NBC: Brian Williams suspended for 6 months without pay

[alp227]

Source: Politico

NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams has been suspended for six months without pay, the network announced Tuesday night.

The full memo from NBC News President Deborah Turness:

All,

We have decided today to suspend Brian Williams as Managing Editor and Anchor of NBC Nightly News for six months. The suspension will be without pay and is effective immediately. We let Brian know of our decision earlier today. Lester Holt will continue to substitute Anchor the NBC Nightly News.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2015/02/nbc-news-brian-williams-suspended-without-pay-202425.html

[msanthrope]

1. I'm not a BW fan. I think this is nonsense. He got more than Darren Wilson. nt

[joshcryer]

10. Don't see him coming back, either.

I mean can you even recover from this kind of thing?

NBC is one of the most poorly managed companies ever.

[George II]

22. What does that have to do with it? Darren Wilson is still doing NBC Evening News?

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

35. Seriously. By this standard, they need to suspend the entire Fox News staff.

[GGJohn]

42. But this isn't about Faux, is it.

This is about the "most trusted news anchor" in the business, who fucking lied about his Iraq experience aboard a chopper.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

43. Most trusted by whom?

[GGJohn]

44. Well, that's what NBC calls him, and I imagine Brian believes it. eom.

[PatrynXX]

62. quit using that word

misremembered. we all do it. Chuck Todd lies. and he still has a job David Gregory breaks the law and he's not even in jail. So basically 6 month suspension means meh break the law and lying are okay but if you can't remember things right we'll screw you.

[GGJohn]

63. He didn't "mis-remember" anything, he lied.

Here, for your reading pleasure.

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."

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

Oh, and here's why they actually 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

They landed, not because of any battle damage, but because of bad weather, and, they landed among a US armored unit, so they were pretty safe during their time on the ground.

[840high]

64. ...^ that

[JDPriestly]

66. The entire Iraq War was based on a liie. Brian Williams was just one of the gang.

The really big liars, Bush and Cheney, have gotten by with it.

Brian Williams became unwelcome for some reason, probably not for lying. Nevertheless, he shouldn't have lied. Still, I don't think that his lying is the reason for his "leave of absence."

I hope he writes a really good book about his experiences at NBC. I'm sure he will be offered big money to stay silent -- or to tell lies that make NBC look good.

[msanthrope]

2. I think he got more than certain NFL players. nt

[warrant46]

70. Like Marshawn Lynch

Who in a display of Family Values after scoring, committed the inappropriate gesture of grabbing his junk.

He was then fined $10,000.00 by Goodell

[kairos12]

3. Maybe he can moonlight as the sidekick for Jimmy Fallon. Oh wait, he already did that.

[handmade34]

4. all nnsense

[doc03]

5. All the bullshit Fox puts out as real news

and he gets suspended for bragging.

[GGJohn]

16. Bragging?

He didn't brag, he flat out lied about being on a bird that took hostile ground fire.

[doc03]

18. It's not a lie if you beleive it.

[GGJohn]

23. Whaaa?

It's a lie whether or not he believed it.
How the fuck do you believe you were in a bird that took ground fire when it never happened?

[GP6971]

29. And I thought I heard he said

that the bird had to make an emergency landing because of the hostile fire.

[GGJohn]

31. He did say that, but here's the true story.

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.

Neither bird took any ground fire that day, and, they landed among a US armored unit, so they were relatively safe for the time they were on the ground.

[merrily]

78. He didn't believe it, but it is not a lie on his part if he genuinely

believes what he is saying. A lie requires intent. Even under oath, it's not perjury if the witness merely gets it wrong in all sincerity.

If he did believe it, it would be misrepresentation, albeit unintentional, or a mistake or genuinely faulty memory.

[Yo_Mama]

30. Okay, but that makes the credibility problem worse, doesn't it?

It's one thing if your news anchor sometimes makes up fish stories for some reason. It's a worse thing if he doesn't know he made them up!!!

[GGJohn]

37. How in the world could you not know you made it up?

Look, I was a chopper pilot for over 40 years in the Army, took ground fire numerous times, shot down twice in Vietnam, when a bird is hit by hostile fire, there's no mistaking it.
Brian Williams, for whatever reason, decided to lie about being in a bird that was forced down due to ground fire, which, it now turns out, to be a big, fat lie.

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.

[Yo_Mama]

39. I don't believe he didn't know, but concede the point and then consider the implications!

Put yourself in NBC's position. It's one thing to have a guy announcing that he's a combat veteran, zombie braving, kitten savior to make himself look good; it's another to have a guy who doesn't know whether he's telling viewers the truth or a lie.

