So Brian Williams is taken to task

[edhopper]

for something Fox News does on a daily basis.

Not to excuse Williams, but why does Faux get a pass from the rest of the media?

[fadedrose]

1. The press is acting like we believed the news BBW

BBW - Before Brian Williams

Many of us don't and didn't and will continue not to. Lies are told by politicians that get passed on to us, and reporters who say nothing about the truthiness (SC) of the material are given a pass.

There are polls that are skewed by tricky questions, select participants, etc., so that the desired results are achieved, a form of lying.

Oh, and the lies told in commercials!! Somebody should get after them - people who believe them are being hurt more than by BW - physically and financially.

What Williams said, in all likelihood, didn't didn't hurt anyone. I think he was just getting sick and tired of people saying that he has so much protection when he goes out news-hunting that he is never in danger. He's not so much a lier, but a romanticist.

(Somewhere in the back of my memory there's a real old movie about a character who envisioned himself in rescues and dangerous situations, but not to the small degree of episodes that BW involved himself..)

[global1]

27. I Agree With Your Comment On 'Lies Told In Commercials' And That Just Infuriates Me......

Most marketing is deception. Embellishing a product and its usefulness, taste, economy, etc. Outright lying in commercials and using bait and switch tactics - sucking the consumer in.

I often wonder how people in the advertising/marketing world can look themselves in a mirror and feel good about themselves.

You see signs in grocery stores saying Low Prices!!!!! - and the prices run higher than in their competitions store.

You see a label saying new packaging - same product - only to find that the previous package held 15oz of chips and this new package holds 13oz of chips - but same low price.

We're being deceived on almost a 24/7 basis and we fall for it most of the time.

Coupling this with the cheating scandals in sports. The massaging a story by the MSM. The out and out two faced lying by politicians. The think tanks that constantly work to find ways to deceive the American People. The adults that set bad examples for their kids by stacking the deck (case in point the Chicago Little League team). Cheating going on in schools by the administrators to show improvement by their students by changing grades, providing answers for tests. Hospital administration (VA Hospital) forcing good numbers to make bonuses. Banksters and financial advisers taking advantage of people's monies. Split second trading going on on Wall St that puts the average person at a disadvantage in the stock market. I could go on and on with all the lies, deception, bending of the truth, out and out fraud that happens to us on an on-going basis.

It's almost like our whole economy or existence is based on deception, manipulation, embellishment, etc.

And we sit back - bend over - and take it - time and time again.

A sucker is born every minute. Isn't that the saying?





We are setting

[fadedrose]

29. I come to the conclusion

that the American Hierarchy and the Public are responsible for Brian Williams exaggerations. We set such a poor example for him from his bosses and their bosses, down to a down-sized package of frozen corn at 10/$1.00 each that used to be 16 oz. not 12 oz. from Kroger's, for $1.00 each, and them sayin' it's on sale. Sure it is. Just like BW's helicopter was hit by fire.

With a smart lawyer 'splaining this stuff to the judge, Brian could end up collecting from the public instead of being docked.

[fredamae]

2. Williams is Tossed under the Bus

so Corporate MSM can save it's Reputation and Credibility...cuz NO Other Well Paid (1% club) "Hollywood scripted journalist" has EVER, ever exaggerated a story, ever Lied about facts, has ever Ignored an important issue (net neutrality etc), injected personal biases from guests/self or mislead viewers by omission of Fact. Ever...Only Brian Williams...they would have us believe, has Ever tarnished the good name and credibility of ABS/NBC/FOX/CBS/NPR et al......riiight?

[dilby]

3. I really don't understand the problem.

From everything I have read he made comments in person, in interviews and on facebook about his helicopter being forced down due to a rocket propelled grenade. It's not like he wrote a breaking news story about this, or said it while he was anchoring the news or some shit. So what if he did a little embellishment while being Brian Williams the regular schmo and not Brian Williams the face of NBC News. I mean if he would have been on the News and making shit up, yeah that is a problem. But if he is on a late night show being interviewed and gives a little embellishment, I don't think that is a problem, everyone does that.

[melman]

6. He did tell the story on the Nightly News

[dilby]

8. Do you have a link?

Because everything I have read says he said it in interviews, like with stars and stripes and on late night comedy shows.

[dilby]

11. Just saw the story on the Nightly News

And he did not do any embellishment there, he stated the helicopter ahead of them was hit by an RPG, which was true, no one is arguing that. They are arguing his interview 10 years later with a late night host where he says his helicopter was hit by an RPG. A whole lot of bullshit if you ask me.

[former9thward]

15. It wasn't just one story.

In addition to the Iraq story he claimed to be in a copter that was fired on over Israel. During Katrina he claimed to be at the Super Dome where "people with me died". He claimed to watch a suicide there. He claimed to be in his five star hotel there "when gangs came into the hotel and terrorized guests." Hotel guests and police say it never happened. He claimed to see bodies floating in French Quarter when the French Quarter was not flooded. He claimed to go into a burning house to save puppies. He claimed to be robbed at gunpoint selling Christmas trees. No police report. All BS.

[dilby]

16. Again the rocket over israel is being disputed by the fact that what he reported was true.

What he told John Steward in an interview on the daily show was he was just over the rocket, someone went oh look I saw the actual original story, the rocket was on film 5 miles away and even Brian Williams said 5 miles in the story but on John Steward he said he was 5,000 Feet above it or something like that, so liar. Again every embellishment was on these late night shows which want to hear shit like that.

