NBC's Brian Williams lied about being shot down in a helicopter in Iraq

[green73]

NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams admitted Wednesday he was not aboard a helicopter hit and forced down by RPG fire during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, a false claim that has been repeated by the network for years.

Williams repeated the claim Friday during NBC’s coverage of a public tribute at a New York Rangers hockey game for a retired soldier that had provided ground security for the grounded helicopters, a game to which Williams accompanied him. In an interview with Stars and Stripes, he said he had misremembered the events and was sorry.

The admission came after crew members on the 159th Aviation Regiment’s Chinook that was hit by two rockets and small arms fire told Stars and Stripes that the NBC anchor was nowhere near that aircraft or two other Chinooks flying in the formation that took fire. Williams arrived in the area about an hour later on another helicopter after the other three had made an emergency landing, the crew members said.

cont.
http://www.stripes.com/news/us/nbc-s-brian-williams-recants-iraq-story-after-soldiers-protest-1.327792

[Occam's Banana]

In an interview with Stars and Stripes, [Brian Williams] said he had misremembered the events and was sorry.

I misremember not having been shot down in a helicopter all the time. I hate it when that happens ...

(Cue Ride of the Valkyries from Apocalypse Now - or should that be Ride of the Anchorman from Apocalypse Never?)

[Origanalist]

he said he had misremembered the events and was sorry.


He and GW aught to get together

[specsaregood]

how does this not end a career?

[randomname]

While his staff was standing next to him, KNEW he was lying and said nothing. Such integrity these MSM mouthpieces have :)

[oyarde]

Even I have never been shot down in Mesopotamia .

[devil21]

http://mashable.com/2015/02/04/brian-williams-iraq-war/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-link


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW6AbX2q0fM

Nice. Just like Hillary dodging sniper fire.

[pcosmar]

how does this not end a career?

The lie,, or the admition of the lie?

[Suzanimal]

"misremember"
"false claim"

He fucking lied and not one story I've read called him out on it.

[specsaregood]

The lie,, or the admition of the lie?

Both really. The lie itself is bad enough; but maybe forgivable if he voluntarily admitted the lie years ago. but to make the like and repeat it for 11-12 years and only admit to it after being called out by the actual people that were shot down? not forgivable, it should be a career ender.

[pcosmar]

Both really. The lie itself is bad enough; but maybe forgivable if he voluntarily admitted the lie years ago. but to make the like and repeat it for 11-12 years and only admit to it after being called out by the actual people that were shot down? not forgivable, it should be a career ender.

Should be..

but lies and deception are the hallmarks of propaganda..
It is a career builder.

[Occam's Banana]

"misremember"
"false claim"

He fucking lied and not one story I've read called him out on it.

Williams and his fellow "journalists" get paid to lie and distort - or to uncritically repeat the lies and distortions of others.

Like criminals who are reluctant to "rat" on one another, Williams' colleagues are simply extending him "professional courtesy."

But you can bet your ass that if this had involved a personage of whom the Establishment did not approve, they'd be crying "havoc!" and letting slip the dogs of war ...

[donnay]

LIARS!

Brian Williams forced to admit he was NOT shot down in the Iraq War: NBC anchor apologizes after angry soldiers reveal he LIED in Nightly News about 2003 helicopter ambush story

By David Mccormack

NBC news anchor Brian Williams has been forced to admit that he wasn't aboard a helicopter hit and forced down by enemy fire during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The Nightly News anchor has often repeated the war story over the past 12 years about how the aircraft he was on was forced down by enemy fire.

During a report on Friday, Williams went further and said that the aircraft he was on had actually been hit - a claim that quickly prompted denials from soldiers who were present.

On Wednesday, Williams apologized during his NBC Nightly News bulletin and said that he was 'mistaken'. Later that evening he didn't seem too worried about the furor as he enjoyed a New York Rangers game with his good friend Tom Hanks.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/02/04/2557EDE400000578-2940276-image-a-4_1423089805333.jpg
NBC news anchor Brian Williams has been forced to admit that he wasn't aboard a helicopter hit and forced down by enemy fire during the 2003 invasion of Iraq

Continued... (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2940276/Brian-Williams-forced-admit-NOT-shot-Iraq-War-NBC-anchor-apologizes-angry-soldiers-protest.html)

[Valli6]

Haha! Him and Hillary both!
(Remember, she had a similar story.)
CNN has a timeline showing how the story evolved over the years:

March 26, 2003: In a report on NBC, Williams recounts what happened in the Iraqi desert two days before. "On the ground, we learn the Chinook ahead of us was almost blown out of the sky," he says. He doesn't say that he witnessed the RPG attack, only that he learned about it once his helicopter had landed.

September 2003: NBC publishes a book, "Operation Iraqi Freedom" that details the helicopter incident. The account is vague. An NBC producer credits "one of the chopper crews ahead of us," for spotting attackers on the ground. The reader is told that the "grenade entered the helicopter's open tail," but the passage doesn't specify which helicopter was attacked, or Williams' location.

March 2005: During an interview on Tim Russert's CNBC show, Williams says of that day in 2003, "the helicopter in front of us was hit. A pickup truck stopped on the road, pulled a tarp back; a guy got up, fired an RPG, rocket-propelled grenade. These were farmers, or so they seemed. And it beautifully pierced the tail rotor of the Chinook in front of us." This description suggests that Williams witnessed the attack.

March 2007: Williams becomes the first network news anchor to go back to Iraq after ABC's Bob Woodruff was seriously injured by a roadside bomb. The Associated Press reports on the trip, and writes this: "He's traveling with retired U.S. Army Gen. Wayne Downing, who was with him on a previous visit when Williams' helicopter was forced down by insurgent fire." The story does not quote Williams directly about the incident.

July 2007: In a blog post after Gen. Downing died, Williams refers to the RPG attack hitting "the chopper flying in front of ours. There was small arms fire. A chopper pilot took a bullet through the earlobe. All four choppers dropped their heavy loads and landed quickly and hard on the desert floor."

July 2007: In a television segment after Gen. Downing died, Williams suggests that all the choppers, including his, were fired upon: he says "when the Chinook helicopters we were traveling in at the start of the Iraq War were fired on and forced down for three days in a stretch of hostile desert in a sandstorm, we were comforted only by the fact that we were flying with the general."

April 2008: In another blog post, Williams again recalls the 2003 attack and says "we came under fire" -- explicitly linking his aircraft to the attack. He continues, "The Chinook helicopter flying in front of ours (from the 101st Airborne) took an RPG to the rear rotor, as all four of our low-flying Chinooks took fire. We were forced down and stayed down."

