Blood in the Water, Sharks Circling … and Brian Williams

Posted: February 6, 2015 in Featured, Media
Tags: Brian Williams Fabricate Iraq War Story

Brian Williams Try to imagine that Letterman or Kimmel or Fallon asks me to be a guest on their late night show and the first question is: “What did you do before you went into journalism, Bernie?” Now imagine that I say: “Well, Dave (or Jimmy) I played centerfield for the New York Yankees; I hit 536 home runs before I hung up the spikes and hit just under .300 during my 18 year career.”

Those are Mickey Mantle’s numbers. So that would make me one of two things: delusional – which is a mental disorder – or a liar.

Those are pretty much the two options for Brian Williams regarding his oft-told story that while covering the war in Iraq in 2003, the military helicopter he was in was hit by a rocket propelled grenade.

Wow. That’s dramatic. It takes a courageous newsman, like Brian Williams, to go into a war zone and almost die because the chopper he was on got hit by a rocket.

Except, as we now know, it never happened. And Williams admits it never happened, and has apologized – an apology that came 12 years after the supposed rocket attack and only after soldiers who were there had had enough (Williams had just told the fake story again) and came forward to say he made the whole thing up.

Brian Williams was in a helicopter in Iraq in 2003, but it was never hit by a rocket. The chopper he was on showed up at the scene of the rocket attack about an hour later. Williams says he doesn’t know how he “conflated” the facts and came up with his make-believe story. So what’s going on?

I guess it’s possible that Brian Williams is nuts, that he’s delusional. But I don’t think so. I’m going with liar.

But I don’t think he was your everyday run-of-the-mill liar. I think he is in a special category: The Celebrity Liar category.

Celebrities go on late night talk shows all the time and tell harmless little stories that aren’t true. (Letterman’s show, by the way, was one of the places Williams told his story about how his helicopter was hit by an RPG.) The celebrities – and the late night hosts and producers – understand that the truth isn’t always entertaining. A lot of times it isn’t even interesting. And since being uninteresting is the biggest sin one can commit in the world of show business, celebrities embellish or flat out lie in order to do what they’re supposed to do in the world of entertainment: entertain!

Big deal. Who cares if some ditzy celebrity says she was walking her dog on Rodeo Drive when a guy dressed up like a giant banana tried to run away with the pooch but was stopped by Sylvester Stallone who just happened to be strolling by at the time? (I just made that up, in case you’re wondering.) It’s only a ditzy celebrity telling a dumb story meant to be … entertaining.

But when the celebrity is also a journalist – and not just a regular reporter but also the anchorman of the NBC Nightly News – making up stuff about things that never happened — in a war zone no less — may be entertaining but it’s also unacceptable. It crosses a very bright line. If he’ll make up a story about being hit by a rocket, the viewer has a right to wonder, what else will he make up?

But when I talked to Bill O’Reilly about this I predicted the story would go nowhere. We live in a culture where outrage is hard to come by. When the Russians, or their thug surrogates, shot down a civilian jetliner over Ukraine … the story faded fast. The other day, the monsters from ISIS burned that Jordanian POW alive … and that story is already old news. That’s why I told O’Reilly that the Brian Williams story would go away “in the blink of an eye.”

I was wrong.

The next morning something happened I didn’t foresee. The New York Times ran the Brian Williams story on page one. And since the Times is the Bible in the world of journalism – the place “lesser” journalists go to get their wisdom, where they go to find out what is and what isn’t newsworthy – this could be the beginning of bad times for Mr. Williams.

There’s also a report in the New York Post that the man Williams replaced in the anchor chair, Tom Brokaw, says it’s time for Williams to go. “Brokaw wants Williams’ head on a platter,” according to a source at NBC that the Post quoted. “He [Brokaw] is making a lot of noise at NBC that a lesser journalist or producer would have been immediately fired or suspended for a false report” the source reportedly told the Post. (According to the New York Times, Brokaw refuted that report, saying in an email that he “neither suggested nor demanded Brian be fired.” But Brokaw did not offer up an endorsement of Williams, telling the Times “His future is up to Brian [Comcast CEO Brian Roberts — parent company of NBC] and the executives of NBC News.”)

And then a report from New Orleans has surfaced, about an interview Williams gave in 2006 about covering Hurricane Katrina a year earlier in New Orleans. Here’s what Williams said: “When you look out of your hotel window in the French Quarter and watch a man float by face down, when you see bodies that you last saw in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, and swore to yourself that you would never see in your country …”

But the New Orleans Advocate is now reporting this: “But the French Quarter, the original high ground of New Orleans, was not impacted by the floodwaters that overwhelmed the vast majority of the city.”

Blood is in the water. The sharks are circling. And Williams decided he needed to take a temporary leave from his anchor chair because instead of reporting the news, he had become the news. Will he return? Is he finished? As they say on television: Stay tuned.

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Russ Perrine

The lead on Monday nights CBS Evening News is a gigantic train derailment in West Virginia CARRYING US DOMESTIC CRUDE OIL. Millions of WTI crude that will never get to market. And President Obama is ready to veto the Keystone Oil Pipeline because he believes it is only going to carry Canadian drilled crude.

The oil lobby is not going to cease trying to return to $100.00 per barrel crude.
sparkleplenty27

Hmmmm, Williams and Cronkite – seems that Williams acquired his ethical standards and professionalism from Cronkite’s garage sale some years back. At bargain basement prices – with as much value today as when cronkite put up for sale!
buckrodgers

Brian Williams got exactly what he deserved for lying, here’s a man, a relic from the sixties, who earns ten million dollars a year and has to lie about himself just to boost his ego, what does it going to take before it sinks into your thick skulls that Americans hate journalist, doesn’t it even bother you, that Americans think more highly of politicians then reporters, what do you do every morning, stand in front of a mirror and tell yourself you’re making a difference, having one of those worthless eBay discounted Pulitzer Prizes on your mantel make you feel important, have you really become legends in your own minds,, Nobody cares if Brian Williams loses his job Mr. O’reilly and there are thousands of Americans waiting for a shot at you job, even you can be replaced, your job depends on your credibility, once you lose that, you have nothing else to offer, but how can we trust you when so many of your colleagues, will make up stories, cause riots, or play judge, juror and executioner, sending mobs to people’s home based on their personal views, you have an obligation to report the news, truthfully, which I believe you do, but you don’t live in a vacuum, it only takes one bad apple to poison the well, so circling the wagon to protect a friend, will cause some to question your credibility. we the people don’t have to do anything to destroy Brian Williams career, he’s going to do it all by himself, the question is do you want to join him.
Ahwooga

More than just trying to come up with a more interesting story, i think Williams longs for people to see him other than as a bookish Ivy League type whose only experiences with adventure are those he reads about in the library. Look at the things he exaggerates: staring down the barrel of an RPG; surviving a deadly hurricane in a hotel overrun by gangs and with bodies floating around outside; saving a puppy (or was it two puppies?) from a burning house.

