As we discussed yesterday, Brian Williams is now officially out as anchor of NBC Nightly News. Lester Holt, who has been the temporary, substitute anchor for months, was officially named as Williams’ replacement, and Holt is now the first African-American man to anchor a network nightly newscast. Progress! Williams will be moving to MSNBC in some capacity, and he will still have something to do with news programming at NBC Universal. Williams issued a statement to Variety yesterday:
“I’m sorry. I said things that weren’t true. I let down my NBC colleagues and our viewers, and I’m determined to earn back their trust. I will greatly miss working with the team on ‘Nightly News,’ but I know the broadcast will be in excellent hands with Lester Holt as anchor. I will support him 100% as he has always supported me. I am grateful for the chance to return to covering the news. My new role will allow me to focus on important issues and events in our country and around the world, and I look forward to it.”
Well, “I said things that weren’t true” is better than his first excuse, which was that he “misremembered.” NBC released a statement about their internal audit of Williams’ lies, and their summary judgment was that Williams “made a number of inaccurate statements about his own role and experiences covering events in the field” but those inaccurate statements mostly came on late-night shows like The Late Show, The Daily Show, The Tonight Show, etc. So… if you’re a so-called legitimate journalist telling lies on a variety show, it’s somehow not as bad.
Part of Brian’s public mea culpa was a sit-down, no-conditions interview with Matt Lauer. Part of the interview aired this morning on Today, and it will also be shown tonight on NBC. Williams again admits “I said things that weren’t true” (which is the kissing cousin of “Yo, I totally lied”). When Lauer asks Williams how he’s doing, Williams says: “It has been torture. Looking back, it has been absolutely necessary. I have discovered a lot of things. I have been listening to and watching what amounts to the black box recordings from my career. I’ve gone back through everything — basically 20 years of public utterances.” He says that he left his journalistic ethics at the door every night when he appeared on late shows and he became “sloppy.” Lauer actually presses Williams significantly on the whole issue of Williams’ Iraq story. Williams talks around the issue that he was blatantly lying to make himself look better and more heroic, but he does say that his lies were “ego-driven.” He also says “I own this…I am sorry and I will be different.”
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Oh sit down and STFU!
He still doesn’t get it. Earn back their trust? Nope.
GNAT, it strikes me that this man, as well as his employer, must be delusional. Williams has completely lost his credibly and NBC continues to promote him. Brian Williams is no longer viable as a serious news reporter, period.
As usual, Punky and GNAT nail it.
I cannot understand why he was not fired!!!!
Completely you guys. Completely this.
Any job with any news format outside of satire will not be good.
Had he admitted fault at any of the 1sst few statements I might feel differently.
They’re still counting on him like he’s a messiah or something. They need to distance themselves from him. He’s going to pull them down to his level which as we know is at an all time low.
The fact that they think they can “sneak” him back on us is foolish. I will not watching any show on which he is featured in any capacity.
Punky and GNAT, you have nailed it. Delusional is the word I keep thinking.
Integrity was on line one of this ridiculous, spoiled, narcissistic man’s job requirements list and he blew it. A whole nation and world filled with exemplary, real journalists, and think THIS mess is worth ten million and worth keeping on staff in a corner? Nepotism of a sort and tells me a lot about his network.
Lester Holt is worth twenty Brian Williams, who is just a fantasy-chaser who should have been shown the door.
I kept reading about the “intense negotiations.” He had a heck of a legal team that somehow held the network’s feet to the fire. Their solution was to put him out to pasture at MSNBC which seems like shooting themselves in the foot.
a man who LIES and has to face consequences for that is not in any shape or form like torture, someone reporting on governments (his own included) that torture should know this. but again its all about the most important person in the world: Brian Williams.
I read somewhere that he is going to be paid 10 mil in salary, even after scandal working for MSNBC.
That is what I was about to say. You’re going to toss around a word like torture, where there are people–yes, even journalists, real journalists– who are getting legitimately tortured, sometimes for telling the truth. I guess next we’ll hear how he knows about torture personally from his time in Guantanamo.
I try not to be the kind of person who flinches at the misuse of a word, but to hear him describe his experience as “torture” irked me to no end.