April 2008: With Williams slated to speak at the school's spring commencement ceremony, Ohio State University puts out a press release to trumpet the anchor's background. The biography never explicitly says that Williams was in the helicopter that was struck by enemy fire, but it implies as much. "He was the first NBC correspondent to reach Baghdad during the 2003 war in Iraq, and was part of a U.S. Army helicopter mission that was forced down by enemy fire south of Najaf," the school says.

March 2013: On the ten-year anniversary of the incident, Williams appears on "The Late Show with David Letterman." He says "two of our four helicopters were hit by ground-fire, including the one I was in, RPG and AK-47." He adds, "We figure out how to land safely and we did." The comment suggests that his helicopter was hit, and was part of the same formation.

March 2013: During the same month as his interview with Letterman, Williams sat down for a conversation on Alec Baldwin's podcast "Here's The Thing." As the two discussed their shared devil-may-care attitude, Williams told the actor about "being in a helicopter I had no business being in in Iraq with rounds coming into the airframe." When Baldwin asked if he thought he would die, Williams said, "Briefly, sure."

January 2015: In a "Nightly News" segment, Williams says "the helicopter we were traveling in was forced down after being hit by an RPG."

February 2015: In a retraction and apology, Williams says "I said I was traveling in an aircraft that was hit by RPG fire. I was instead in a following aircraft. We landed after the ground fire incident and spent 2 harrowing nights in a sandstorm in the Iraq desert."
http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/05/media/brian-williams-iraq-timeline/index.html

[Todd]

how does this not end a career?

Thought the same thing. People should blow up the internet and phones at NBC until they get a good answer.

[Slave Mentality]

Fire his ass. Smirky bastard.

[William Tell]

He was shot down by WMD's.:cool:

[SeanTX]

Everything about the war was a big damned lie, and people are going to get their panties in a twist over this ?

Some newsman telling a fib is nothing compared to the lies that got over 100 thousand people killed. And that invasion set the stage for ISIS to do what they have been doing there, so many more will die.

I guess it could be considered a "stolen valor" kind of thing -- not like the neocons ever really gave a damn about the troops anyway.

Maimed troops will get angry at Brian Williams for a stupid lie, then will line up to shake W's hand at his annual "Wounded Warrior Run" (or whatever it's called).

[Suzanimal]

http://i.imgur.com/hEysBYh.png

[William Tell]

Everything about the war was a big damned lie, and people are going to get their panties in a twist over this ?

Some newsman telling a fib is nothing compared to the lies that got over 100 thousand people killed. And that invasion set the stage for ISIS to do what they have been doing there, so many more will die.

I guess it could be considered a "stolen valor" kind of thing -- not like the neocons ever really gave a damn about the troops anyway.

Maimed troops will get angry at Brian Williams for a stupid lie, then will line up to shake W's hand at his annual "Wounded Warrior Run" (or whatever it's called).

You have a point, but every little lie exposed gives the public a little more of the real historical truth. But sadly, the truth generally only comes out long after it would have made a difference.:mad:

[Thor]

http://i.imgur.com/hEysBYh.png

:-) this should be shared...

[Thor]

how does this not end a career?

The "news" has been declared "entertainment" and does not need to be "factual"... so what you have here is a bit of "acting" for "entertainment" purposes...

[Suzanimal]

Haha! Him and Hillary both!
(Remember, she had a similar story.)
CNN has a timeline showing how the story evolved over the years:


http://i.imgur.com/rGGUIcsm.png

[morfeeis]

Wonder what else they "misremembered" about that invasion too.

[Valli6]

Good Lord. :rolleyes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KC4MO09GuM

Honestly, I think the FCC has a duty to step in.
When it's been PROVEN that a news organization knowingly broadcasts lies like this, they should lose their license!

[Slave Mentality]

Everything about the war was a big damned lie, and people are going to get their panties in a twist over this ?

Some newsman telling a fib is nothing compared to the lies that got over 100 thousand people killed. And that invasion set the stage for ISIS to do what they have been doing there, so many more will die.

I guess it could be considered a "stolen valor" kind of thing -- not like the neocons ever really gave a damn about the troops anyway.

Maimed troops will get angry at Brian Williams for a stupid lie, then will line up to shake W's hand at his annual "Wounded Warrior Run" (or whatever it's called).

The others should be hung.

[Suzanimal]

http://i.imgur.com/Q9yGFuP.png

[donnay]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/02/05/255E88EA00000578-0-image-a-28_1423158624436.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/02/05/255E88FD00000578-0-image-a-32_1423159660100.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/02/05/255E88C500000578-0-image-a-36_1423160262496.jpg

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2941575/Brian-Williams-meme-pokes-fun-historic-moments-news-anchor-misremembered-lying-shot-Iraq.html

[Suzanimal]

http://i.imgur.com/CnVCZDR.png

http://i.imgur.com/ojpoTWS.png

http://i.imgur.com/oGU6G8i.png

http://i.imgur.com/Qdk8RbY.png

[Suzanimal]

http://i.imgur.com/VcCAtim.png

[donnay]

Great memes!!

[GunnyFreedom]

He was shot down by WMD's.:cool:

dipped in yellowcake uranium.

[robert68]

The relevant part starts at around 2:41:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS3NAwZ4hGk#t=17

[Slave Mentality]

Schadenfreude. I gots it really bad!!!

[Suzanimal]

Twisting! Brian Williams’ Hurricane Katrina stories now in question


Now that NBC News anchor Brian Williams’ claim that a helicopter he and his crew were were riding in was hit by a rocket propelled grenade has been refuted, other Williams’ tales of courage and heroism are now being called into question.
Here’s an example:
While Williams was covering Hurricane Katrina, he claimed to have become “very sick with dysentery” from accidentally ingesting floodwater, and told viewers that he witnessed dead bodies floating past his New Orleans French Quarter hotel room.
Not true, says the New Orleans Advocate. The French Quarter was never subject to flooding, and a local health expert couldn’t recall anyone complaining of the stomach ailment during and after the time Katrina struck.
He made his dysentery claim at the four-minute mark in this interview last year withTom Brokaw, who Williams replaced on the NBC anchor desk.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBoyOGu6Gt8

The Advocate contacted a local health official who disputed that claim.
“I don’t recall a single, solitary case of gastroenteritis during Katrina or in the whole month afterward,” Dr. Brobson Lutz told The Advocate.
“I don’t know anybody that’s tried that [drinking flood water] to see, but my dogs drank it, and they didn’t have any problems.”
Williams made the “bodies floating past his hotel room” claim in an earlier interview.
“When you look out of your hotel window in the French Quarter and watch a man float by face down, when you see bodies that you last saw in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, and swore to yourself that you would never see in your country,” Williams said in this 2006 clip. He begins that claim at about the 35-sewcond mark.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVXAxHFjiOk

However, Katrina’s floodwaters never reached the French Quarter, New Orleans’ original high ground, The Advocate reported.
Former anchor Brokaw is now calling for Williams’ resignation.