Some people beef up stories for the sake of interest, but others for the sake of beefing up the storyteller. And i think Mr Williams falls into the latter category.
veeper

Soooooooo, when does Williams get a “Kerry” Purple Heart medal?

or an “obama” Medal of Honor for saving everyone in two Helos………
Red47

Williams will be eased out. What he did is break the whole egg. There is no way the audience would even believe this man’s reading of a phone book.
Red47

“…I do know Brian. He’s a longtime friend and we have been in a number of
war zones and on the same battlefields…” Rather
told Deadline.com.
“Brian is an honest decent man, an excellent reporter and anchor – and a
brave one. I can attest that…he is a
superb pro, and a gutsy one.”
If Dan Rather says so…

Can these people be any less self-aware?
- Barancy Peloma
  
  rather is speaking highly of a like-minded fellow.
  they share the same political mindset which is at the core of rather’s admiration.
  - Red47
    
    As a former journalist, what each of them did was completely destroy their credibility and cast all of news in a poor light. We have a serious liar praising another serious liar.
LHS

There once was a “newsman” named Williams,
That’s right, I said, “was”.
The End.
EddieD_Boston

Maybe liberals want to hate G Bush so much they need make whatsoever they’re blaming on him this week (Katrina & Radical Islam) even worse by making horrific stories up. It’s a sickness.
DANIEL SUAREZ

I, like Golberg, thought Williams would get away with it. Now I think Williams will not make it back as the NBC News anchor. He’s totally discredited.
- CmonMann
  
  its ironic, because he invented TV – the very medium that’s his downfall, ‘course he still has the cure for cancer that he discovered, and I think he can sell those pictures of when he personally caught the Boston Marathon Bombers…..I guess he’ll be OK…………….
Another Middleagedwhiteguy

“he needed to take a temporary leave from his anchor chair”
So, his return might be when they tie a chair to a 40-ton ship’s anchor . . .
Brian Fr Langley

WOW, a mainstream media liar? Go figure?
Limerick?
.
There once was a newsman called Brian,
who heroically into fire went flyin,
the truth they do say,
never got in his way,
just an everyday jouralist lyin.
- Kathie Ampela
  
  Wow! It’s been a non stop joke factory online this weekend! I haven’t laughed so hard in years! Lyin Williams is the gift that keeps on givin! Who’d of thought the democratic lie factory blowing up would be so much fun! Feel free to post any jokes here!
LHS

The ONLY reason to watch ANY MSM channel is to keep an eye on the latest, bias and/or lies they’re trying to peddle or if they possibly have awakened from their buffoonish behavior. Know how to spell “fat chance”? Sure you do.
Mr. No Spin

“If any news organization has to apologize as many times as Fox has, over this one issue, something is wrong.”

Any idea who said that?
Hammockbear

Brian Williams broke a code of ethics in journalism. He lied and he got caught and he confessed. News is to be reported as FACT with No Spin or Stretch.
The NYT is due credit for the comments made in their paper regarding the situation. There is not much else to say except for the disappointment that NBC may have known some of his reporting was very stretched and yet they kept him on the payroll. That is not good for NBC. I do not believe the people will need to, “Stay Tuned”.
KStrett

“Williams decided he needed to take a temporary leave from his anchor
chair because instead of reporting the news, he had become the news.
Will he return? Is he finished?”

They are waiting to see if the story will blow over. If the story goes away he will be back. If the more allegations pop up, they will be forced to get rid of him.
Tarmac492.1

Williams going through life right now like the dude that got too drunk at the office Christmas Party and hit on the boss’ wife. What is fascinating to me is the massive ego he must have to think that he could get away with such lies. Madness.
- Another Middleagedwhiteguy
  
  No. Just force of habit.
  Inveterate liars don’t even know when they are lying or telling the truth.
  
  The idea of getting caught didn’t even appear on his mental horizon, so impossible for him to even analyse the possibility.
  Therefore even less chance of him contemplating the consequences.
Chris Matthewson

Other than inventing the Internet, killing bin Laden and sharing a capsule with Neil Armstrong, I think Brian’s claims strain credulity.

Usually, when you become a laughing stock, it’s time to go quietly into the night…and appear months later…onstage at The Improv.
Russ Perrine

hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TV_BRIAN_WILLIAMS
- Enquiring Mind
  
  Link doesn’t go where I think you want us to go. Please re-post.
  - Russ Perrine
    
    Now I feel as guilty as the officer on duty in the wheelhouse of RMS Titanic. Do you know if that officer did NOT throw the ship into reverse (causing severe turbulation under the stern deflecting the 18 knots of pressure on the tiller) — the mighty Titanic would have missed the iceberg completely by a few inches.
    
    The link AP put up was taken down. My sincere regrets to the best board around…
Niripsa K.

AP reports this afternoon that Brian Williams is “stepping away temporarily…” In his press release, Williams wrote, “Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us.”
.
So ends his career at NBC. He won’t be back… not at NBC, anyway. Maybe Al Jazeera.
- Another Middleagedwhiteguy
  
  But . . . but . . . AJ is already overpopulated with liars . . .
Daniel

America loves a good liar Bernie. Look at Bill Clinton. He has become a national icon, mega millionaire and people swooned over him at the Humana golf tournament last week where his foundation was a major sponsor. The Alpha Bet news channels have been telling us how wonderful our current president is for a decade. You know, the guy who just gave 6 billion to the world’s number one sponsor of terror so they can buy more centrifuges and ICBMs while at the same time telling us he won’t let them have a nuke. The guys who says he stands firmly with Israel but won’t even talk with their Prime Minister. This guy still has almost a 50% approval rating. America loves a good liar.
- Russ Perrine
  
  I am believing the country you refer to is oil-rich Iran. They took in FAR more than six billion for every second crude oil traded at $146.00 per barrel — which was skyrocketed right here on the floor of our commodity exchange…and every dollar came from the wallet of our citizens driving to and from work. Thank heaven for the PRIVATE land rigs who have now ended this pain.
  
  Drill Baby Drill. Never again will we import OPEC crude !
- Another Middleagedwhiteguy
  
  Oh, do you mean that other serial novelist guy that just now discovered he was really born in the Green Isle? Mr O’Barmy?
exposeobama

Brian Williams Lies are nothing compared Goldberg and O’Riley
Cover-up Obama Forgeries and Natural Born Citizen.

When the public wakes up to the hypocrisy of these two
covering up the Obama or whatever his name is birth certificate and selective
service registration forgeries, his use of another’s social security number,
and his not even being a US citizen, they will both be finished. They will be
sued into oblivion and jailed for many years for providing information to the
public that helped throw the 2012 presidential election.

They hid the Maricopa County, AZ Sheriff’s Department press
conferences, which can be viewed on YouTube, from the Fox viewers attesting to the above.

This bastion of hypocrisy folks will come back with some
type loony, nonsensical insult. Why doesn’t he list one, just one, certified
credentialed forensic document examiner who will authenticate what Sheriff
Arpaio stated is a forgery?
- Russ Perrine
  
  Beam me up Scotty…………
  - exposeobama
    
    What part of the two press conferences do you disagree with?
    Not familar with any credentialed examiners Russ?
    - Russ Perrine
      
      I am familiar with all of them. Let them take these issues to our courts. If they hold any water, they will (or should) pass summary judgement.
      
      We are a nation of laws.
      - exposeobama
        
        Well, you better start informing your friends they don’t “hold any water”. Do you know of any Gov’t Agency Heads that were deposed or testified in any of
        the dozens of cases dismissed because of technicalities or standing?
        What did Goldberg report on that?
shreder474

Lying Brian…………..
has already admitted to one or more disparaging lies he spewed to the public to enhance him image, gave a half hearted ill filled primetime apology on air. If he was so bold to embellish his wartime tales for some 12 years, am sure his other fantasies like Katrina floaters, that his mind has conjured up are just the tip of the iceberg.

