Brian Williams, journalist for NBC Nightly News, has been suspended for accusations of lying. Williams has been an anchor and managing editor for NBC News since 2004, however he was just recently suspended for 6 months with unpaid leave. The main tale in question told by Williams is over a military helicopter accident that Williams claims to have been part of.
The story broke out after Williams attended a New York Rangers hockey game in late January of 2015 to honor a retiring solider. The solider provided ground support to three convoying helicopters that were under enemy fire and forced to take an emergency landing in the deserts of Iraq in 2003. Williams claimed that he was on one of these hit helicopters. This controversy came when military veterans that where on the attacked helicopters stated that Williams had not been with them at the time of enemy fire. Williams then responded on social media and in interviews that he must have mistaken his memory and that he was actually on a trailing helicopter. However the damage had already been done, NBC News put Williams under review. During this time even more allegations appeared that questioned some of Williams’ reports this time his reports during Hurricane Katrina.
Williams reports from Hurricane Katrina won him many awards. He had reported that he saw someone commit suicide off of the Superdome in New Orleans, also that while at his hotel in the French Quarter he saw a dead body float by, and last he also stated that he had accidently swallowed floodwater which lead to him developing dysentery. All of these reports have gone under question. Theses reports all seem to be either exaggerated or made up due to the fact that Williams had not reported the suicide while on assignment, the French Quarter were Williams was staying had little to no floodwaters, and the number of people who suffered from dysentery was relatively low.
These claims pushed NBC into making their final decision that Williams should be put on unpaid suspension for six months. NBC has stated that his suspension is not to be a punishment, but is needed so the audience can have a creditable source of news while Williams’ investigation is on going.
The main question to viewers now is will Williams be fired for his lies or will he return after his suspension? The reviews are mixed. For some viewers Williams was part of their daily lives and for others he cannot be forgiven. Only time will tell if Brian Williams will return to the desk for NBC’s Nightly News, but as for now his chances are not looking very good.