Read more: http://www.bizpacreview.com/2015/02/06/twisting-brian-williams-hurricane-katrina-stories-now-in-question-177991#ixzz3QyZLkQEc

[vita3]

Makes me smile warmly when a major media person gets exposed.

Can we get one of these a week for a year or two?:D

[specsaregood]

Twisting! Brian Williams’ Hurricane Katrina stories now in question
Read more: http://www.bizpacreview.com/2015/02/06/twisting-brian-williams-hurricane-katrina-stories-now-in-question-177991#ixzz3QyZLkQEc
beat me to it.


Makes me smile warmly when a major media person gets exposed.

Yeah, just reinforces my thoughts that many of these so called journalists just make stuff up, regularly. Like all those unnamed sources they like to quote, pure fiction.

[Lucille]

This is absurd. No one can "misremember" being shot down in a helicopter. It was a brazen lie. How does this guy still have a job?


Adding to the intrigue, the Post reported that Brokaw and former NBC News president Steve Capus, who left the network in 2013, knew that Williams' updated version of his tale was not true before the anchor's admission Wednesday evening. The paper also says NBC News executives had counseled Williams to stop telling the story.

Despite Brokaw's campaign, the paper says NBC will take no action against Williams, believing that his on-air apology Wednesday will suffice.

"He is not going to be suspended or reprimanded in any way," one source told the paper. "He has the full support of NBC News."

Wow. They don't even care that they are losing what little credibility they had (http://www.gallup.com/poll/176042/trust-mass-media-returns-time-low.aspx) left. Fine by me!

Never Interfere With an Enemy While He’s in the Process of Destroying Himself (http://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/07/06/never-interfere/)

[donnay]

Brian Williams Theme song... He is a legend in his own mind. I wonder if he is related to Andy Williams?

The Impossible Dream

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest, to follow that star,
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To fight for the right without question or cause
To be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To fight the unbeatable foe, to reach the unreachable star

[donnay]

*double post*

[Suzanimal]

http://i.imgur.com/3xnNLv9.png

http://i.imgur.com/x1AvzEN.png\

http://i.imgur.com/2zhYSMj.png

[donnay]

Run Brian Runnnnnn!

http://i.imgur.com/3xnNLv9.png

:D

[twomp]

One lie makes all your truths questionable. I hope people are wondering what else he has lied about.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9LbchTIEAA2962.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9HMXQHCcAAlxZQ.jpg

[Pericles]

Even I have never been shot down in Mesopotamia . Never happened to me, either.

[green73]

Brian Williams' Claim: I Once Saved a Puppy from a Burning House

https://grabien.com/feature.php?id=17&from=allfeatures

[Suzanimal]

Brian Williams' Claim: I Once Saved a Puppy from a Burning House

https://grabien.com/feature.php?id=17&from=allfeatures


I was wearing a breathing apparatus, conducting a search on my hands and knees, when I felt something warm, squishy and furry on the floor of a closet. I instinctively tucked it in my coat. When I got outside, I saw two small eyes staring up at me, and I returned the 3-week-old (and very scared) puppy to its grateful owners.

http://i.imgur.com/HIFThVT.gif

[green73]

http://i.imgur.com/HIFThVT.gif


Talking to Esquire in 2005, Williams boasted, "All I ever did as a volunteer fireman was once save two puppies."..

[Lucille]

http://mashable.com/2015/02/04/brian-williams-iraq-war/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-link

[vid]

Nice. Just like Hillary dodging sniper fire.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9HWGyKIEAI6t88.jpg

[green73]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e8ixcsIT1eA/VNUSKUrQEJI/AAAAAAAAVf0/7Cg2522OwhY/s1600/nose.png

[Suzanimal]

http://i.imgur.com/alN5yr6.png



....

Or perhaps Williams would like to withdraw his remark (9/27/13; FAIR Action Alert, 9/30/13) that Iran was "suddenly claiming they don't want nuclear weapons"–and acknowledge that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (NBC Nightly News, 7/28/08) had told him personally in an interview five years earlier: "We are not working to manufacture a bomb. We don't believe in a nuclear bomb." And that that was a repetition of what Ahmadinejad (NBC Nightly News, 9/19/06) had told him two years before that: "We have said on numerous occasions that our activities are for peaceful purposes…. We are against the atomic bomb."

Williams could also make clear that when he relayed claims (4/2/03; Media Beat, 7/9/07) that the invasion of Iraq was "the cleanest war in all of military history," that was total nonsense. Or that when he said that in Iraq, "the civilian toll is thought to range from 17,000 to nearly 20,000 dead and beyond" (3/18/05; Action Alert, 3/21/05), the best available estimate (Lancet, 10/29/04) was that 100,000 civilians had already died.

And despite what Williams claimed on March 8, 2005 (Extra!, 6/05), the invasion did not actually spark a wave of democratization in the Middle East that made "even the harshest critics of President Bush…admit maybe he's right about freedom’s march around the globe." Nor did George W. Bush provide "an example of presidential leadership that will be taught in American schools for generations to come."

He might want to clear that up.

http://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/02/05/some-other-tall-tales-brian-williams-might-want-apologize

[Suzanimal]

Brian Williams misremembers...

http://i.imgur.com/19a6zOdm.png

[Ralph Coffman]

What a lyin Douche Bag! And he continues to LIE. F you Brian. I never watched your lies anyway! Thanks to everyone on this thread for posting such Great Stuff!!!

[CPUd]

He'll be gone by the end of next week. Only reason it hasn't happened already is because of the almost 20 years NBC has invested into making him their top news guy.

[GunnyFreedom]

He'll be gone by the end of next week. Only reason it hasn't happened already is because of the almost 20 years NBC has invested into making him their top news guy.

The people who actually watch NBC probably don't care. They are almost certainly more into getting 'shots and zingers' against those 'right wing maniacs' than any form of truth anyway.

[DamianTV]

Even I have never been shot down in Mesopotamia .

You too? I got shot down twice! And on three of the four occasions, I died! But the fifth time was the worstest, me and my bestest friend Kenny got murdered me to deathand it was terrible. So thats how I got shot down all eleventeen times, and my country is ungrateful for my sacrifices! You Bastards!

http://static.infowars.com/politicalsidebarimage/peacock_large.jpg

[kahless]

Sarah Palin is getting in on it now reminding us how Williams lied about the claim she banned books as governor.
https://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin/posts/10153089841463588



Sarah Palin added 3 new photos.
9 hrs · Edited ·

Friends, this is a very important post I respectfully ask you to read through. Forgive its length. May it help you nail the coffin that's given shelter to a corrupt press that would stop at nothing in their fight against right.