Exactly. I get the feeling he’s just saying what he thinks people want to hear. He seems a little closer to remorse than Rachel Dolezal, but that’s a pretty low bar.
They’re still counting on him like he’s a messiah or something. They need to distance themselves from him. He’s going to pull them down to his level which as we know is at an all time low.
The fact that they think they can “sneak” him back on us is foolish. I will not watching any show on which he is featured in any capacity.
*headdesk**headdesk**headdesk*
^Most appropriate response^
Seriously! i don’t know the man, but man is that ever a face you want to punch. could only stand half of the video. “So, did you lie?” – “Blahblahblahblahearnestandimportantblahblah” – “Yes, but did you lie?” – “Look, blahblahblahblahearnestandimportantblahblahblah”. Had to turn it off then before I hurt myself.
A douche interviewing another douche. Both can stfu.
I love Lester. So glad he’s staying!!
Glib versus Glib.
A douchekabob!
Wow! It’s 2015 and Holt is the first black anchor. How nice, now that the nightly news is passé.
Max Robinson was actually the first black anchor. But ABC (?) had rotating anchors then on a panel. So Holt is the first completely solo anchor. But Max Robinson shouldn’t be overlooked.
Am I the only one who thinks that if he’s in a caravan of helicopters and one is shot down
and as a result all the helicopters are grounded that it would qualify as be under fire? Isn’t it just incidental which one took bullets?
Now I’m going to scamper to a hiding place
That wasn’t the only utterance was not truthful.
That’s the problem, though. He wasn’t in the same formation of helicppters. His were at least thirty minutes behind the helicopter that was shot down. And thirty minutes behind when flying 120 knots, that’s equivalent to saying you were in NYC when you were really in Newark. It’s a world of difference.
I also think that if BW were really remorseful for his actions and not just because he was caught, he would have given a personal apology to the soldiers that were on the downed helicopter and the crew of the helicopter that he was flying on. It wouldn’t even have to be public, but an apology nonetheless. If the media found the soldiers for quotes and interviews, he could have. He has no idea what impact this lies had on these soldiers because of the memories that were brought to the forefront again after 14 years. The emotional trauma of having yourself thrust in the spotlight after trying to forget is not something that should be ignored. And BW did exactly that.
They better never have Williams interview ANYONE. He should strictly stick to a teleprompter of Associated Press-type factual reporting with NO room for adlibs.
He should be cleaning the the toilets at the NBC studios….after all, he knows all about being full of shit!!!!
Just watched this on Today…what a bunch of self-aggrandizing double talk.
Lester Holt is better. He seems more down to earth. Holt’s son is an anchor in Chicago and a few years ago for Thanksgiving Lester co-anchored the local news with his son.
A friend of a friend works at NBC and said that Holt was a really nice and genuine person, in addition to being a great anchor. I am glad Karma (and the network) is finally giving him his due.
By keeping him on – in whatever capacity – NBC is for all intents and purposes, saying they have no problem with his unethical behaviour. So he loses the big anchor job – big f*cking deal. He is still employed in a profession that is all about truth and integrity, this is a disgrace.
@wendi.
i am outraged as well.
there is NO room for a brian williams in journalism…NONE.
it is disgraceful and i am shocked that NBC would keep him on in any capacity.
Add me to the outrage.
It’s called a “lie,” Brian. Many of them. And you got caught and exposed. Own it, shut up and move on. We have.
Williams was also the Managing Editor of Nightly News, which, for many, including me, is not passé.
Any info on whether Lester Holt, who has been doing a yeoman’s job, will be given that responsibility?
So happy for Lester Holt!
Jeesh, this POS can’t even say the word LIE. They probably stuck him at MSNBC (who watches that crap? Reverend Al has a show there) to make sure he doesn’t spill the beans on how corrupt all the news networks are. They don’t report the news anymore, they spin it to suit their agendas.
It’s infuriating how he can’t just answer a yes-or-no-question, isn’t it? It’s all blahdiblah.
If you would stop speaking about it and let us move past your lying lies; perhaps…..well Nope, but STFU!
His face is lopsided.
How many people does BW have compromising photos of that he gets to stay in the news section, even if it’s about programming? What? Does he now get to decide what goes out on the air? This guy? Really?