Whopper telling Williams should have the guts to resign, not hide behind some peacock feathers.
TransplantedTexan

It all started with Walter Cronkite declaring the Vietnam War lost after the biggest US victory of the War.
TransplantedTexan

Imagine, a lefty news anchor losing his credibility. Of course that presupposes that he had any credibility to begin with which, in legalese, is a fact not in evidence. The best description that I have heard is that he suffers from “imagination inflation.” I can only imagine the reaction if a conservative journalist had committed a similar error.
lark2

Dan Rather was roundly disliked because of his arrogance .. the network used his phony story as an excuse for dumping him. Brian Williams is apparently … one of the boys. Unless and until it gets much worse … I think they will find some way circle the wagons. These people are ALL … frauds!
- Kathie Ampela
  
  The network was hoping to sweep this under the rug until it died in the 24/7 news cycle. They were wrong. Now Wiliams is on “temporary hiatus” hoping it dies down and people forget again. He is indeed one of them. The elite take care of their own, it’s the oldest story in the book. They knew for years his Iraq helicopter story was bogus. Being a pathological liar is OK as long as you play ball, even if you are a news anchor. He thought because he was one of the boys he could weave his own fantasy world and never be called out on it. It’s not only about liberal media spin. This guy told lies about saving puppies. But I doubt this will die now, it’s too big. Every piece of video he ever made will be scrutinized by every blogger on planet earth.
  - lark2
    
    U are totally right but this whole thing is really small potatoes or is it potatos? The real issue is the fact that our media have become overwhelming frauds. They lie and cheat about everything … they have become the story. They are political hacks. The real scandal is found in the Journalism Schools around the country who are not teaching anything about honor and the journalistic ethics of the Fourth Estate. They have lost it and they may never get it back.
Wally

Newscasters need to trustworthy at the very least. I lost respect for him and NBC when they aired an interview with the President in the closing weeks of he 2012 election. They should have at least offered the same opportunity to Romney.
Drella

I can’t watch him anymore, he makes me laugh. Not that broadcast news is any good anyway… But he makes me giggle, him and his stupid daughter who suck up NBC for anything they can. Jokers all. Fire his ass and don’t put on Katie Coric. That might save NBC news.
Drew Page

Like I tell my grandchildren, what you see on TV isn’t real; it’s pretend. I was referring to the movies shown on TV, but must now include the “news” and all of the comments made by politicians on TV.
beniyyar

Williams is just a lying polecat, and for those of us who have been in combat, me in Viet Nam and the Gaza Strip, I find Williams lies to be outrageous and a gross insult to real, genuine combat soldiers. His phony apology means nothing!
gold7406

nbc can now start each broadcast with ” once upon a time ” and end it with an asterisk.
- Drew Page
  
  Great comment, Goldie. I love it.
FloridaJim

Watergate would not have happened without Nixon being a Republican and hated by progressives. Journalists are few and far between at best and now are never found exposing any Democrat, black, muslim, pervert, Marxist, or “friend ” of democrats. Journalism like so much of America has sunk to a low from which they will never recover. Brian Williams is simply one of many who lie endlessly and cover-up themselves by appearing with others like themselves as if lies never happened.Sheldon Silver, David Letterman, Clinton’s latest mistress, Clinton’s Foundation scams….you may add to my list.
TruthBeTold

Ever since Woodward and Beirnstein, journalists have been inserting themselves into their stories. They don’t just want to report news, they want to build a name for themselves by making news.

Journalists are now ‘superstars’ and they shouldn’t be. Their job is to give us objective facts so we can make informed decisions. Now when we hear a news story, like with gay marriage, they include polls which tell us how and what opinions are considered acceptable.

There are two problems. Agenda journalism and narcissistic journalists.

Until journalists come off their agenda soap box and stop inserting themselves into news stories, little will change.
- Drew Page
  
  Too many journalists today are in the entertainment business, not the journalism business. In the print media, many journalists want to be syndicated. On the radio, they want their own shows. On TV they want to be anchors, personalities and celebrities. They want to be quoted as “experts” and appear as guests on late night talk shows. They want to rub elbows with other celebrities and be considered their equals.
- TransplantedTexan
  
  How about narcissistic agenda journalism?
- Mark W.
  
  Absolutely right! The days of labeling “opinion” or “commentary” are long gone. We have had 40 years of tweaking the presentation of the news, both print and electronic. As Bernie (our voice in the wilderness) has pointed out many times, we have evolved from “light” propaganda to nearly “complete” propaganda in major outlets. And it’s easily manipulated because just two elements make for responsible journalism: what’s included in a story and what’s left out. How that equation is handled determines the veracity of the report. And, far too often, it’s the “what’s left out” that makes the difference.
Tony Rome

All the rules about lying changed when Bill Clinton LIED until they realized she really had the blue dress. It is one thing for a journalist to lie but another when the most powerful man in the world LIES, Clinton got to keep his job. We have clown in the WH today that has LIED so many times that they have run out of Pinocchios over at the Washington Post and he still gets to keep his job. Journalist today do such a lousy job of investigating stories that their stories are a news item for 24 hours and they disappear never to be heard from again. This is just another dumb ass story that happens to hit home.
- Drew Page
  
  When the lies were uncovwered, we were treated to redefinition of terms. We got to ponder what the definition of “is” is. (And here we thought we knew what “is” meant.) We also learned that “lying under oath” wasn’t quite the same as committing perjury. It must not have been because perjury is a crime and Clinton was never prosecuted for lying under oath.
Otto Maddock

Dr Martin Luther King Jr to Dorothy Cotton in 1963: “We’re a 10-day nation—that, in 10 days, it will be back to business as usual.”
- Drew Page
  
  He was more right than he knew.
Brian Stover

NBC still has a news department? Haven’t watched it in years.

Mr. Williams should remember that you can’t spell integrity without grit.
Perhaps he will be fired, and then formally join the Obama administration as press secretary.
- Bobbloggerstein
  
  or perhaps join Hillary’s campaign team so they can swap “war” stories.
- veeper
  
  Not a “News” department per se…….
  
  but, a nightly news parody show……
kurtstull

I think he is delusional, thinking and dreaming about everything so much, he gets absorbed into his own deluded reality, where he is there in his own mind. Just my 5cent psychoanalysis.
SkyCitizen

Brian Williams is probably thinking about how he can get on the first Mars mission, pronto!
Mark W.

Some will ask, “what difference does it make? He apologized.”
Here’s why it’s important:
We can’t go where he and other reporters go, seeing events first hand, talking to people at the scene. They go in our place and we see the world through their eyes and their stories. In a free society, that is a sacred trust between the journalists and the citizenry. It is the journalists’ responsibility to truthfully tell us, without bias, the who, what, where, when and why of the events they cover. A good reporter should never inject himself into a story. Through a series of bogus reports, Brian Williams has disqualified himself as the face of the NBC Nightly News. He has cast doubt on virtually everything he has reported. If he lied about one or two things, hasn’t he lied, or embellished about others? Who’s to know until — or unless — someone else speaks up? He has created doubt about his veracity and NBC should remove him quickly, if he doesn’t resign. Otherwise, the network loses credibility as it shows contempt for the American public.
- Drew Page
  
  Compared to Obama and his crew, Brian Williams is a choirboy. We have Obama, the Liar-IN-Chief. We have his staff of paid liars like Josh Earnest and his predecessors, Jay Carney and Robert Gibbs. We had the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. We have Pentagon spokes ladies, Jan Psaki and Maria Harf. We had the Secretary of Defense Hagel. We had Louis Lerner and the new IRS Commissioner, Koskinen and his predecessors.. We have Dept of Defense spokesman, Admiral Kirby. And in the Congress, we have former Speaker of the House Pelosi and her Senate counterpart, Harry Reid. Each and every one of them have lied continually to the American public. They all have lied about things far more damaging to the American public than Brian Williams’ story about being on a helicopter shot down in Iraq..
  - Mark W.
    
