Brian Williams Fired? Tom Brokaw Wants NBC To Fire Anchor For Lying About Iraq Story
Brian Williams could be fired from his spot on NBC Nightly News. Legendary anchor Tom Brokaw is now calling on the network to take action for Williams’ repeated lies about his experience in Iraq.
Williams had repeatedly told a story about riding in a helicopter that was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade during his coverage in Iraq in 2003. He was then protected by the U.S. Army when the helicopter crash landed. However, Williams has now admitted that it was all a fabrication and that he was actually safe inside a different aircraft.
Williams admitted to the lie, posting an apology on his Facebook page.
“I feel terrible about making this mistake, especially since I found my OWN WRITING about the incident from back in ’08, and I was indeed on the Chinook behind the bird that took the RPG in the tail housing just above the ramp. Because I have no desire to fictionalize my experience (we all saw it happened the first time) and no need to dramatize events as they actually happened, I think the constant viewing of the video showing us inspecting the impact area — and the fog of memory over 12 years — made me conflate the two, and I apologize.”
But the apology is not enough for some, who want NBC to fire Brian Williams for the lie. The New York Post is reporting that his predecessor, the legendary Tom Brokaw, has been “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 report went on to state that many others at NBC were aware that Brian Williams was lying, and that network executives had counseled him to stop talking about the incident.
Others in the military are angry as well, especially since Williams often recounted the story. He gave an account in an interview with David Letterman in 2013, claiming he was on board the helicopter that was shot down.
Sources said it’s likely Brian Williams won’t be fired or even reprimanded for the lying, saying that NBC believes his account that it was a mistake and is satisfied with his apology.
