in a helicopter would be a tad unforgettable also.
4
Why does the general public feel compelled to fill the role of judge, jury, and executioner when public people make the same mistakes as us on a stage? We all skirt morality time and again. Please cite the moral law which requires an individual to use a specific word of one person's selection in order to bring peace to those who feel slighted. Now think of a time someone demanded that you say you were sorry - to use those specific words to placate their "victimization". And how beat up you felt. And how coerced you felt. And how suddenly fleeting that person's unconditional love was in your eyes. And you already felt bad enough about the situation let alone having to be mentally hung to curb another individual's pain.
Find some love, people. We all make mistakes. We all wish our lives were cooler than they actually are, no matter what our salaries or public profile. And we all have a story. It's not your story that another person must answer to. It's their own. Take responsibility for your actions and yours alone and leave others to their lives. No one owes you an explanation so you can get on with it.
Find some love, people. We all make mistakes. We all wish our lives were cooler than they actually are, no matter what our salaries or public profile. And we all have a story. It's not your story that another person must answer to. It's their own. Take responsibility for your actions and yours alone and leave others to their lives. No one owes you an explanation so you can get on with it.
5
Sure, we all "make mistakes" and sometimes lie, too. But Williams's statements were deliberate falsehoods - lies, not mistakes - and now, instead of speaking plainly, all he gives is more rope-a-dope.
Williams' relegation says all that needs to be said about what NBC thinks of MSNBC. Clearly, they see it as a dumping ground for disgraced anchors who can no longer be trusted or respected.
I have a better idea. Instead of besmirching MSNBC, why doesn't NBC pull its strings to get Williams a job covering the cops and school board on a good small-town newspaper? Journalism is a skill that needs to be taught. It can't be picked up on the fly by a good-looking actor with no experience in news nor reverence for facts. Real reporters know that, if they get something wrong, they get yelled at by readers the next day. They learn fast to tell the difference between facts and whimsy. WIlliams never learned this. It may be too late. But if he wants to earn some respect in the business, he first needs to learn his craft. MSNBC, alas, is not the place to do it.
I have a better idea. Instead of besmirching MSNBC, why doesn't NBC pull its strings to get Williams a job covering the cops and school board on a good small-town newspaper? Journalism is a skill that needs to be taught. It can't be picked up on the fly by a good-looking actor with no experience in news nor reverence for facts. Real reporters know that, if they get something wrong, they get yelled at by readers the next day. They learn fast to tell the difference between facts and whimsy. WIlliams never learned this. It may be too late. But if he wants to earn some respect in the business, he first needs to learn his craft. MSNBC, alas, is not the place to do it.
70
Williams first worked in broadcasting in 1981 at KOAM-TV in Pittsburg, Kansas, is that small enough? He has years of this type of experience, did you even look at his history? Actually if anyone should, Williams knows better. He is lucky to have a job.
1
The real question is why we take an anchor's word as gold to begin with. The whole point of the news any longer is sensationalism and truth embellishment. The media ought to look at their breeding techniques.
No doubt Journalist Brian Williams will feel humiliated by his "relegation" to MSNBC, but I wonder if Celebrity Brian Williams might just shine more brightly on MSNBC than he ever did on NBC News.
As Bill O'Reilly and FoxNews demonstrate by their dominance of cable ratings, you never have to say you're sorry on American cable news. What matters is personality, not faithful presentation of facts. And Brian Williams has plenty of personality -- enough to have taken over for Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, and more than enough to become a major player on MSNBC.
Brian Williams doesn't really need to earn any respect in the business to do MSNBC a world of good. I look forward to seeing him in his new TV home.
As Bill O'Reilly and FoxNews demonstrate by their dominance of cable ratings, you never have to say you're sorry on American cable news. What matters is personality, not faithful presentation of facts. And Brian Williams has plenty of personality -- enough to have taken over for Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, and more than enough to become a major player on MSNBC.
Brian Williams doesn't really need to earn any respect in the business to do MSNBC a world of good. I look forward to seeing him in his new TV home.
So, strictly speaking, Brian Williams's pants were not on fire, they were just not being uncombusted.
Sure... no doubt that's good enough for consumers of the nightly entertainment show many of us refer to loosely as news.