    You are absolutely right, Drew. The difference is, those you named are in the government and are impervious to the complaints of “we, the people”. They smile, wearing their political Teflon, and have the support, or indifference, of their Progressive sycophants. You and I, and all those who oppose the Progressive movement, are the “Who’s in Whoville” in Dr. Seus’s “Horton Hears a Who,” that shout, yell and bang drums but can’t be heard by those in government.
    However, being in the private sector that is supported by capitalistic advertising, Brian Williams’ status is something we can influence. He’s a target that can be hit with some effect. And, if we’re successful, it should send a message to the rest of those in the media that we expect, and demand, nothing less than integrity in their reporting.
    - Drew Page
      
      I agree. I refuse to watch, read or listen to anything put out by the main stream media, when it comers to “news” or commentary.
Chris Matthewson

Bernie very self-assuredly predicted just last night that the story would run a day or so and then be quickly forgotten. As is often the case, he was completely wrong: This story has legs and Bernie’s own prejudices initially tricked him into not understanding why. (Bernie’s bias is that the mainstream’s liberal slant would cause it to ignore the story. The truth is that any scandal involving a major personality, no matter where that person is on the conservative-liberal spectrum, is BIG news.)

Also, Bernie is mistaken when he says there are only two possibilities here: either a delusion or a lie. There’s an important third alternative: that Williams innocently misremembered and/or confused the facts. Unlikely, but possible. Had the pilot convincingly backed Williams up that his plane at least took some small fire, that would have been enough to save his credibility. Now, it’s taking a major hit.

Finally, Bernie is probably also in error when he assumes that Brian’s predecessor, Tom Brokaw, is calling for Brian’s head. What some unnamed NBC source said to a New York newspaper is hardly trustworthy.

This simmering scandal will reach the boiling point if and when there’s solid proof that what Williams said in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina turns out to be false or significantly embellished. If so, then it’s:

Goodnight Chet, Goodnight David…and so long Brian.
- Drew Page
  
  How many people are still talking about Obama’s “Stimulus” plan and all his ‘shovel ready’ jobs? How many are still talking about Fast & Furious? How many are talking about IRS targeting of conservative groups, or prosecuting Louis Lerner? How many are still talking about eric Holder dropping charges of voter intimidation against the New Black Panthers, after they were found guilty? How many are still talking about Benghazi? How many are talking about Putin’s takeover of Ukraine’s Crimea, or the civilian airliner the Russians shot down? Is Obama’s grant of amnesty to five million illegal aliens still the buzz of nightly news? Is anyone still talking about the ebola virus being spread in the U.S.? Anyone still talking about the corruption in the Vertern’s Administration Office?
  
  Within two weeks, there will be some other crisis or outrage. ISIS will behead or burn or bury alive more individuals and Obama will talk about maintaining a “patient strategy” for degrading ISIS and mayber, 55 of Americans may remember whatever is was that Brian Williams said, or was it Peter Jennings or “one of those guys on the news”
  - Chris Matthewson
    
    On this website, many (including you) are still obsessed with the stories you list. But the reason it’s called “the news” is because the stories are NEW. Most are often (and reasonably) replaced in the popular consciousness by NEW news. If the stories are important enough, they become HISTORY.
    
    What you and your crew of Obama haters want to obsess about are anti-Obama stories. Why don’t you, instead, focus on the many “lies” (and/or gross incompetence) that got us trapped in a needless war in Iraq and its unfortunate aftermath. That’s a story that actually is historically important.
    - Jeff Webb
      
      >>What you and your crew of Obama haters want to obsess about are anti-Obama stories<>But the reason it’s called “the news” is because the stories are NEW<>Why don’t you, instead, focus on the many “lies” (and/or gross incompetence) that ” ” ” <<
      
      We apparently ain't the ones obsessed with non-news. Many of the events we talk about are still under investigation, with new info continuing to come to light. You, OTOH, just dug up a long-dead horse and gave it the umpteenth beating.
      
      You're embarrassing yourself.
      - Chris Matthewson
        
        I don’t know if you’re one of the haters or not. I’d have to read other things you write to make that determination. Based on what I’ve seen you write so far, I think it would be a waste of time to read anymore.
      - Jeff Webb
        
        >>Based on what I’ve seen you write so far, I think it would be a waste of time to read anymore.<<
        
        You think bringing up an old, tired, false argument about President Bush is time well-spent?
https://www.facebook.com/timothypaulrice Timothy Rice

Speaking of blood in the water…http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2015/02/the-decline-and-fall-of-nbc-news-202239.html
- Vinny Gugeech
  
  I moved to a place that does not have NBC/Comcast, I feel a sense of relief. Plus, the company I am with now is all wireless, and don’t have those stupid little boxes sitting on all of our TVs. I hated having Comcast because it was tied to NBC.
radiofreeamerica

Oh well another liberal gets swift boated-just like Kerry in 2004 making up stories about his Viet-Nam “heroism”.Aren*t these guys smart enough to know that others who witnessed your “story” are out there and willing to turn you in?
Kurt Van Luven

One time on Jerry Springer, nobody lost their cool.
I made that up.
- radiofreeamerica
  
  LOL!!!
- kurtstull
  
  That’s a good one
docww

Bernie–Please relax a bit. Confabulation is standard fare at NBC. The folks who tune into this channel clearly aren’t interested in the truth. NBC = News Bullshit Channel.
Chuck

There’s another explanation for Brian Williams’ tall tale: He was having
a Barack Obama moment–stating his version of the facts, though he once
said the opposite–captured on tape!
- LAPhil
  
  Good comparison! Seriously.
femister

In a time when nothing surprises most of us anymore, this lie has far
greater implications for the craft of journalism. Walter Cronkite was
repeatedly regarded as the most trusted man in America. It wasn’t a
president, senator, school principal, or a sports fan who claimed to be
at a particular event. It was a TV journalist.
.
The hit NBC and Brian should take for such a breech in ethics (a clause which they have to sign/abide) should be swift and unambiguous in order to affirm the
serious responsibility a Free Press possesses.

Minus the clever digs, and oft-times funny comments, the more slippery slope resides in the cavalier, in-your-face disregard of journalistic ethics.

If this is considered “no big deal” in the halls of hard news media outlets, then
such programs should be scrapped in lieu of entertainment news formats.

A journalist should be like wallpaper — in the background allowing the
story to unfold and tell itself — not worrying about being a star or
part of the story. Brian Williams is the temporary guardian of truth in
advertising, if you will, and all networks and media should take notice.

This problem should have nothing to do with Williams’ popularity, the
grandiose expression of standing behind their anchor — or, egads,
revenue. If NBC wants to be considered a respectful, legitimate news
organization, then Brian Williams’ star has to fade; he’s lost whatever
credibility he had.

Where’s the understudy?
- Bob Olden
  
  Well said.
  - femister
    
    Seems to me the real issue of ethical journalism has gotten obscured by the business of the making and retention of an anchor-star rather than the health and reputation of an industry.
    
    Hopefully, the media outlets take a clear-eyed look at the situation for the sake of the profession.
    
    Thank you for your comments.
    - Otto Maddock
      
      So true. Unfortunately, ethical journalism has followed the typewriter into obsolescence. To borrow from Rush Limbaugh, we don’t have journalists anymore—now they’re only narrative readers.
      - femister
        
        Evidently so. Waking up from my stupor, somewhere along the line the muddying of the profession took place.
        
        Therefore, if news outlets are content with narrative readers, the minimum they can do is employ earnest fact checkers before a story airs, or is written, at least to be sure the narrative is correct.
        