Reports today claimed Tom Brokaw was calling on his former network to fire Brian Williams for lying for years about being hit by enemy fire in Iraq. Brokaw apparently denies the reports. (Personally, I hope Williams keeps his job as the face of network news to remind America how this all works, and to justify our complete turning away from his ilk in mainstream media.) It appears that some at NBC did know that Williams was lying for over a decade but never said a thing about it. Keep in mind that Williams repeated his bogus story many times on air, yukked it up with David Letterman over the made up drama, and even accepted praise as a "war hero."

http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2015/02/06/tom-brokaw-calls-for-brian-williams-to-be-fired-over-fake-helicopter-story/

Let’s consider the herd mentality these journalists use to empower and cover for each other. It’s precisely the way a corrupt organization works, like a crime syndicate. Remember the “JournoList” scandal where hundreds of prominent members of the media were finally exposed for operating a secret internet chat group to strategize on how they would cover (read: spin) the news of the day to fit their leftwing agenda, regardless of truth? I haven't forgotten. They would stop at nothing. I was aware of their collective unethical character not only because my college degree was earned using the complete opposite journalism tactics of JournoList's, but also because I lived it first hand as they began their relentless BS about my family, my hometown, and my record when I was asked to come on the national scene in 2008.

http://dailycaller.com/2010/07/23/journolist%E2%80%99s-anti-palin-crusade-of-2008/

http://dailycaller.com/2010/07/26/raw-journolist-emails-on-palins-downs-child/

My parents just reminded me that right after my acceptance speech at the RNC in 2008, Brian Williams repeated on national television a completely false story that I banned books while I served in office. He did so by reading on air a completely false op-ed by another unethical character who's never clarified nor apologized for including that outrageous censorship lie, among many others. (Thanks, Joe Klein, hope you're keeping it classy.) Those lies – proclaimed on air as if Williams was merely reporting "the news" – were heard by many that night. Lies like that were like a gut punch to my parents that knocked down the foundation of trust they've lived their good lives upon, for they realized, defenselessly, the power of a corrupt press. The media lies rung a bell that can never be “un-rung.” In the minds of millions of Americans, I was tainted as an anti-First Amendment book banning wacko. Brian Williams lied about me in order to affect the way I would be perceived by Americans during the 2008 election. He lies. There is no other way around it. But what’s especially disgusting is the way his corrupt colleagues covered for him. I have never and will never let the shroud of victimization cover me – God's given me way too many undeserved blessings to dishonor His goodness by wasting time crying "victim" – but I'm happy to recall the hundreds of Palin-centric false reports if it helps America understand you must never trust JournoList-types. (Well, not exactly "happy" to do it, but willing – all the whilst throwing up a little bit in my mouth, believing the reason the harshness perpetuates may be for others' edification.)

Don't be lulled into thinking this is only an NBC problem. It's all the major networks. Look, for example, at the outrageous media bias at CNN at the same time Williams was making up stories about his “war valor.”

There is a serious problem with the liberal media’s herd mentality. It's too late for their mea culpa because they've already lost America’s trust, and that is a dangerous thing. But while they're still on our airwaves, they need to clean up their act as the rest of us turn to new media that will be held accountable. A free press is a cornerstone of our democracy. They have the tools to be our watchdogs, not liars and lapdogs for the powers that be.

Thanks for hearing me out. And, *sigh*, for the umpteenth time – for the benefit of the most unprofessional among the herd who will never clarify nor apologize – yes, I am my son's mother.

- Sarah Palin
http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2015/02/05/palin-on-brian-williams-hillary-lies-what-and-who-else-do-they-lie-about/

[specsaregood]

Don't be lulled into thinking this is only an NBC problem. It's all the major networks. Look, for example, at the outrageous media bias at CNN at the same time Williams was making up stories about his “war valor.”

There is a serious problem with the liberal media’s herd mentality. It's too late for their mea culpa because they've already lost America’s trust, and that is a dangerous thing. But while they're still on our airwaves, they need to clean up their act as the rest of us turn to new media that will be held accountable. A free press is a cornerstone of our democracy. They have the tools to be our watchdogs, not liars and lapdogs for the powers that be.

The timing of this along with the media's blatant lies about Randal and vaccines is fun. You know, it might be a good idea for Randal's twitter feed to link to that with some type of pithy quip.

[GunnyFreedom]

The timing of this along with the media's blatant lies about Randal and vaccines is fun. You know, it might be a good idea for Randal's twitter feed to link to that with some type of pithy quip.

Lies that started.............with NBC.

[Jamesiv1]

http://www.prestongroup.org/stuff/brian/adam.meme01.jpg

http://www.prestongroup.org/stuff/brian/moses.meme01.jpg

http://www.prestongroup.org/stuff/brian/caesar.meme01.jpg

[Suzanimal]

http://i.imgur.com/mEK1CE1m.png

[green73]

Brian Williams '07: 'I looked down tube of RPG launcher'... (http://hotair.com/archives/2015/02/07/williams-in-2007-i-looked-down-the-tube-of-that-rpg-launcher/)
HEZBOLLAH ROCKETS BUZZED CHOPPER IN ISRAEL? (http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2015/02/07/brian-williams-over-israel-rockets-passed-just-beneath-the-helicopter-i-was-riding-in/)
Once claimed saved puppy from burning house... (https://grabien.com/feature.php?id=17&from=allfeatures)
GROWING STORM OVER KATRINA TALES... (http://www.theneworleansadvocate.com/news/11526453-148/nbc-news-anchor-brian-williams)
TURNESS ON THE FURNACE... (http://www.nydailynews.com/nbc-investigate-brian-williams-iraq-lie-sources-article-1.2105738)
HEIR TO NBC THRONE? (http://variety.com/gallery/brian-williams-possible-replacement-at-nbc-nightly-news/)
Katie Couric 'circling the waters'... (http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/couric-williams-exits-source-article-1.2106268)
DOWD: Anchors Aweigh...
NBC execs warned year ago Williams constantly inflating biography... (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/opinion/sunday/maureen-dowd-anchors-aweigh.html)




http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/OI2gVFbh_vq25kqcfbVWWQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTM3NztpbD1wbGFuZTtweG 9mZj01MDtweW9mZj0wO3E9NzU7dz02NzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/9e0839ecf88e63056d0f6a7067001365.jpg
OFF AIR FOR 'SEVERAL DAYS' (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/brian-williams-leaving-nbc-nightly-771102)
http://www.drudgereport.com/i/logo9.gif (http://www.drudgereport.com/)

[Lucille]

http://i.imgur.com/KVY1OcG.png


Whenever Washington and its whore media speak, they lie (http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2015/02/05/cowardly-despicable-american-presstitutes/).

The liar presstitute of the day decided to take a few days off rather than resign in shame and disgrace.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-07/brian-williams-says-hes-too-much-part-news-takes-himself-daily-broadcast


With the weight of Tom Brokaw on his shoulders (and neck), NBC's Brian Williams has written a note to NBC Staff...