Sure... no doubt that's good enough for consumers of the nightly entertainment show many of us refer to loosely as news.
13
Many personal tales grow over time. If Mr. Williams ever told a direct falsehood as part of an original, on-the-air piece of news reporting, he should be fired. Seeing that he embellished his stories in later iterations, I think his punishment is appropriate.
On the other hand, many "reporters" on Fox regularly intentionally mislead the audience, tell half truths, and outright lie (labeling a politician under arrest with a "D" before his name, when he's actually a Republican, for example) and are never called to account. Probably because everyone understands the historically fraudulent nature of Murdoch's empire going in .
On the other hand, many "reporters" on Fox regularly intentionally mislead the audience, tell half truths, and outright lie (labeling a politician under arrest with a "D" before his name, when he's actually a Republican, for example) and are never called to account. Probably because everyone understands the historically fraudulent nature of Murdoch's empire going in .
30
Roger Ailes has (in)famously claimed that he's never had to pull a Fox News story because it was wrong. Not the same thing, of course, as saying Fox News has a 100% accuracy record.
I don't see how this is much different or less egregious than having lied from the beginning. It's pretty clear at this point that he knowingly told a direct falsehood, so whether he had initially misrepresented this in the report versus changed his story later seems immaterial in this case. I never bought his excuse that time was to blame for his "faulty recollection," given how starkly different the two stories were.
And calling this an "embellishment" as a lot of the media is doing seems euphemistic, even disingenuous. The plot changed from "I witnessed a helicopter being hit by an RPG" to "I was in a helicopter that was hit by an RPG." This wasn't a colorful exaggeration, this was an outright fabrication.
All that said, I don't think this man needs to be shamed more. He lied, he was punished, let's move on.
And calling this an "embellishment" as a lot of the media is doing seems euphemistic, even disingenuous. The plot changed from "I witnessed a helicopter being hit by an RPG" to "I was in a helicopter that was hit by an RPG." This wasn't a colorful exaggeration, this was an outright fabrication.
All that said, I don't think this man needs to be shamed more. He lied, he was punished, let's move on.
Re: "If Mr. Williams ever told a direct falsehood as part of an original, on-the-air piece of news reporting, he should be fired."
If you had followed this story more carefully, you'd know that Williams did do that.
If you had followed this story more carefully, you'd know that Williams did do that.
Let's see. Ray Rice behaved criminally off the field in an incident unrelated to his work, made a public confession, and accepted his criminal punishment, but has been unemployable since. Brian Williams lies to the public on the job, about his job, which is based on public trust, and he gets shuffled to another, similar job? As Chris Rock said, "It's all right if it's all white.". Has Mr. Williams no pride? Has he no shame?
5
I really wish this "interview" had happened a week after all this came out. NBCNews as usual made a royal mess. For such sophisticated media people, they are so inept with events like this. Lester Holt has rescued them in spit of themselves. Williams skills may be even better utilized at MSNBC.
7
Question: If Brian Williams cannot return to his old job at NBC because of damaged credibility, why will he have credibility at MSNBC?
125
MSNBC isn't about credibility, it's about liberal personalities. They have Al Sharpton on MSNBC for god's sake.
No, Sharpton appears on MSNBC for ratings' sake, not God's. Besides, to hear Bill O'Reilly tell it, God watches only Fox News.
1
It beats me why NBC thinks MSNBC should be home for a discredited anchor. Does it mean the staff in MSNBC are second rate or rather dumping ground. NBC do have occasions for flash news, they could use Mr. Williams in that capacity instead of tainting all in MSNBC. It is not good for the people there working hard to raise their profile.
Brian Williams could not say he lied because in the usual and customary understanding of that word he did not. His uttered inaccuracies did come from a deeper part of him...a place, the reason for which it exists in him, he is just beginning to understand. We are treated everyday in this Nation ample doses of cynicism and hatred. The venial transgressions and the overwhelming focus on Williams serves the purposes of getting through another few months happily distracted from the real ills that fester in the Country.
40
Indeed. Yet another tempest about a teapot while the house burns down.
Shame on Brian Williams, and shame on Comcast/NBC for retaining him. Other than Saturday Night Live, I don't believe Williams has a legitimate purpose at this organization. If anything, this shows the true (lack of) integrity of NBC News and MSNBC.