        So, as I see it, networks and media outlets are at a crossroads: If the bottom line is networks want to put on a show, then define it as such. If not, it’s time for an honest wash, rinse and repeat — no spin cycle.
        
        Basic rules of journalism took a back seat to stardom.
Roadmaster

Have a big party, give him the Dan Rather Award, all his fellow travelers can congratulate him and the next day return to business as usual – that being lying, distorting, exaggerating, manipulating, deep-sixing and all the regular NBC Noos functions.

Nothing to see here – move along….
Ed

We are now learning that Peter Pan’s father is Pinocchio
TheOriginalDonald

Did he call a bunch of female basketball players a bunch of nappy-haired hos? Did he murder Ron and Nicole? NO? He’s back on the job in 9 and a 1/2 weeks
AFlaVet

Just more demrat Stolen Valor.
Baker_Rules

Classic narcissism. If I say it – it must be true because I said it… no one would dare question it.
bsels

NBC lies all the time. Look at their one-sided coverage of the measles vaccine issue and how they continue to misrepresent those who oppose one-size-fits-all-mandates and parental rights to do what is best for their kids. Good thing the country is still free enough to change channels when these highly paid “newspersons” parrot the lies of their advertisers.
kayakbob

Maybe it was Manti Te’o’s girlfriend that fired on Williams chopper?
- TheOriginalDonald
  
  NO, Lennay Kekua murdered Ron and Nicole
April Carter

The pilot came forward and stated for the record they were on a different mission than the helicopter that was hit. Only thing that hit their helicopter was dust and the never was shot so therefore never received the purple heart.
Chuck_Borealis

If NBC doesn’t fire Lyin’ Brian, and continues to call themselves a legitimate news outlet, then they will either be: 1. Lying, or 2. Delusional.
Jada Nicks Edwards

Williams SHOULD resign on his own. Tonight. On air. But he won’t do that! So FIRE HIM NBC! Toot sweet!!
texexpatriate

Leftists makeup these kinds of stories all the time. The list is too long to document in this comment. Having no personal courage, they have to make up the stories.
Curt Parker

What’s new? A liberal news commentator lying? Nothing to see here. Move on, Brian, Dan Rather can advise you on new career opportunities.
Jairo A Puentes

NBC lost credibility with their leader NewsBrianCheat.
smorkingapple

Oh this must be the new nothing burger Burger King just came out with. I’m still waiting for the outrage about the lies told in 2002-2003. You know the ones that actually cost thousands of lives?
- Jeff Webb
  
  >>I’m still waiting for the outrage about the lies told in 2002-2003. You know the ones that actually cost thousands of lives?<<
  
  Thanks for bringing that up. Gives others a break from humiliating you.
brendan horn

I think Hillary made up a similar story that a lot of people have forgotten.
- Mark Train
  
  About the “vast right wing conspiracy?”
  - Sunev G.
    
    Nope.
    “I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.” — Hillary Clinton about landing in Bosnia as first lady in 1996. She recanted her “recollection” 12 years later as she ran for President.
  - veeper
    
    That to…..
    
    but, I think the sniper fire on the tarmac is the one……
Josh

That’s what I don’t get about it. It’s not as if these soldiers came out to instantly blow his cover. The first time they were probably like, “Oh, alright. Dude needs some cred; he can star on us. We’re cool with it.” The second time he told it, “Okay, fine. It’s annoying, but we’ll let it pass.” Another few years of telling it….”Dude, WTF? For real, dog, seriously, you weren’t with us! This ‘little soldier boy’ act has got to stop. You gots to go!”

It’s like once he realized he could tell the lie and get away with it, he decided to use that as his go-to badge-of-courage story whenever needed.

Sorry, but an asshole like this doesn’t get to play the “oops, I misremembered” card. Nobody in the corrupt mainstream media will ever hold him as accountable for it as they held Bush for daring to duck when facing flying shoes, but that’s perhaps the biggest part of the problem.

The culture of media is as responsible for Williams as Williams. True, people are always responsible for their own actions, but banks have vaults for a reason. If they just left money lying about, you couldn’t expect people not to take it. We’re animals. Media allow this dishonesty to go unchecked, and these are the results. The fruits borne.
Doug Miles

Brian Williams and his daughter should fly away to “Never Never Land”!
- Sunev G.
  
  Am I reading that right? They should fly away… and never land?
  Not bad.
  - Josh
    
    Well, they’ll be shot down eventually, I reckon.
Sunev G.

Brian will be just fine… Didn’t America forgive Hillary for lying, “I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base.” Even though the ceremony DID occur with flowers, and an eight year old girl reading a poem to greet the first lady. And all those people, including press, standing there taking pictures and video? After all, she confessed her sin 12 magic years later, when she was called on it… just like Brian!
America loves the sinners… loves to forgive them even if it takes over a decade for them to finally admit the truth, if only after somebody stands up and shouts “LIAR” … and as long as they share their common Progressive views.
- veeper
  
  America didn’t forget or forgive….
  
  However, democrats/liberals loooove their liars……
Ed DeCosmo

How ironic! The New York Times, which once had a reporter covering the Iraq War from the west side of Central Park turns on the liberal’s favorite network. Williams can swap his war stories with Hillary Clinton who once described dodging bullets as she ran across a Mideast airfield. Hey, who can blame Williams, if American televiewers can believe their president is a Christian born in the US, they’ll believe anything.
Howard Flinker

Better to change your mind correctly than deny the truth or pretend that it does not exist like our Ostrich in Chief. The “NY Post” has 1 or 2 other fabrications. A nickname for a semi-conductor plant is a “fab”. What would be a name for a news “fab”?
Tim Ned

Hey, I’m Mickey Mantle.
Greg Carter

brilliant article.
Seattle Sam

Over 200,000 people have claimed to have been at Fenway for the 6th game of the 1975 World Series. I would not be upset with any of them — unless he were a sportswriters for the Globe whose livelihood depends on his credibility.
- femister
  
  In a time when nothing surprises most of us anymore, this lie has far greater implications for the craft of journalism. Walter Cronkite was repeatedly regarded as the most trusted man in America. It wasn’t a president, senator, school principal, etc. It was a TV journalist. The hit NBC and Brian should take for such a breech in ethics (a clause which they have to sign/abide) should be swift and unambiguous in order to affirm the serious responsibility a Free Press possesses. If this is considered “no big deal” in the halls of hard news media outlets, then such programs should be scraped in lieu of entertainment news formats. A journalist should be like wallpaper — in the background allowing the story to unfold and tell itself — not worrying about being a star or part of the story. This problem should have nothing to do with Williams’ popularity, the grandios expression of standing behind their anchor, or, egads, revenue. If NBC wants to be considered a respectful news organization, then Brian Williams’ star has to fade. Where’s the understudy?
femister

Did BWilliams take TV show “You Are There” too literally by portraying key events in dramatic recreation? I fear he is fast becoming The New Republic’s Stephen Glass of TV journalism.
Niripsa K.