A Personal Note from Brian Williams

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.

[vid below]

Flashback: NBC Ran Ad On Brian Williams, A ‘Powerful Thing Called Trust’
http://dailycaller.com/2015/02/06/flashback-nbc-ran-ad-on-brian-williams-and-a-powerful-thing-called-trust/



https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLGecnVypjSsCmFLcLfnnb8Nrl2vZu2Uhw&v=dpn41YUxXJk&feature=player_embedded

One ad, uploaded on NBC’s YouTube account in December, is titled, “Trust.”

Narrated by actor Michael Douglas, the ad goes: “It’s a thing that you build slowly, over time. It can happen during big moments. More often, it’s the day-to-day things. And what you build if you work hard enough, if you respect it, is a powerful thing called trust.”

Heh.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-07/brian-williams-when-smart-people-do-dumb-things



The difference here is: this was not an embellishment. Not a “taken out of context” styled incident. This is a case of outright lying. For it has now been both exposed as well as reported that Mr. Williams recant of him being aboard a military helicopter, taking live fire including being downed by an RPG, crashing, and being stranded in the desert for days has more in common with outright fiction and make-believe than anything resembling the truth.

What could possibly make this hoax of valor worse? It was made up, reported, and perpetually recanted on numerous other television and radio shows in greater and greater details of fiction by the one in the same top “news” anchors in all of media today. This is just astounding in both the scope as well as just how deeply Mr. Williams immersed and plunged himself within this fabrication.

When one listens to his public apology that was aired a few nights ago during his television report where he tried to explain how he bumbled his effort as to “thank” or “honor” a veteran, if that was all one had listened to, or knew about, one may think at first blush “OK, no real big deal, sh** happens.” However, it’s when you remember or listen to him recant the story as well as the details as he did when appearing with David Letterman does one fully grasp just how far down the rabbit hole he went.
[...]
The main stream media (especially that of television) is currently in the death throes of any semblance of credibility, let alone believability. As more and more incidents resembling the likes of these continue, the quicker as well as scope of their ratings failures will persist. For this is no longer a symptom – it’s now a full-blown metastasized cancer plaguing the main stream media as a whole.

Brian Williams’ Lie: The Bigger Picture
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-07/brian-williams%E2%80%99-lie-bigger-picture


Mainstream reporters are ALWAYS pro-war, acting as cheerleaders for the military-industrial complex and propagandists for the government.

Christian Christensen writes today:


Williams’ sad attempt to inject himself into the fabric of the violence is getting more ink and airplay than the non-existence of WMD did back in the early-to-mid 2000s: a lie that provided the justification for a military action that has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians.

***
The current focus on an inane untruth told by one celebrity news anchor has overshadowed the bigger picture about the US media and Iraq.

Digby notes that Williams’ Iraq lie served the pro-war narrative:

[euphemia]

Lying is second nature to mainstream media. Why is anyone surprised? Dan Rather never did admit to fabricating documents, even though it was proven.

[green73]

Lying is second nature to mainstream media. Why is anyone surprised? Dan Rather never did admit to fabricating documents, even though it was proven.

Dan Rather made the mistake of going after the wrong person.

[Suzanimal]

http://i.imgur.com/ZlFs4xs.png

[specsaregood]

From famous face of the media to mocked and ridiculed international meme in the course of 3 days. gotta love the internet.

[anaconda]

His "apology" was pretty slick. Yet, the burning follow up question remains: "Why did you think that the helicopter you were flying in was struck by a grenade?"

[Suzanimal]

His "apology" was pretty slick. Yet, the burning follow up question remains: "Why did you think that the helicopter you were flying in was struck by a grenade?"

I saw an article by some psychologist defending him saying he had a form PSTD or some gibberish to that effect.

[anaconda]

I saw an article by some psychologist defending him saying he had a form PSTD or some gibberish to that effect.

I could believe the "STD" portion.

Bring back the Twinkie Defense!

[green73]

From famous face of the media to mocked and ridiculed international meme in the course of 3 days. gotta love the internet.

It's funny how the NYP has memes for its front page now.

[anaconda]

I saw an article by some psychologist defending him saying he had a form PSTD or some gibberish to that effect.

War is Hell.

[Suzanimal]

Brian Williams does not face investigation, stepped aside voluntarily, source says


Brian Williams decided on his own to step aside from his NBC newscast for several days and was under no pressure to do so by network executives, a person familiar with the situation says.

The move on Saturday, developed in consultation with the NBC brass, was not a thinly disguised suspension. In fact, no one, including NBC News President Deborah Turness, suggested that Williams take time off, this person says.

What’s more, according to the source, NBC is not conducting an internal investigation of its anchor, as has been widely reported. The network is engaging in journalistic fact-gathering so it can respond to questions about the crisis created by Williams’ false story about having been in a helicopter in Iraq that was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. That means there will be no report with a finding on his conduct, this person says.

Williams knows that he needs to address the situation beyond the botched apology this week that made matters worse. And he has a prime forum coming up: An appearance scheduled for Thursday on CBS’s “Late Show” with David Letterman.

Williams is strongly considering keeping the appearance and using it as an opportunity to clear the air and address the lingering questions, the source says, but no final decision has been made.

Ironically, the anchor will be sitting in the same chair where he told Letterman the false Iraq story in 2013—a clip that has been widely replayed to show that he has repeatedly claimed to have been in the downed Chinook.

No one, including Williams, is minimizing the gravity of the situation. He is said to be embarrassed and very remorseful about the crisis that he created by misrepresenting what happened in Iraq in 2003.

NBC executives have not publicly defended Williams, fueling media speculation that his job may be in jeopardy. But the person familiar with the situation says Williams wanted no such public show of support, fearing it would appear to be the kiss of death.

That’s because NBC management had expressed support for David Gregory before dumping him as moderator of “Meet the Press,” and for Ann Curry before pushing her off the “Today” show.

Williams understands how badly he has damaged the news division. He told colleagues this week that while the Iraq debacle was solely his mistake, he hurt all of them because he is the high-profile face of NBC News.

He also is acutely aware that by saying during his apology that he was in a “following aircraft” behind the chopper that was hit—which was debunked by Stars & Stripes—he prolonged the controversy and made matters worse.

On the central question of why he claimed to have been in the helicopter that was struck by an RPG, Williams is said to believe that he simply succumbed to the sin of exaggeration. Armchair pundits have been analyzing whether he somehow convinced himself that he was a hero by taking enemy fire.

