Picture courtesy of DonkyHotey / Creative Commons / Via Flickr.com
Brian Williams, lead anchor and figurehead for “NBC Nightly News,” was caught fabricating multiple news stories.
His tale is right from a Michael Bay movie. During the U.S.’s Invasion of Iraq in 2003, Williams claimed he rode in a helicopter that was shot down by ground fire. Recently, it has come to light that this is not so. In response to the revelation, Williams apologized: “I misremembered…I don’t know what screwed up my mind that caused me to conflate one aircraft with another.” Not only did he confuse the helicopter, but in reality, Williams’ helicopter was at least an hour behind the chopper that was really shot at.
With more than thirty years of broadcasting under his belt, the public thought Williams delivered reliable information they could trust. Now, the integrity Williams built over the years is absolutely destroyed. There have even been continuous investigations into other questionable stories Williams had reported. NBC is now investigating his memorable coverage of Hurricane Katrina. In his news coverage, Williams  claimed that he saw dead bodies float past him in the French Quarter, but that area stood relatively dry during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. According to counterpunch.org, Williams also misrepresented Iran’s position on nuclear weapons. NBC continues their investigations into Williams’ past stories.
Tom Brokaw, managing editor of NBC Nightly News said in response to the scandal, “Brian’s future will be decided by him and the executives of NBC.” Even so, as a consequence for these “embellishments,” NBC has suspended Williams for six months without pay.

Courtesy of David Shankbone / Creative Commons / Via Flickr.com