Does anyone remember back when news organizations stood for truth over everything else? People were willing to go to jail for the truth, some even willing to die to get the truth out there.
This issue kills me as my first job was working in broadcast (TV/radio) news. I saw people fired for much lighter offenses than this. I distinctly remember the memo that would go out before a tropical storm/hurricane was approaching which underscored to call things straight and truthful. No sensationalizing whatsoever. Even right down to the language we used. ie: Houses and cities don't have hatches, therefore they can't be battening them down. Same for a storm packing winds. Public service first, profit later. Our station group was privately owned by a family, which might have had something to do with it. No shareholders to please every quarter.
Does anyone remember back when news organizations stood for truth over everything else? People were willing to go to jail for the truth, some even willing to die to get the truth out there.
This issue kills me as my first job was working in broadcast (TV/radio) news. I saw people fired for much lighter offenses than this. I distinctly remember the memo that would go out before a tropical storm/hurricane was approaching which underscored to call things straight and truthful. No sensationalizing whatsoever. Even right down to the language we used. ie: Houses and cities don't have hatches, therefore they can't be battening them down. Same for a storm packing winds. Public service first, profit later. Our station group was privately owned by a family, which might have had something to do with it. No shareholders to please every quarter.
35
"Other than Saturday Night Live, I don't believe Williams has a legitimate purpose at this organization."
That was funny! Thank you.
That was funny! Thank you.
Disagree. Mr. Williams could re-establish himself as an interviewer with a half-hour show. It worked for David Frost on the BBC and before him Mike Wallace on WABD in New York and later ABC.
One of the saddest and most revealing things I learned too late in life was that "everybody lies". I never wanted to believe it but after my ex-husband left and during the same time as I was going through a divorce I was the plaintiff in a federal lawsuit against a school district. I felt as if I lived in court. I watched my ex and several people in positions of power, stand up, take oaths and lie through their teeth. I was stunned, having never wanted to believe that quote.
Get in line, Mr. Williams, the end of which is far, far away. Trust no longer applies to this man. He'll have to earn it back. Don't think he can, though, until he can say two short words out loud, "I Lied". Period.
Get in line, Mr. Williams, the end of which is far, far away. Trust no longer applies to this man. He'll have to earn it back. Don't think he can, though, until he can say two short words out loud, "I Lied". Period.
10
I felt that way about Clinton when he got impeached. Yet he got away with it and still has people's love. Williams' transgressions aren't as bad, yet somehow I think the long-term repurcusions will be worse for him.
Context is all. Clinton's lie really meant, "None of your business." And the matter really was none of our business. Williams's lie meant, "I am personally more important than the news." That wasn't so. In other words, in Clinton's case there was truth behind the surface lie; in Williams's case there was a further, deeper lie behind the surface lie.
I find it disappointing that a news organization would retain a reporter/news caster that lied. Sensationalism is all over the news media. Stretching the truth is common place in main stream media. But MSNBC is a trusted no nonesense news organization. Mr. Williams should be dismissed with the shame that he has brought upon himself. I trust the reporters at the NYT and in Public Radio to bring me the facts with integrity. When I watch telivision I rely on the networks to get it right. NBC, CBS and MSNBC have reputation to uphold. Mr. Williams should apply at FOX News like a former NYT reporter who didn't get it right.
6
If Williams came off "[a]lmost like a white-knuckled addict who feels captive to the demon fix," why is this silly interview "enough" and why should he return to journalism in any capacity? Even just as a news reader?
7
Give it a rest - he "exaggerated", he "embellished", etc etc etc, memory changes with time, we all are guilty of that. Why is the media so intent upon beating the bloody .... out of Brian Williams. The nightly "news" is no longer news - it is video worthy of People Magazine. If you want TV news - turn on PBS.
8
I agree with you, broadcast news is no longer news but isn't part of the reason for that decline the fact that we don't demand anything better?
2
Our great national nightmare is finally over, Brian Williams is gone from network news. He and his fake stories are sent to Elba and the leader of fake news MSNBC. Brian should feel right at home at MSNBC, he can make up whatever he wants there and it does not matter. The reason being is that nobody watches MSNBC, if you do not believe it just google cable news ratings and see the results.
