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Brian Williams is taking himself off the air amid Iraq war inquiry NBC’s Brian Williams steps away from anchor chair amidst probe
(35 minutes later)
NBC news anchor Brian Williams will not be manning the network’s nightly news broadcast for the “next several days,” he said in a statement on Saturday. Brian Williams said on Saturday that he will step aside as anchor of his nightly NBC News broadcast for “several days” as a result of the controversy generated by his comments about his reporting during the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina.
Williams, who is also the managing editor of the “Nightly News” broadcast, has removed himself from the show in light of a growing controversy over a false story he told about coming under fire in a helicopter in Iraq in 2003. He later said he “misremembered” the event. In a memo to NBC News staff made public by the network, Williams wrote, “As managing editor of NBC Nightly News, I have decided to take myself off of my daily broadcast for the next several days, and Lester Holt has kindly agreed to sit in for me to allow us to adequately deal with this issue. Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us.”
Lester Holt will anchor the evening news broadcast in his place. On Friday, network officials said an internal investigation had been launched into Williams’s statements.
The network launched an internal investigation into Williams’s claims this week amid the firestorm of criticism from service members who were present during the incident. Statements he made about Hurricane Katrina have also come under question. Williams, 55, has been under fire since Wednesday after he apologized to a group of Iraqi war veterans for apparently exaggerating the danger he and an NBC News crew faced while covering the start of the war. Williams had described coming under rocket and gunfire while traveling with American soldiers in a military helicopter that was damaged and forced to land. The soldiers disputed Williams’s account, saying his aircraft had not been fired upon, prompting Williams to recant the story.
His statement was posted online by the network Saturday evening: His comments about his work covering Hurricane Katrina in 2005 are also under review by NBC News. Williams has made several statements about what he saw and experienced during the storm in New Orleans that have not been corroborated.
In the midst of a career spent covering and consuming news, it has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news, due to my actions. As Managing Editor of NBC Nightly News, I have decided to take myself off of my daily broadcast for the next several days, and Lester Holt has kindly agreed to sit in for me to allow us to adequately deal with this issue. Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us. He began his two-paragraph memo to NBC’s staff this way: “In the midst of a career spent covering and consuming news, it has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news, due to my actions.”
In the midst of a career spent covering and consuming news, it has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news, due to my actions. Williams is the most-watched anchorman in the nation, and is thus among NBC’s most valuable assets. His daily newscast, “Nightly News with Brian Williams,” attracts more than 9 million viewers daily.
As Managing Editor of NBC Nightly News, I have decided to take myself off of my daily broadcast for the next several days, and Lester Holt has kindly agreed to sit in for me to allow us to adequately deal with this issue. Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us. Holt anchors the weekend edition of the program and has been a frequent substitute for Williams during the week.