[former9thward]

17. The Iraq story was on the Nightly News on Jan 30, 2015

Williams made the claim about the incident while presenting NBC coverage of the tribute to the retired command sergeant major at the Rangers game Friday. Fans gave the soldier a standing ovation.

His statement:

“The story actually started with a terrible moment a dozen years back during the invasion of Iraq when the helicopter we were traveling in was forced down after being hit by an RPG,” Williams said on the broadcast. “Our traveling NBC News team was rescued, surrounded and kept alive by an armor mechanized platoon from the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry.”

http://www.stripes.com/news/us/nbc-s-brian-williams-recants-iraq-story-after-soldiers-protest-1.327792

He lied and has been lying about one thing or the other for years.

[GGJohn]

31. No, that's not true at all.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/06/media/stelter-iraq-pilots/

"Simeone and Kelly said only two helicopters were in their group, from Company B of the 159th Aviation. They said Krell was piloting the first helicopter. Simeone and Kelly were pilots on the second Chinook, and Miller was in their crew."

The paper continued: "All three said Williams was riding with them, not with Krell. They all said neither bird took fire at any time that day."

He wasn't even in the formation that took the ground fire.


Even Krell is now doubting his memory of that day.

The pilot I interviewed on Thursday about Brian Williams is no longer standing by his story.

That pilot, Rich Krell, told me he was flying the helicopter Williams was on in Iraq -- an account now contradicted by several other soldiers.

On Friday morning, Krell told me that "the information I gave you was true based on my memories, but at this point I am questioning my memories."

As to why his bird landed.

http://pagesix.com/2015/02/05/pilot-of-brian-williams-flight-all-that-hit-us-was-dust/

Pilot of Brian Williams’ flight: All that hit us was dust

I was the pilot in command of the flight that carried Brian Williams into Iraq in March 2003.
The mission was to deliver bridges to the Objective Rams region in order to support our ground-force advancement. We were briefed that we would be operating forward of the line of troops and that the objective was unsecure.

We were a flight of two, and I was the rear aircraft. Our flight to Objective Rams was uneventful, with the exception of a desert dust storm that caused deteriorating conditions not suitable for flight.

We determined that we would not make it back to Kuwait as planned. When we arrived at Objective Rams, we found a US armor unit on the objective. There was also a CH-47 from the “Big Windy” unit out of Germany.

The CH-47 was already shut down, and the entire crew was no longer at the aircraft. We dropped off the bridges and landed next to the parked CH-47 and the Bradley Fighting Vehicles due to the weather.

It wasn't because of battle damage, it was because of bad weather and, they landed next to a US armored unit.

[Corey_Baker08]

24. My Thoughts Exactly +1000

[world wide wally]

4. Chuck Todd?

Just sayin'

[kairos12]

18. If smarm was the issue Toad would have been banned years ago.

[philosslayer]

5. Of course the media lies

All the time. The difference in this case is that Mr. Williams specifically lied in order to boost his personal credentials.

[kydo]

7. Cause they got a piece of paper from the judge.

Says, faux noise can lie cause they are entertainment or something. The judge only said faux not nbc or cbs or abc or msnbc or Jon Stewart. All others must beg for mercy, repent, offer first born child and apologize on the first offense. Crazy ain't it?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

9. There is so much schadenfreude with Brian Williams.

I actually feel bad for the guy.

[Stallion]

10. Keep Your Eye on the Ball

This a ready for HBO Newsroom theatrics sideshow-which has very little to do with News or delivering quality news programing. Its attacking a personality because a segment of the Nation doesn't like his or NBC's perspective. Its up there with important issues like flag-pins on lapels, the pledge of allegiance in schools and criticism of Michelle Obama's healthy school meals. Its full of fury signifying nothing. Its twitter age garbage

[fadedrose]

30. I sensed jealousy

among Brian's contemporaries because his show is #1, he makes 10 mil a year, and he's personable, likeable and witty. Some seemed so happy and salivating about his downfall. Oh, and he's handsome.

He'll climb himself out of this mess yet. This is his first REALLY impossible situation in life and from what I hear in his stories, he's been aching for a REAL personal cliffhanger. I think he's getting what he really wanted and needed - a catastrophe.

He's gotten himself out of imaginary disasters and I want to see how he handles a real one.

[edhopper]

12. I like what Jon Stewart said

THIS is the guy we are going after for lying about Iraq?

[Tom_Foolery]

13. No sane person respects Fox News and their reporting...

We expect lies from them, but we hope for better from the other so-called "trusted media".

[edhopper]

14. You'd be surprised at the number of people who take them seriously

And outside Comedy Central, they are treated with respect from the rest of the MSM.

[Tom_Foolery]

20. No, I wouldn't be surprised at all...

I have plenty of relatives who take them seriously. As for the other MSM, CNN takes takes them seriously because they're Fox-lite. I believe that some on MSNBC laugh at them.

[edhopper]

21. Okay

I get what you mean by "sane" then.

[Tom_Foolery]

22. Great OP, by the way...

Have a great day!

[edhopper]

23. Thanks

[n2doc]

19. As God said...

[progressoid]

28. +1

[GGJohn]

32. See post #31.

He didn't embellish the story, he flat out lied about an event that didn't happen to him.

[WinkyDink]

25. It is simplicity itself: BW lied to SELF-aggrandize. Had he just been "catapulting the propaganda,"

all would still be well in Peacock-Land.

[edhopper]

26. True

NBC's Meet the Press has become a platform for unchallenged GOP lies.