In a memo Saturday to NBC News staff that was released by the network, the anchorman said that as managing editor of NBC Nightly News he is taking himself off the broadcast for several days. Lester Holt will fill in, Williams said.
Williams Taking Himself Off Air Temporarily
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brian Williams is stepping away temporarily from the “NBC Nightly News” amid questions about his memories of war coverage in Iraq, saying it has become “painfully apparent” to him that he has become a distracting news story.
In a memo Saturday to NBC News staff that was released by the network, the anchorman said that as managing editor of “NBC Nightly News” he is taking himself off the broadcast for several days. Lester Holt will fill in, Williams said.
“In the midst of a career spent covering and consuming news, it has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news, due to my actions,” Williams said in his memo.
“Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us,” he wrote.
Williams has apologized for falsely saying on the air that he was in a helicopter hit by a rocket-propelled grenade while in Iraq in 2003.
Questions have also been raised about his claim that he saw a body or bodies in the Hurricane Katrina floodwaters that hit New Orleans.
BRAND CONNECTIONS
NBC News President Deborah Turness said in an internal memo Friday that the network has assigned the head of its own investigative unit to look into Williams’ statements.
Comments (10)
Dennis McSorley says:
February 7, 2015 at 5:47 pm
Credibility…lost now at NBC News…this was the smart move. Dr. Nancy Snyderman we all can get over her misstep but Brian Williams is the face of the network.
This is what happens when you take your most important news people and turn them in to comedians. The only next step for the network is to remove him from Nightly News.
Doug Halonen says:
February 7, 2015 at 6:17 pm
A fish tale.
Doug Halonen says:
February 7, 2015 at 6:18 pm
What started as a minnow ends as Moby Dick.
Keith ONeal says:
February 7, 2015 at 7:27 pm
The only was a investigation by NBC would ever be credible is if they hire an investigator from the outside.
Wagner Pereira says:
February 7, 2015 at 8:48 pm
Can NBC shoot themselves in the foot even more? They did not cover this on the Evening News tonight until the very end of the A Block :14 minutes into the Newscast and only giving it :27 seconds. ABC actually covered it in the same time and place, but giving it :36 seconds. CBS actually “broke the news” as they covered the story PRIOR to NBC, :13 minutes into the Newscast, giving it :27 Seconds at the end of their A Block. If NBC News wanted to be seen as taking a serious Mea culpa, they should have started the Newscast with it and given it serious time. Whoever is handling Crisis Management at NBC is clearly clueless at this point.
Steve Ingram says:
February 7, 2015 at 10:16 pm
Brian Williams made an honest mistake. Forget it and move on.
Wagner Pereira says:
February 7, 2015 at 11:28 pm
One moves on depending on how one behaves after the mistake – and thus far, it has been made worse by poor crisis management.
kendra campbell says:
February 8, 2015 at 8:30 am
No “honest mistake”. Brian lied to puff himself up. He did the same stuff covering Katrina. Toast!
Andrea Rader says:
February 8, 2015 at 11:42 pm
Don’t underestimate how infuriated NBC News brass and the rank-and-file are with BriWi for undermining the credibility of the network’s flagship broadcast and the entire news division in general – and, as bad as this already is, there may be fresh revelations to come. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if this temporary hiatus became permanent, especially if ratings with Lester Holt as substitute anchor hold up.
Wagner Pereira says:
February 10, 2015 at 12:52 am
They won’t.