For now, at least, Williams’ job at NBC, where he has been the top-rated network anchor for a decade, appears secure. But that could change if journalists poke more holes in other stories reported by Williams

...
By handing his anchor duties to Lester Holt for a week or so—there is no exact timetable—Williams hopes to minimize the distraction that his credibility problems have created. But whether he can achieve his goal of regaining the audience’s trust depends on how he handles the mounting questions in the days ahead.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/02/08/brian-williams-does-not-face-investigation-stepped-aside-voluntarily-source/?intcmp=latestnews

[Lucille]

Williams understands how badly he has damaged the news division. He told colleagues this week that while the Iraq debacle was solely his mistake, he hurt all of them because he is the high-profile face of NBC News.

Nope.

Did NBC News manipulate original Williams report to give “under fire” impression?
hxxp://hotair.com/archives/2015/02/06/oh-my-did-nbc-news-manipulate-original-williams-report-to-give-under-fire-impression/


Tapper and Tritten discuss that, but Tapper then plays part of the original report from NBC News in 2003, which includes radio chatter about taking small-arms fire. Tritten then says that one of the three witnesses, Joseph Miller, says that the chatter actually came from another unit — which means that NBC News edited it into the Williams footage to match his story about coming under fire. This picks up at the 4-minute mark:
[vid]

TAPPER: [Chris Simeone] said that the only thing that hit their helicopter was dust, and that nothing that Williams reported in 2003 was accurate. I want to play some of what Brian Williams reported in 2003, in which there is this moment when somebody says there was small arms fire coming into the convoy. Let’s play that.

BRIAN WILLIAMS [VIDEO]: Indeed, just before we’re able to make our drop, radio traffic makes clear that this routine mission is running into trouble.

RADIO CHATTER [VIDEO]: We took fire on the way in. We currently are not under fire, I say again, not under fire, but we look for some kind of security, over.

TAPPER: So there is this moment where somebody’s saying our helicopter is taking small arms fire and it’s not taking it now, but they were and we need to find some place for security, over — that’s in the radio. Do you have any idea what that was in reference to?

TRITTEN: I do, actually. I spoke with the flight engineer on Williams’ Chinook, Joseph Miller, and what he told me is that Williams and the NBC crew, actually, they’d been given a headset and they had taken a microphone, and they had put it in the earpiece of the headset so that they could pick up the radio communications between the company that they were in and another company of Chinooks that was flying a separate mission in the opposite direction. So what you’re hearing is that radio chatter from that other company that was coming under fire.

In other words, there are two problems with the original report. The first and most basic is that the video of the helicopter drop does not match the audio in the sense that the communications were coming from a completely different set of Chinooks. The second and much bigger problem is that the decision to air that mismatched audio and video had to have been made deliberately. Note that Williams very specifically says “our drop” when referring to “this routine mission is running into trouble.”

If what Tritten and Miller say is true, then not only did Williams tell a false story for 12 years, Williams and his entire NBC crew presented a false report to NBC viewers. They edited in the radio traffic of another mission in order to make it look like their mission came under fire. Some have asked why Williams’ crew didn’t come forward to confirm or deny Williams’ story; well, this would explain why they’d prefer to keep quiet. If Tritten and Miller got this wrong, then we’d better start seeing some denials from everyone involved — and the raw footage and audio from 2003 to confirm it.

[Suzanimal]

which means that NBC News edited it into the Williams footage to match his story about coming under fire.

:eek:
You mean they're all liars?!?! I am shocked, shocked I tell ya./sarc

[Ralph Coffman]

Hillary Cleared! Video of her under fire found! -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uHVEDq6RVXc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uHVEDq6RVXc)

[Working Poor]

Even I have never been shot down in Mesopotamia .

Me too.

[Todd]

40 years ago, if Cronkite would done this, he would have been run out of CBS in less than 24 hours. Here we are today and a guy with less stature is getting major damage control help from all his cronies because the ENTIRE organization is complicit in manipulating the public. Disgraceful.

[Philhelm]

I'm disappointed that we don't have a picture of him at the Last Supper, or perhaps as the sole survivor of Custer's Last Stand.

[Suzanimal]

I'm disappointed that we don't have a picture of him at the Last Supper, or perhaps as the sole survivor of Custer's Last Stand.

http://i.imgur.com/FcXlM1L.png

[Ralph Coffman]

Anderson Cooper is CIA, Gloria Vanderbilt's son. worth $100 million and they are talking about him as the replacement for Williams... - http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=15416

[GunnyFreedom]

Anderson Cooper is CIA, Gloria Vanderbilt's son. worth $100 million and they are talking about him as the replacement for Williams... - http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=15416

LOL @ Anderson Cooper. Would be par for the NBC course though. "We aren't whack-job lefty enough, let's try harder."

[specsaregood]

40 years ago, if Cronkite would done this, he would have been run out of CBS in less than 24 hours. Here we are today and a guy with less stature is getting major damage control help from all his cronies because the ENTIRE organization is complicit in manipulating the public. Disgraceful.

Somewhat in his defense, I'd almost wager that the entire idea of lying about the helicopter incident was not originally his idea but a producer or other higherup at the network and he just went along with it, then was stuck telling a lie for a decade. not that it excuses it; but might be the reality.

[specsaregood]

Anderson Cooper is CIA, Gloria Vanderbilt's son. worth $100 million and they are talking about him as the replacement for Williams... - http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=15416

heck, maybe the reason Williams was outed was so the CIA could put their man in charge.

[Suzanimal]

Somewhat in his defense, I'd almost wager that the entire idea of lying about the helicopter incident was not originally his idea but a producer or other higherup at the network and he just went along with it, then was stuck telling a lie for a decade. not that it excuses it; but might be the reality.

Possibly. According to Lucille's post they certainly covered for him.


Tapper and Tritten discuss that, but Tapper then plays part of the original report from NBC News in 2003, which includes radio chatter about taking small-arms fire. Tritten then says that one of the three witnesses, Joseph Miller, says that the chatter actually came from another unit — which means that NBC News edited it into the Williams footage to match his story about coming under fire

[Ralph Coffman]

CNN LIES!! FAKE NEWS classic. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98JDKB-Qmxs - These guys say they were reporting from Saudi Arabia but it was a stage at CNN Headquarters in Atlanta... I wonder how much the CIA paid for this LIE .......

[Ralph Coffman]

Remember Syrian Danny staging his reports from the "Front" reporting to Anderson Cooper, another MSM CIA Mole! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iHc-gTjJuQ

[Ralph Coffman]

Lets hear it from G.W. Bush about how the Government puts their own produced "News" Pieces into the Newscasts of MSM for $$$ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=465GzrOtlE0

[Suzanimal]

Geez, has this guy ever told the truth...


Another helicopter, another Brian Williams story that may not have been entirely true.

The beleaguered NBC anchor told two different stories of an incident during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, The Washington Post reports.

In a 2007 interview with a student paper, he said rockets flew directly under a helicopter he was aboard. However, in his own report about that incident, that salient detail about the rockets was rather different–the rockets were fired about before the helicopter passed over, rather than directly beneath the chopper.