4
Well written, (Ms. Stanley). Few writers could get this story right and I assume someone picked you for good reason. Nevertheless, poor Brian Williams and praise be the rise of Lester Holt. He is a terrific newscaster and gentleman.
8
The saddest thing about all this is that Williams was a very likable anchor who conveyed authority without seeming overbearing. He's handsome, intelligent, affable: all the characteristics that made him seem solid and reliable. But at a certain point he traded authority for celebrity. In the world of the celebrity, no one cares if what you say is true because no one expects you to do anything other than promote yourself. Notice, for example, that Donald Trump hired actors to fill the room at his "presidential kickoff" and yet no one is shutting him down for having lied about it. Why not? Because no one takes Trump seriously about anything. He's an entertainer, not a politician. Williams, on the other hand, was paid to tell the truth about what goes on in the world and he spun yarns in order to bolster his own celebrity. Therein lies the disappointment. Why, Brian? Did you think you weren't sufficiently admired? Ego is many a man's downfall.
126
He should have been sacked. Should I ever watch him, I'll just wonder what the dilemma was all about with this mediocre creature. He lied because he wanted to be a millionaire celebrity.
3
He said he lied. He just didn't use the word, depriving his brethren sharks in the media the ability to use the word in a headline. That's it.
The guy apologized and seems contrite.
Let's move on.
The guy apologized and seems contrite.
Let's move on.
47
It's interesting, and explicable, I think.
We learn early on as trial lawyers, in civil cases anyway, to be very sparing in using the words "lie" and "liar", if we use them at all. "Not true", "clearly wrong", and other formulations do the job-- and the jury can turn on you if you call someone a "liar". You can call the witness or party everything but a liar, and this suffices. Even in really clear cases, "falsehood" works better than "lie". The point is clear, and the errant testimony is rejected.
But people would prefer to think that a witness is wrong, didn't see things clearly, has his memory and testimony colored by self-interest, etc., rather than that he is evil, and "liar" means evil. "When the devil lies, he speaks according to his nature. He is a liar and the father of lies," as Jesus once said.
That's what's going on here; not so hard to understand...it's human nature.
We learn early on as trial lawyers, in civil cases anyway, to be very sparing in using the words "lie" and "liar", if we use them at all. "Not true", "clearly wrong", and other formulations do the job-- and the jury can turn on you if you call someone a "liar". You can call the witness or party everything but a liar, and this suffices. Even in really clear cases, "falsehood" works better than "lie". The point is clear, and the errant testimony is rejected.
But people would prefer to think that a witness is wrong, didn't see things clearly, has his memory and testimony colored by self-interest, etc., rather than that he is evil, and "liar" means evil. "When the devil lies, he speaks according to his nature. He is a liar and the father of lies," as Jesus once said.
That's what's going on here; not so hard to understand...it's human nature.
3
I'm not defending B.W., just putting things in perspective. Compared to minute-by-minute lies, half-truths, and deliberate omissions of important facts of Faux News, his lies, though indefensible, are miniscule in the realm of mainstream media.
88
Brian Williams did not lie. What he did was a form of resume inflation. He most probably has been doing it his entire career. It's how one gets ahead. It got Brian Williams to the anchor chair of NBC Night News. It's not as if he hurt anybody.
1
Seems Brian Williams was bitten by the celebrity bug; becoming an entertainer more than a trusted journalist. And now, his ego qualifies him as a 'first choice' contender for Donald Trump's Vice President.
I agree with Ms Stanley. "It's time to give it a a rest and move on to Mr. Holt."
I agree with Ms Stanley. "It's time to give it a a rest and move on to Mr. Holt."
7
Wish I could lie at my company, get fired and then get hired back and not have to admit I lied!!!
12
I had some amazing adventures in my youth. Last month I found my journals in a box unopened for 40 years and was amazed to realize how much I had mis-recounted, conflated and embellished these stories. My father, a naval hero of some note, always intended to write his memoirs--to be titled "Sea Stories and Outright Lies." We all do what Brian Williams did, it's just that we don't do it publicly so that we avoid being shamed. Those who criticize better check out their own memories really carefully.
89
Err, no, we don't all do that.