Isn’t it possible to be delusional AND a liar? He consciously tells a lie knowing people who know the truth will hear it, but is delusional in believing they won’t say anything. So, Bernie, I vote for “all the above.”
Zack

Brian will have a nice going away party… “Sorry, Brian,” Deborah Turness, the head of NBC News will say as she puts her hand on Brian’s shoulder, “you know WE don’t want you to go… but you know how those touchy corporate advertisers are. And don’t worry, your golden parachute will land you at Dan Rather’s doorstep. He’ll fill you in on how to rebound. Oh, and by the way, here are offers from PBS, NPR, Bill Moyers and Al Jazeera America.” At that moment, Al Sharpton will inform Ms. Turness that it’s his turn to be anchor of the NBC Nightly News, or else. Stay tuned…
jwmiller

‘Misremembering’, like Misspoke, is a typical Leftist code word for an excuse that should be accepted without further ado. Obviously Williams is quite adept at this. If by some fat chance network boots him, he’d make an appropriate Obama Press Sec..
- femister
  
  I call it #TheRalphieDefense (Flick, Flick who? In order to hide from culpability)
  - Wally C
    
    sadly some will have no idea what you are talking about…it’s from the “Christmas Story” movie for the uninformed. I triple dog dare you to refute it.
    - femister
      
      Thank you for appreciating the pop culture reference!
boats48

NBC is basically “DONE” as a news organization. Between the Zimmerman fiasco, MSNBC’s open bias, and this, Comcast better find a buyer fast if they want to salvage anything of their investment.
woulddragon

And it’s only NOW that the sharks catch a whiff of Brian Williams’s “blood in the water”? I never could bring myself to believe someone like a Brian Williams who always seemed to “deliver” news while talking with his head tilted to one side. But, if someone like me were to have even attempted to get away with something like this for even five seconds, I would be so FIRED that my head wouldn’t even have time to swim.
veeper

Until a Kardashian chimes in on Twitter……

It’s not a big deal……
artymgysgt

My late wife used to watch the NBC local news followed by NBC Nightly News myself as a FOX news junkie never watched Williams. Since NBC and MSNBC are the biggest liars on television I assume they hope it will fade away but a lot of news folks and veterans will not let it fade. I believe that Williams should resign immediately and have chill down his leg Cris Mathews move in.
KAG505

And the cracks in Williams’ story just tend to get larger…Stars and Stripes military news is now reporting that Williams was NOT in a trailing helicopter but
“was flying with a different helicopter company altogether, in a different direction, and linked to the attacked unit only by radio.”
hihoze

“I don’t know the particulars about that day in Iraq,” Dan Rather said in a statement Thursday. “I do know Brian. He’s a longtime friend and we have been in a number of war zones and on the same battlefields, competing but together. Brian is an honest, decent man, an excellent reporter and anchor—and a brave one. I can attest that. —-> And this is the problem America. These lying, corrupt, DC’vers are all friends with each other and their connections trump Honesty, Integrity and The Truth every single day.
- veeper
  
  It is common knowledge all over the world, except in America of course, that Americans are the biggest LIARS and BSers on the planet…..
  
  It is very fitting that America elect an openly LIAR POTUS…twice……
simeone from Monterrey

If I were in Congress, I’d push for legislation regarding a Truth in Journalism law, with severe financial penalties for journalists and their network enablers who are proven liars who distort facts to match up with their agenda!!
- hihoze
  
  For a cop making $40K a year, it’s called perjury and if they don’t go to jail they get fined or fired and banished from police work forever.
- richard whaley
  
  We don’t need new laws. Based on the coverage, he is being tried in the court of public opinion. If his bosses don’t detect a blowback from his lies, he stays. Politicians would never put any meaningful punishment into lying because they would more than likely suffer more than anyone else.
  - Mark W.
    
    Sometimes the system works… but not often enough. Retractions and corrections usually are out of sight and do not undo the damage. I remember a Washington Post writer who had to return his Pulitzer for writing a piece of pure fiction. Poor, often deceptive, reporting occurs every day. Two elements make for responsible journalism: what’s included in a story and what’s left out. How that equation is handled determines the veracity of the report.
    - richard whaley
      
      Your statement of the two elements for responsible journalism hits the nail on the head. When NBC edited George Zimmerman’s 911 call to made him appear a racist is as good an example of “leaving out” facts as any.
- wally12
  
  First, the politicians would have to pass a truth in politics bill. Probably start by demanding that the president be the first to experience the effect of such a law.
  - simeone from Monterrey
    
    Amen bro!
    - wally12
      
      It is amazing that the politicians can’t see that.
Dan Lack

Sounds like instead of having been an award winning journalist, Bernie deep down dreamed of playing centerfield for the Yankees!
- Every Kid
  
  “Put me in, coach, I’m ready to play… today!
  Look at me! I can be… center field!”
chuck.tatum

“This is Chuck Tatum reporting from Escadero, New Mexico, where I have found Brian Williams buried under a mountain of lies with the Curse of the Seven Vultures awaiting to deliver his fate. Brian’s legs may be under a ton of stone but this story has legs. Incidentally, I taught Brian everything he knows about magnifying a self-aggrandizing story.”
After Network, the movie Ace In The Hole might be the greatest indictment of journalism.
veeper

White House to Brian Williams……

Quick…..Do an obama……

I didn’t say what I said……
TED

Well, Bernie, you are wrong. Outrage in the U. S. is alive and well. But reserved for conservatives, Tea Party (where HAS THAT gone?) and Republicans. Now back to fantasy: What if the exact same words had been mouthed for exactly the same time in similar venues: Bill O’Reilly on Fox News. There you would have have outrage, demands for termination from everyone from Barack Obama (who WOULD weigh in) on down to a Justice Department investigation. DOUBT NOT. Will Brain (oops, the spelling is my bad) Williams survive? I’d give it 50% now, no, maybe 65% he WILL.

http://www.periodictablet.com
- veeper
  
  Just a note on the Tea Party…..
  
  After being hi-jacked by high profile politicians and then being castrated by obama and the IRS because tax status is more important than principles and Constitution……
  
  Tea party is mostly websites and local activity meetups for old folks with a patriots theme….
hihoze

Brit Hume calls Brian Williams a good guy and a friend. This is the problem in America. The Washington DC’vers are not just the politicians. They are people in important places who value their connections and “friends” more than Honesty, Integrity or the Truth.
- veeper
  
  He said he’s a good guy and a friend…..
  
  didn’t say he wasn’t a full of sheite liar…….
  
  DC is one big happy fraternity ……
  
  except hillary the hag of course…..
  
  40 years in Washington and she doesn’t have one single friend or close acquaintance……
  
  If it wasn’t for bill……she would be a nondescript lawyer chasing ambulances and protests in Chicago……
Editor_Reid

One corrupt, lying, self-aggrandizing “journalist” down, thousands and thousands more to go.
Kram

Hilary should resign from any future elected office for lying about being attacked in Bosnia. “I’m not feelin no ways tired.”
Machetedontext

I’ve conflated before, but then I’m not a “journalist” air quotes too, my fingers doing that annoying thing.
TexasBrigade

As long as his ratings stay up nothing will happen
- veeper
  
  NBC says he’s the most trusted LIAR in America……
  - TexasBrigade
    
    I thought that was Obama
    - veeper
      
      Nobody trusts obama….
      
      they just go along because he’s a black democrat…..
my insight

It is most probable that BW never had a fight in his life as a child. And if he did, it is the highest order of universal probability that A-he lost and B-it was a girl that beat him. Now he is an adult and wanted to be a tough guy,, a mans’ man. So he made up a story. And got caught. So, now instead of a tough guy, he is a complete asshole. How just life is.
hihoze

The NBC flagship news operation is headed by a liar that reflects the selective editing of their crazy news operation over at MSNBC, as in the George Zimmerman call with the police that falsely portrayed him as a racist….to fit their phony narrative.
Anonymous

A lie is a lie is a lie. Pure and simple. Dan Rather was forced out of CBS after using alleged fake documents trying to prove that GWB went AWOL in the service. Weeks before Bush would face re-election. Just as Letterman, who pleaded with the at-home and studio audience NOT to vote for Romney in 2012. Dave wasn’t joking. He’s been an Obama apologist from the beginning and I’m glad to see he’s retiring.
hihoze

Brian Williams may be in trouble but ….”there were no animals injured while Brian was lying his A$$ off”. Another cl-ass act from the Williams family.
KAG505

This morning on the local radio newsbreak it was quoted as NBC’s official position on this is that he apologized and lets move on. What NBC doesnt realize is that you cannot dismiss a lie or a series of them with apologies. Unless you are a Clinton, which Williams is not.
- PeterFitzwell
  
  The same network that employs Al Sharpton at MSNBC.
Stimpy

To paraphrase some guy I read: “let he who has never lied or embellished cast the first stone”. Something like that. News readers aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed. About the only qualification is to have a decent voice, look pretty, and be able to read. I think the shame and embarrassment will be punishment enough. I never begrudge someone their livelihood even when they are ridiculously overpaid.
- hihoze
  
  There is no shame in America.
- Niripsa K.
  