Which of those things makes a news anchor less credible?

[GGJohn]

41. Wow!!!

That's a tough one.
I would have to choose your first scenario, a trusted news anchor who purposely lies is more detrimental to the network than one who is clueless.

[doc03]

20. It's like the Hillary taking sniper fire story

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

36. BFD.

[GGJohn]

38. Oh, so the most trusted guy in news telling flat out lies is no BFD?

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

45. LOL, Hillary lies through her false teeth and few here seem to give a shit.

[GGJohn]

46. Hey, you won't get an argument from me about Hillary telling her

lie about Kosovo.
My choice for the Democratic ticket is either Warren/Sanders or.....Sanders/Warren.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

48. I'm with you John. I think you'll see Elizabeth announce when Hillary is forced to withdraw from consideration.

[GGJohn]

52. I HOPE SO!!!!

That would be the ultimate ticket and one that would give the repubs massive heartburn, oh, wait, repubs don't have hearts.

[merrily]

79. I think many here give a shit and a few don't.

That's why that few keeps insisting that DU is more left than Democrats as a whole.

[candelista]

75. I think people who have been shot at in a war...

...are more pissed off about Brian's b.s. than people who have never had this experience. Don't expect everyone here to react the same as you. They just don't get it.

[GGJohn]

80. So very true. eom.

[yeoman6987]

33. Does not matter what Fox News does

Brian Williams works for NBC.

[Botany]

6. Oh for the love of God ....

... Willaims will have to live on $5,000,000.00 for 2015.

Is it too early for a canned food drive?

[Auggie]

7. Wrist, meet slap

[AngryAmish]

8. So he made it through.

I have always wondered if a movie star whise star has faded a bit could do the job. For example, Sarah Michelle Gellar, w4hi I always loved, could read the news with the best of them. And stay in NY without this phony heroism.

[pangaia]

11. I'll take the job for $2,000,000.

I can read, also.

[Fred Sanders]

19. For half that a year I would go along with NBC executives desires to ham up a war story.

Extra credibility for their chosen Talking Anchor Head to sell a fake war. Or a fake virtual cross. Or a fake whatever is required.

Brian Williams is not even the tip of the iceberg in terms of media deceit, where is is all about personality over process, conflict over resolution, chasing the ambulance, not the recovery.

And it is all top down.

[AngryAmish]

34. How can you fake sincerity?

Are you glib? You need to be a John Edwards level liar to please your comcast masters.

[pangaia]

47. Hum,, I thought all I would have to do is read the teleprompter..

and smile once in a while...

I could hold a bunch of rolled white paper(humm, maybe I could use toilet paper) in one hand like all those idiot male readers who don't know what to do with their hands, and walk around....

How come the female readers don't have to do that? They just hold their hands in front of themselves, fingers lightly interlocked, and every second sentence open their hands, spread their arms a little in a gesture that means.... I dunno, then lock their fingers again..

[avebury]

9. It is hypocritical given the fact that

MSM personnel, for the most part refuse to hold Republicans and Tea Partiers accountable for all the lies they spout and the fact that
Fox News Network personnel lie on air all the time.

[forest444]

13. +1

[Marthe48]

14. Well said

I heard so many lies every time I listened to the news, I just stopped watching it.

[Fred Sanders]

17. MSM talking heads lie directly each day, and worse are the lies of omission of actual news.

MSM executives are the true source of these lies allowing to exist. What kind of news organization actively promotes lies for years and then thinks that by firing the guy who went along with the willful deception in return for millions of dollars per year, and it all goes away? They should not get off so lightly.

Remember The Dixie Chicks.

[asjr]

32. You nailed it. I have never watched NBC news with

Brian but there are congress people lying their heads off every day and they have not been kicked out. Double standard here. It would not surprise me if ABC or CBS were to give him a slot on their stations.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

12. Hey, Brian. Go have a chat with Dan Rather.

[EileenFB]

15. This was not unexpected

Was actually waiting to read the news that he stepped down permanently. I doubt he will be back.

[SummerSnow]

21. interesting...but Bush lied us into Iraq but they aren't mad?

The whole damn thing was a lie. Lives lost under Bush invading Iraq...thousands. Lives lost under Williams....zero

[procon]

24. I've missed much of the beginning of this kerfluffle and now I am perplexed.

How did this start? Did Brian Williams relate his tall tale on the air as though he was actually reporting a real news story during the evening news? Or was he reminiscing and his personal narrative came with extra embellishments and that literary license in the retelling of his war story so too pernicious even for audience entertainment?