6
Spot on. I had a similar experience over a memory that I would have bet big money on backing up; and I would have lost that big money. Normally I would be one of those with the pitchforks when it comes to journalistic drift but I think BW is guilty of false memories and shouldn't have to wear a scarlet letter for time immemorial.
1
No, we all don't do what Brian Williams did. In a long life (I am elderly), I have only known five big whopper liars. All seemed to be moved by the need to impress others, either by claiming doctorates and snotty schools; Olympic medals and Macarthur Genius Awards; impressive (i.e., rich) parents and ancestors, friends (ditto, rich) and addresses in NYC (rich again); and improbably thrilling adventures. One was a published plagiarist. Another was crazy enough to create several non-existent siblings and live a double life. Another constantly spins wild, self-aggrandizing stories on the fly. All were charmers and worked hard to make others complicit. None, even today, seem to recognize the power of Google.
4
Would Matt Lauer have considered it a journalistic coup or some national catharsis if he had gotten Brian Williams to say "I lied?" He knew Williams wasn't going to say it, Williams knew he wasn't going to say it, so what's the point? Would anyone who still wants Williams banished to Siberia suddenly felt forgiving had he said "I lied?" Of course not. All it would have accomplished would be to pander to the smug and self-righteous among us who would feel vindicated for their arrogance and maybe a few bruised palms from all the high-fives.
This is the idiocy of American media that continues to focus on feelings and the trivial.
This is the idiocy of American media that continues to focus on feelings and the trivial.
20
He can't say the "L" word, because everyone in the news business knows that they don't ever Lie, they just bend the truth or report from a different angle.
If anyone had the self-awareness/scruples it takes to recognize a lie, then they couldn't survive in mass media.
Their job is to report what the company tells them to, not the truth. If they're good they embellish and are rewarded if not caught.
If anyone had the self-awareness/scruples it takes to recognize a lie, then they couldn't survive in mass media.
Their job is to report what the company tells them to, not the truth. If they're good they embellish and are rewarded if not caught.
17
That's it exactly! He's there because if Brian Williams were to talk about all the lying that went on at NBC News, a lot of other reputations would be ruined.
1
My high school psychology class took a psychological test once--a real one, to learn about the test and about psychology in general. We were asked, among other questions, whether we ever lie. We learned afterward that, statistically, the people who most tended to say they never lie are schizophrenics (with a rigid conception of themselves) and the people who most tended to say they often lie are prostitutes (with low self-esteem). It wasn't a matter, we learned, of whether or how much people lie; it was merely a matter of how much they were willing to admit they lie. The tacit assumption: we ALL lie from time to time. I thought about this awhile and discovered--to my surprise--that I could remember at least one instance of every single person I knew well lying at least once--including myself, unfortunately.
So it's not a question of never lying; it's a question of circumstances. Is the lie justifiable? Excusable? Significant? In Brian Williams's case I would say, "No, no, and yes."
So it's not a question of never lying; it's a question of circumstances. Is the lie justifiable? Excusable? Significant? In Brian Williams's case I would say, "No, no, and yes."
I understand the issue of how unacceptable it is for a news reporter ,especially one of Mr. Williams' caliber, to exxagerate his stories. I do believe he is being castigated in a manner that is far beyond what he deserves.
I would like to remind people that we have a "news" organization, Fox, that has consistently misrepresented the truth and is still allowed to broadcast as an information source for news. Can anyone explain this to me?
I would like to remind people that we have a "news" organization, Fox, that has consistently misrepresented the truth and is still allowed to broadcast as an information source for news. Can anyone explain this to me?
116
Please, Ms. Quinones, explain and document your defamatory and unsubstantiated accusation against the Fox News organization, and, while you're at it, I'm sure you'll tell us that MSNBC stands alone in the television news business as a paragon of balanced, dispassionate, truthful reporting.
2
Richard, are you for real? You think the charges against Fox are bogus? Astounding. And no one said that MSNBC is balanced. Watching both channels, I'd say that Fox is the less trustworthy. Remember, O'Reilly still has his job.
9
Is that the new standard for reporting now, to be marginally better than Fox News?
5
Haters gonna hate, but I think Brian Williams has already suffered too much for this indiscretion.