He also made the more dramatic rocket claim in a 2006 appearance on “The Daily Show.”

NBC’s investigative unit is currently looking into Williams’ recently revealed false claims about incidents that he recounted in Iraq and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Williams has anchored “NBC Nightly News” and served as its managing editor since Tom Brokaw stepped back from the broadcast in 2004.

Over the weekend, Williams announced in a statement released by NBC News that he would voluntarily excuse himself from the weeknight newscast “for the next several days…to allow us to adequately deal with this issue.”

Read more at http://rare.us/story/another-lie-from-williams/#VgvxsIJmVEKe2SxV.99

http://i.imgur.com/lKovcQv.png

http://i.imgur.com/wudHYphm.png

http://i.imgur.com/sl0oHDS.png

[donnay]

None of them tell the truth and most of them, in MSM, read off a teleprompter, a script given to them. Even the President cannot wing it without his teleprompter.

Why MSM is a being disregarded anymore. People remember what the MSM did to Ron Paul when he ran for President, twice three times.

Gerald Celente coined the word; "Presstitutes" for these media talking heads. He was absolutely spot-on! These supposed news people just do not walk the street for their money.

[Suzanimal]

Former CBS reporter Attkisson asks why it was OK when Hillary told a lie like Brian Williams


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFXqCSSfSCU


Former CBS News investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson discussed a lie told and doubled down on by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2008.
In light of the whopper told by NBC “Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams, that was the main topic of discussion during Attkisson’s appearance Monday on Newsmax TV’s “The Steve Malzberg Show.”

Given Williams’ current troubles, it brought up the question: Do we expect more from reporters than we do presidential candidates and secretaries of state?

Malzberg played a clip of the 2008 Attkisson report outlining the Clinton lie, claiming she arrived in Bosnia as first lady under sniper fire.

“And that’s what happened,” Clinton said of her recollection of events.

Attkisson told the then-Sen. Clinton that CBS News had a video that negated her story — yet she continued telling it.

“Once she knew that we had a video is beyond me why she continued to tell the tale,” the veteran reporter told Malzberg. “We showed the video that she landed on the runway, stood there for seconds, later visited with the troops, took photographs with them.”

Everything on that Bosnian day was calm — no snipers.

“There was no apparent danger to us. There was no mention of it. There was no corkscrew landing. There was no sniper fire,” Attkisson said, ticking off the points.
“So, you kind of wonder,” she said. “In both instances there were so many other people who knew this wasn’t true, how they got away so long with telling the story.

How they thought they would get away with this without somebody coming to them saying, ‘That didn’t happen.’”

Then Attkisson got to the real issue — whom do we hold accountable for their lies?

“To me, part of the irony is, if Brian Williams isn’t able to survive it,” she pointed out. “And yet we didn’t care as much with somebody who became our secretary of state. Is it really more important that Brian Williams has a certain character and honesty that a presidential candidate or secretary of state?”

Good question.

Read more: http://www.bizpacreview.com/2015/02/09/former-cbs-reporter-attkisson-asks-why-it-was-ok-when-hillary-told-a-lie-like-brian-williams-178690#ixzz3RIwAxjZB

[green73]

Former CBS reporter Attkisson asks why it was OK when Hillary told a lie like Brian Williams


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFXqCSSfSCU

Strangely, Drudge et al. won't crucify Hillary over this... Hmmmm...

[oyarde]

I'm disappointed that we don't have a picture of him at the Last Supper, or perhaps as the sole survivor of Custer's Last Stand.

There was a survivor , a horse named Comanche , ( Capt. Keough's horse ) . Comanche had been wounded many times prior , he lived to be about 30 with an arrow wound and 6 or 7 gunshot wounds. I am sure many other horses probably survived , but were taken by the victors , LOL

[DamianTV]

http://static.infowars.com/politicalsidebarimage/folks_large.jpg

[Lucille]

Brian Williams’ NBC Nightly News Ripped Off LewRockwell.com Too
http://www.lewrockwell.com/2015/02/dale-steinreich/he-ripped-off-lrc-tooe280a8/


Now let’s talk about the run-in that LewRockwell.com (LRC) had with NBC Nightly News. On 29 July 2013, LRC published a formidable looking 101-year-old exam sent in by a reader that was once administered to eighth graders in Bullitt County, Kentucky. Jezebel posted an item that same day and gave credit to LRC at the top and bottom of its post. Daily Mail picked it up from Jezebel and credited LRC as well.

NBC Nightly News came across the exam on Jezebel and contacted LRC for the image file of the exam and permission to use it on their 2 August broadcast. The following is the e-mail exchange that ensued between LRC and NBC Nightly News:
[...]
When Nightly News aired 2 August 2013, I was absolutely stunned to see that not only had LRC been shamelessly stiffed of credit, but Williams flagrantly and ostentatiously credited Jezebel in its place, prominently displaying the Jezebel logo on screen but scrolling the image file sent by LRC (confirmed by John Keller). Here’s the video (with the money moment beginning at 0:30) :
[...]
It’s hard to see how NBC News can spin the LRC incident as some innocent accident or oversight. How on earth could Jezebel get it right, Daily Mail get it right, and yet legendary colossus NBC Nightly News see it on Jezebel, contact LRC, and yet credit Jezebel? I sense a small, petty mind coupled with an obnoxious ego at work, and the suspect isn’t Julie Morse.
[...]
Unless Julie is some sort of Jekyll and Hyde, it looks like she wanted to give credit and was doing a meticulous job of trying to give it. At the time, Julie was Brian’s desk assistant at NBC Nightly News.

[Suzanimal]

Brian Williams’ NBC Nightly News Ripped Off LewRockwell.com Too
http://www.lewrockwell.com/2015/02/dale-steinreich/he-ripped-off-lrc-tooe280a8/

Oh, FFS. These people are pathological liars, I think they believe the truth is whatever they say it is.

http://i.imgur.com/7DFAMmp.gif

[Suzanimal]

Brian Williams Helped Pave the Way to War


The scandal of the week is NBC anchor Brian Williams’s shabby bid for self-glorification by falsely claiming he was in a US military helicopter forced to land in the Iraqi desert after being hit by ground fire in 2003. Of course so-called news people shouldn’t make up stuff to look good, but there’s something much worse: uncritically passing along official lies intended to prepare the American people for war.

