NBC anchor Brian Williams suspended for six months without pay after Iraq lie
Brian Williams, the NBC news anchor who has admitted exaggerating his role in a helicopter incident in Iraq, has been suspended for six months without pay, the network said last night.
Brian Williams: Shattered
“This was wrong and completely inappropriate for someone in Brian’s position,” Deborah Turness, the president of NBC News said in a memo. Turness is the former editor of ITN in the UK. Lester Holt will continue to substitute for Williams, NBC added.
It was a "rapid and startling fall" for Williams, stated the New York Times. He was not only the head of the number one evening news show, but also one of NBC’s biggest stars, a frequent celebrity guest on Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock and the late-night talk show circuit.
Th show reached 10 million viewrs last week - and Williams, 55, had a $10m salary.
Williams was one of the most trusted names in America and commanded the respect accorded predecessors like Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings, said the Times.
But his embellishment of his helicopter journey and questions about his other reporting undermined the trust viewers placed in him.
”Media analysts said he may find it difficult to regain credibility upon his return.
In the six days since he admitted his mistake, he was pilloried relentlessly online, with Twitter feeds mocking him and amateur truth squads investigating his past reporting. Few of his peers in the news business came to his support although right-wing Fox commentator Bill O'Reilly did in a TV interview as did PIers Morgan, ex-Mirror and CNN.
Analysts thought it would be difficult for him to re-establish himself as a credible nightly presence after six months..
“I don’t know how he can ever read the news with a straight face, or how the public will respond if he does,” said Mark Feldstein, a broadcast journalism professor at the University of Maryland, tole the Times. On the other hand, he added, “Maybe they’re hoping that with a six-month cooling-off period, he’s got a loyal fan base.”
At 11 am on Tuesday, Williams went to the New York apartment of Stephen P. Burke, the chief executive of NBC Universal. Only the two men were present. Burke informed Williams that NBC had decided to suspend him. “NBC Nightly News” staff learned about it in a meeting after the evening broadcast.
“By his actions, Brian has jeopardised the trust millions of Americans place in NBC News,” Burke said in a statement. “His actions are inexcusable and this suspension is severe and appropriate.”
NBC did not make its top executives available for comment, and Mr. Williams did not respond to phone calls seeking comment. A friend who spoke for Mr. Williams described him as “shattered.”
Burke said that Williams “has shared his deep remorse with me, and he is committed to winning back everyone’s trust.”
“He deserves a second chance, and we are rooting for him,” Mr. Burke said.
Ms. Turness said in a memo to NBC News staff that executives decided to suspend Mr. Williams because he misrepresented the Iraq incident on the “Nightly News” broadcast. She said that executives also were concerned about the way he portrayed his reporting away from his newscasts. That includes his descriptions of reporting on Hurricane Katrina as well as other stories.
“We have concerns about comments that occurred outside NBC News while Brian was talking about his experiences in the field,” she said.
On Saturday, three days after he apologized on his newscast, Williams announced he was temporarily stepping aside from his show because he had become “too much a part of the news.” A day earlier, NBC started an investigation into Mr. Williams and his reporting. That investigation is incomplete.