  And as the ratings drop, Brian Williams will take early retirement “to spend more time with my family…”
Russ Perrine

Quick prediction: this column will surpass 700 Comments. BRG has another best seller here!
Robert Silky Campbell

I don’t know if BW lied or not. Why? Because al we get are snippets of what he said. I want to hear what he said in full context. The snippets leave too many unanswered questions. However, maybe he did. How is it, BW may have lied an everyone is outraged? Obama lies and half of Americans say they did hear a lie. The other half say, well he lied but he is the president and that makes it a simple faux pa?
- nickshaw
  
  There’s a lot more than snippets that can be open to interpretation or taken out of context, Bob.
  - Robert Silky Campbell
    
    I haven’t heard anything but snippets.
ksp48

I vividly remember charging a nazi machine gun and single handedly killing 14 nazi soldiers. I won the Medal of Honor for that. Oh wait, I was “conflating” my morning commute with Audie Murphey.
- helenkane
  
  That’s nothing. I was at the Battle of Bull Run and I personally reported the results to President Lincoln.
  - GomeznSA
    
    Was that the 1st or 2nd Battle of Manassas? Enquiring minds want to know,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,;-)
    - helenkane
      
      Don’t know much about Manassas except that I like to put a lot of it on pancakes. My brain was conflated when the guy at the door brought a pepperoni pizza instead of meatball. It was Johnny Depp. I didn’t tip him.
  - KAG505
    
    I was on one of the observing aircraft when the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and hitched a ride on BOXCAR when it dropped the second bomb. The fact that I was born two years after these incidents occured is irrevellant
- veeper
  
  I was a first responder in tower number 3 on 9/10……
ksp48

At least one commentator has stated the following. He gets paid an enormous amount of money for sitting at a desk and reading the news from a teleprompter. He needed in his own mind to justify that by telling people how dangerous and important a job he does. Even though he doesn’t. He’s not just a news reader, he’s a journalist, a war correspondent, whatever.
ulyssesmsu

What we have here should not be such a surprise. Brian Williams is a liar, and always has been. He should’ve been gone from that chair a long time ago. Make it right, NBC. Williams must go.
ksp48

He lied. And lied. And lied again and again. As the President, another serial liar, likes to say: “Period”.
- GomeznSA
  
  But but but it was ‘only’ for TWELVE years……………………….
hearnow

To the extent Brokaw’s remarks impact the Nightly News ratings, they will determine Williams’ fate.
wildjew

How else can we explain the mainstream media uncritically carrying Barack Obama’s water, even as he tells one untruth after another about the threat from the global jihad (Islam), misleads the American people that he will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, even as he is giving the Iranians nearly everything they want? Williams is symptomatic of a very corrupt mainstream media.
Russ Perrine

There are a couple of other facts about Brian Williams — one positive, one potentially not. In his early years BW was a volunteer fireman in Middletown Twp NJ. To the best of anyone’s knowledge, he only extinguished the fires he went to. The second event occurred in Desert Storm. NBC News was granted a few seats on a supply chopper that apparently experienced routine mechanical failure and, as he reported on-air, had to land before reaching its intended destination. The forced safe landing required all passengers on that craft to spend a few nights on the sand without any amenities like a daily shower, comfortable bedding, etc. Upon connecting with the satellite the next day, his exact words were “I began thinking this decision (to take the assignment) may be the worst management decision of my life”.

The last event may have been eclipsed by Brian W flying down to Haiti one day after the devastating earthquake — and being forced to sleep on the cement runway where the NBC private jet landed, next to Ann Curry.
David Levitsky

Or take the Hillary approach when her claim of being under sniper fire in Bosnia was thoroughly discredited- blame the made up story on being sleep deprived, and does it really matter at this point…
Peep

I have never watched a single Brian Williams newscast. I have no opinion of him but I have read science books about the brain and misremembering events is common. We just hear about it more when people tell their stories publicly. Try the book, “The Invisible Gorilla.”
- ksp48
  
  First of all, it wasn’t even contemporaneous. His copter flew an hour after the one that was hit. Sometimes the obvious is the correct answer. And the obvious is that he lied, and lied, and lied and lied.
http://www.teddavid.com Ted David

A few thoughts about the Brian Williams thing. And management and mismanagement. Many of us, me included, enjoy the memes and the wisecracks and the silliness surrounding this story. Typical newsroom gallows humor. I daresay Brian himself might have a few pithy comments about it were it not so close to home. But here’s the thing. Comcast/NBC needs to get in front of this and should have done so two days ago. In a way, their silence is helping the social media/tabloid world to preside over this man’s demise. Yes, he embelished. Ok, lied. Ok, lied multiple times. There has to be some punishment for that. But what is happening now is typical. Between the schadenfreude from us in the business and the snarky comments from the right … mostly those who think he is a liberal “Obamabot” … this is getting carried WAY beyond what it is and has taken on a life of its own with a momentum that is approaching unstoppable. The credibility issue was a major one at the outset. But as long as Comcast/NBC News remains silent on this and this remains front page, Brian’s ability to EVER get back his credibility is seriously in question. And while he himself is surely responsible for a good deal of the loss of that credibility, the social media/tabloid world, as usual, is carrying it to frenzy level until the next person screws up and then they move on to destroy the next person. Brian Wlliams is not Justin Bieber or Lindsay Lohan. He is a decent man, a good father and husband and by all lights, a good guy. He should not be the punch line to a joke. He should take his medicine and move on. But it is NBC that has to administer that medicine and as usual, with NBC management of late, they are missing in action. And NBC News’ credibility needs to remain, even if Brian goes. But as a wise news exec has said, this is not the NBC that brought us Huntley/Brinkley, it is the NBC that brings us Rev. Al. So perhaps I am expecting way too much.
- Russ Perrine
  
  Ted, nice to see you in print here. I agree with your thoughts about Brian. I only know him from his nightly news program. Skewering Brian Williams is a little like attacking the fishing reporter from the old WGSM…you remember, Hear that bell? Time for Ray Adell.
  
  The absence of support from the suits is a slow punch in the stomach. I hope Brian does not cave for two reasons: he always digs out interesting facts about a news story such as reporting hurricane Katrina he included any visitor to that area must take notice of all the French language media down there. Ditto Plattsburgh NY near the Quebec market.
  
  Speaking of interesting broadcast, I hope we can still tune in for your weekend shift on 1010-WINS…..with the soft bed of background music from CFRB.
- Mark W.
  