In either case, what was the resulting horrendous blowback that warranted all this melodrama and his very public censure?

[Miles Archer]

25. No surprises here, and Lester was a shoe-in.

I like Holt's work because he seems to be committed to "serious journalism" rather than being a "news personality."

Regarding the six months with no pay, I doubt Brian will miss any meals.

And as far as reconciling this with the bulllshit spread nightly on Fox, well...that's coming straight from Roger Ailes. Who's gonna fire him? Murdoch?

[uppityperson]

26. wtf. Are they trying to persuade us they are better than all the other networks that also lie?

[onehandle]

27. Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah

Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah Falafel Loofah

Fox News. Faux News.

[mike dub]

28. Looks to me like NBC is saying "take a hike, Brian" in a passive aggressive kind of a way

Six months is a really long time this day and age.

[realFedUp]

49. 6 months

Kind of a random number. Decided because people will forget? He still told lies. Nothing will change. We expect Fox "news" to tell lies but if Brian Williams & NBC is supposed to be a standard for truth, what should have happened? Being fired like Dan Rather, who actually told the truth. I know Williams was not strictly a truth and fact teller during Bush's term.
He will have the cleanest kitchen floors in his neighborhood.
I will miss Stewart and Rosie. Dwindling list of well-known truth tellers, but a chance to elevate those in the underground.

[Newsjock]

50. Don't forget to hate, citizens

Open daily for the next six months. Visit early, visit often.

[Renew Deal]

51. That's ridiculous

[GGJohn]

53. Why?

He flat lied about his experience aboard the bird that day.

[Renew Deal]

55. They don't need to suspend him to prove a point

He's already learned his lesson, but it's not about that. This is typical NBC mismanagement (remember the Conan fiasco?). They won't fire him outright, so they "suspend" him and fire him later. And his lie is relatively minor compared to the lies that brought about the war. I think he should have apologized and moved on.

My suspicion is this is about bigger things. It's about knocking him out of election coverage.

[GGJohn]

57. You could be right,

but now there's questions about his Katrina reporting and his reporting on the Israeli/Hezbollah war.

[Renew Deal]

60. That's the problem with getting caught lying\exagerating this way.

It brings everything into question. Somehow that didn't manage to be a problem for Cheney and all of Fox News.

[GGJohn]

61. Still can't figure out why Cheney and Faux aren't called out like Williams

or Rather.
I guess some are more = than others.

[liberal N proud]

54. Bye-bye liar!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

68. One problem with calling out Brian Williams on this lie ...

... it opens up Hillary for her "sniper fire incident". I think that occurred (or didn't) in Bosnia.

Sauce for the goose.

[liberal N proud]

69. Liars should be called out!

Brian Williams is one of the reasons, I no longer watch any network news.

He is just the tip of the iceberg in the media liars. They all need to be exposed.

[warrant46]

71. Coming to a Campaign ad near you ad nauseum in 2016

The "Sniper Incident"

[Baclava]

56. adios

[realFedUp]

58. Producers

I also wonder how much of the news and details are decided higher up and behind the scenes....are fact checkers dead or just stifled?

[GGJohn]

59. What ever happened to checking facts before going to print?

Or in this case, before going on the air?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

67. Brian Williams was the manager, and the anchor

and this was a story about Brian Williams.

I'm Brian-Fucking-Williams from New-Fucking-Jersey and you wanna Fact-Check me?

When he decided to be the news instead of just reporting it, well, the hubris got him.

[840high]

65. I will nit miss him.

[Cryptoad]

72. But, But ,,,, But,,,,,

he is so Pretty!

[Chakaconcarne]

73. Fox "entertainment" News was orgasming over this yesterday...

"See, this is what the liberal media does".

[olddots]

74. " blame the messenger "

we are going to see more of this because news has 5 minutes of material spread over a 24 hour cycle .

[merrily]

76. Dan Rather, guilty of failure to notice justified margins on one occasion, was fired.

Brian Williams, guilty of telling whoppers about Iraq and Katrinal (that we know of, so far) got suspended for six months. So, he'll only make $5 million and perks this year instead of $10 million and perks; and he'll have the rest of his multi-year contract.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/02/10/brian-williams-perhaps-misremembered-floating-dead-body-and-gangs-during-katrina-hotel-manager-says/

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

77. Stick him on a remake of "What's My Line?"

Williams has wanted to be an entertainer and pop culture guy, having lobbied for the Tonight SHow.

He could follow the lead of John Daly, who left the news division to be a high brow game show host in the 1950s.