  No, He’s not Justin Bieber.
  He’s a journalist, through whose eyes we see the world. We can’t be where he and other reporters go, so we are at their mercy to trust what they tell us. And we expect the full, unfettered, unvarnished, unembellished TRUTH. When someone rises to the position that Brian Williams attained, he has to be aware that he is expected to be held to a higher standard than a rookie reporter at his first job on a small town TV station or weekly newspaper who might make that kind of mistake. And when he lies, for whatever reason, we have to wonder what else did he lie about? When he betrays the public’s trust, as he has done, then he should lose his job. He’s not going to go hungry, his family won’t be thrown out into the cold… He can afford to go quietly away, write a book and nurse his regrets. But NBC has an obligation to its viewers and advertisers to regain the trust that Mr. Williams has betrayed. And they can’t do that with him in the chair.
  - Russ Perrine
    
    Brian Williams will stay right where he is for two reasons:
    
    1. He won’t ever do this again.
    2. He won’t ever do this again.
http://blog.cyberquill.com/ Cyberquill

Williams also claimed to have won 19 Grand Slam titles before admitting it was actually his sister.
http://theromancatholicvote.com/ catholicvoter

It’s sad how quickly people will readily lie in order to push an agenda, avoid unwanted consequences, gain approval, etc. The truth may not always be earthly rewarding, but telling the truth is the right thing to do. The world does not need more entertainers or self-serving people; it needs more people with moral courage and character.

Good job on O’Reilly last night, Bernie!
Probus

This is somewhat off subject. The Swift Boat fellows were attacked by the media for exposing the John Kerry fairy tail: 3 Purple Hearts, 2 Silver Stars, 1 Bronze Star for 2 months of combat on a boat!
- Stimpy
  
  Yeah, but that boat was a magnet for AK47 rounds. Ride a mile in that boat before you cast aspersions.
  - veeper
    
    which is why Kerry orchestrated a transfer out as fast as he could possibly make up lies and produce false letters and reports…..
  - Probus
    
    More medals than Audie Murphy had in 2 months of front line hand to hand combat?????
jazzdrums

and you know why Oreilly tip toed around this topic and said he will not allow a segment tonight on his show with gutfeld and mcgirk is because for oreilly it hits right in his wheel house. Oreilly has made up stuff and he knows it and anyone here can research it, from Peabody awards to danger covering Falkland War. (CBS put Bill O in an office in Buenos Aires) $10,000, 000 settlement in a sealed agreement for alleged sexual harassment and on and on..many times when the camera is on the guest you hear bill O and by the way charlie rose has the same problem, they will speak over the guest…I was there, I saw that, I know her, I had dinner with them, I know the area well….well some of it is ok for celebs like Abby lee miller from dance moms saying she has hundreds of her students gone to broadway (not true) but not okay for williams and bill o and the like. there is a psychopathy involved with a touch of insecurity about what is true about them NOT being enough.
- hearnow
  
  Rose has an annoying tendency to answer the questions he poses in many instances.
  - jazzdrums
    
    yes you are right about Rose. Chris Wallace same..they give the answers they want or they believe in the questions. The word count of the hosts of some of these babble fests are 3x that of the panel. Bill O is always looking for agreement with his dissertations..thanks for post
    - hearnow
      
      Problem with Rose is he, to his credit, is over prepared. Feherty recently interviewed him and tried hard to pin Charlie down on what he does in his spare time. He didn’t seem to be able to account for any. He’s pretty remarkable for a guy in his 70″s actually.
Mark Ritchie

**IF** Brian Williams believed his story to be true when he
told it – he might have been the victim of recurring dreams about the incident
– the false memory of the dream superseding the actual memory of the event.
- hearnow
  
  fog of war maybe?
  - Russ Perrine
    
    The Fog of War is a great example of an explosive revelation that was vaporized by a event that followed its release. Fog of war was a motion picture that contained only the image of Robert McNamara CONFESSING TO FAKING the Gulf of Tonkin incident that LBJ needed to launch the Vietman War. The event that erased it was 911 a few weeks later in 2001.
    
    If the Netflix people read this website, maybe it may be wise to replace The Interview on your “line up” with The Fog of War. At least the viewer will learn something worth remembering.
    - hearnow
      
      I believe or first heard the term used by Medal of Honor winner Bob Kerrey when there was a challenge made to his medal winning event
      - Russ Perrine
        
        You are correct. For of war is one of those iconic metaphors. It has only one rival that I can recall. When JFK became our President, he often referred to the State Department as “Foggy Bottom” and that was WITH Dean Rusk running it!
gbandy

Brian Williams just shows the total bias of MSNBC and all the Liberal mainstream media. Williams just proved the point to lie about a story will give the story higher levels of followers even though it was totally fabricated.
- J.R. whitehead
  
  Its not news anymore….its Propaganda
  
  ….
  - GomeznSA
    
    “anymore’? – been propaganda since at least the Kennedy/Nixon ‘debates’………………….
Callipygian1

“I made up a few facts about Iraq,” said Williams, “but everything I’ve ever said about the Lewis, Clark & Williams Expedition is factual.”
Jarob54

NBC is too gutless to fire this weasel.
genetracy

Another pompous journalist soon to bite the dust. And this is a also a guy who worshiped at the altar of Obama the last six years.
- hearnow
  
  and with an uncontrollable, can’t help myself craving for rock star? celebrity status. One wouldn’t think a good attribute for a legitimate news anchor.
Joh

Joe Isuzu and Al Gore 2.0. If Tom Brokaw has bailed on him, he is truly toast
- LHS
  
  Tommy Brokejaw is as big a weasel as Williams. He just TWISTS and/or ignores the truth and continually had gotten away with it. Just another pompous, elitist back. All I see with people like him who look down their noses at the “rabble” is snot. There, I said it.
  - Joh
    
    Couldn’t agree with you more
Rightfromthestart

This Katrina story sounds a bit like William Hurt in Broadcast News. Man, this is all just delicious!
- Craig
  
  Cue: Tear
DH

I admire Goldberg; he actually is a journalist
- hearnow
  
  Really??
FloridaConservative

I’ve always admired Brian Williams as a competent journalist, a good news presenter and a fair-seeming reporter. This, sadly puts a blemish on him that will be impossible to ignore from here on.
- LHS
  
  “Blemish”? It’s a 1/4″ sized wart on his forehead. He’s done.
  - FloridaConservative
    
    Ha! You’re right! I was trying to be nice to a guy who seems mortally wounded.
- ulyssesmsu
  
  A man who refused to cover any news that made Obama look bad–but you admired him as competent and fair?
abe

network news is no big deal any longer, the days of Walter Cronkite, Huntley and Brinkley and Howard K. Smith are over. With cable ,Internet and Satellite information. the Brian Williams story is no story, he wanted to be a big shot so the story grew.
- hearnow
  
  like your choice of information vs. news.
LHS

He’s done. My advice is to put ol’ Brian on suicide watch and I’m serious. Really.
This is career-ending. If he offs himself, Hollywood will then bestow martyrdom on him.
I know that sounds really sick, but Hollyweird is the poster child for sick, isn’t it?
Or, he can go room with another confirmed, news anchor liar, Danny Rather.
- hearnow
  
  Nightly News ratings will determine his fate. They are to tv as campaign financing is to electoral politics.
PeterFitzwell

It should be Brian who? But it won’t.
RickonhisHarleyJohnson

… and I am loving it!
Deborah G

Brian Williams like ALL NBC?MSNBC does NOT fact check or is even interested in fact. Look at Rachel Amddow a suppossedly very intelligent uh hem lady? She manipulated a word or two and fiction beccomes fact.