Williams, like nearly all of his mainstream media colleagues (with precious few exceptions) did this incessantly in the run-up to George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq. As conduits for the Bush administration’s baseless claims about weapons of mass destruction and Iraqi links to 9/11, Williams and the others did Bush’s bidding in manufacturing public support for the illegal and morally outrageous invasion and occupation that would wreck Iraq even more than it had been wrecked in the 1990s through the military and economic warfare waged by George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

What did these fake-news presenters learn from that disgraceful episode? Not a thing. If you want proof, tune in to the three major networks’ newscasts or consult the American cable news channels: CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. There you’ll find stage actors conveying the Obama administration’s neoconservative line about the ISIS threat to the American people and the need for government military action to counteract it — never noting that there was no ISIS or al-Qaeda in Iraq before the Bush war they helped make possible. Reporting “news” without providing the context is a surefire way to mislead viewers. Why don’t they know that? Or do they know it and prefer to mislead their viewers out of a sense of patriotism and in a quest for ratings?

You need another example? Take Iran. (Ukraine would also do.) For quite a while these same media stars have been hawking the claim that Iran has been relentlessly working toward building nuclear weapons. Yet, although the US and Israeli governments have repeatedly threatened Iran over the years — claiming “all options are on the table” (which logically includes nuclear strikes) — and have engaged in covert and proxy war and terrorism against the Islamic Republic — Iran has not started down the road to acquiring a nuclear arsenal.

In his book Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare, independent reporter and historian Gareth Porter shows that there is no evidence Iran has intended to do anything but obtain a civilian nuclear-power and nuclear-medicine capability. Porter’s book overflows with documentation that supports his case, including a fatwa from Iran’s current leader declaring that possession of nuclear weapons violates Islamic law.

I repeat: Iran — which is routinely inspected by the International Atomic Energy Administration, has signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (unlike the Middle East’s only nuclear power, Israel), and is complying with the interim agreement negotiated with the United States and other powers — has not sought nuclear weapons. American and Israeli intelligence agencies agree.

Have you heard that from Brian Williams, Andrea Mitchell of MSNBC, Wolf Blitzer or Fareed Zakaria of CNN, David Muir of ABC, Scott Pelley of CBS, or Shepard Smith, Chris Wallace, and Bret Baier of Fox News?

No, you have not. Instead, they casually refer to “Iran’s nuclear weapons program” as if it were an indisputable fact. Therefore, in their eyes it is unnecessary to interview anyone who could challenge that claim. Their subtext is: “The US government says Iran has a nuclear weapons program. That’s good enough for us.”

...

http://www.ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2015/february/10/brian-williams-helped-pave-the-way-to-war/

[Suzanimal]

LOL



https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10420163_495068090633887_5978033257392708271_n.jpg ?oh=b459feb65b647cf3b0945ba5772b4d8d&oe=555F60B7



NBC’s Brian Williams Drops Claims To Have Been Personally Beheaded by Al Qaeda

NEW YORK – NBC news anchor Brian Williams has publicly dropped his claim that he was personally beheaded by al Qaeda in Iraq, saying he had misremembered the event.

Williams, known as ‘The Most Trusted NBC Nightly News Anchor in America’ has admitted, “I was never captured by al Qaeda in Iraq in May 2004, nor murdered by AQI leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi” in a notorious propaganda video.

Though Williams had been making the claim for over a decade, it had not received any scrutiny until a recent comment he made on the execution of Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh.

During an evening broadcast last week, Williams said, “I can image what [Kaseasbeh] went through, because I remember when I had my head sawn off in Fallujah by al Qaeda [in Iraq], and how horrible that was.”

Critics have charged Williams with appropriating the story of former hostage Nick Berg, pointing out that Williams was nowhere near Iraq on that date, and was in Washington DC accepting an honorary degree from Catholic University. His defenders have claimed the two events probably felt the same.

Meanwhile, critics are examining other past statements of Williams, such as his claim last year to have been killed on 9/11.

“Looking at this now historic footage of the twisted remains of downtown Manhattan, it’s hard to remember all our fellow citizens who suffered through this ordeal twelve years ago. It’s even hard for me, and I remember being crushed to death by tons of concrete in the South Tower,” Williams said in a 9/11 anniversary broadcast.

NBC has already announced plans to conduct an internal investigation of Williams, and has already begun quietly pulling other suspect claims, like Williams’ tearful confession in 2012 that he was having affairs with both Paula Broadwell and David Petraeus.

Some members of the U.S. military have condemned Williams’ statements. Wassef Ali Hassoun, a former Marine Corporal who lied about being taken hostage in Iraq, said Williams had unjustly drawn attention away from his own false claims, which should take precedence.

Williams, a longtime supporter of the U.S. military, read out a public apology on the air Thursday evening.

“This was part of a bungled attempt by me to thank our nation’s veterans, who put their lives on the line for us every single day. It makes me feel even worse than the time ISIS locked me in a cage and burned me alive.”

Read more: http://www.duffelblog.com/2015/02/brian-williams-drops-claim-beheaded-by-al-qaeda/#ixzz3RNAYzH00

[Suzanimal]

The Joyful, Bloody Media Circus of Bringing Down Brian Williams


Every year, a new Gallup poll or university study comes out—here’s last year’s—that informs us that reporters and journalists are among the least-trusted professionals in the United States. It’s usually politicians, lawyers, car salespeople, those who work in advertising, and us. We always dutifully write about these studies with a rueful chuckle—but it’s not like we believe them.

You sort of have to emotionally discredit these studies if you’re a member of the media, if just to sustain any sort of self-respect whatsoever. Politicians, lawyers, salesmen, ad writers … those jobs serve many functions, but “truth” has always been a more-or-less incidental byproduct of them; if the truth happens to be on their side, that’s great, that makes their job easier, but truth isn’t the point of those jobs. The truth is, theoretically anyway, the point of working in media. The whole purpose of having journalists in the first place is to get to the truth of the world’s affairs. So, to realize that the country not only thinks you’re not great at this job, but in fact believes you to be unusually untrustworthy, even compared to a freaking car salesman, can be too demoralizing to truly engage with.

But let there be no doubt, fellow media sorts: The rest of the country hates us. Out of all the takeaways from the ongoing Brian Williams scandal, that might be the key one to hold onto. We media types look at Williams’ untruths about his experiences and are taken aback by the aberration:rolleyes:—but the rest of the country just sees further confirmation of what they already believed: Of course he’s lying. They’re always lying.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/features/2015-02-09/the-joyful-bloody-media-circus-of-bringing-down-brian-williams

[Lucille]

^ LOL Well, it's true. Do they know how much they're hated for it, I wonder?

http://news.yahoo.com/jon-stewart-brian-williams-iraq-katrina-daily-show-video-131059852.html


Ratings for Friday’s “Nightly News” were down 36 percent among 25-to-54-year-old viewers, the demographic coveted by advertisers, as ABC’s “World News Tonight” beat NBC among both total viewers and the 25-to-54-year-old demo.

It’s unclear how long Williams’ self-imposed suspension will last or whether NBC brass will even allow him to return to the air. NBC News President Deborah Turness said the network was conducting an internal investigation into Williams’ statements, as critics wonder if the newsman has lost his credibility.

On "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Fox News host Bill O'Reilly said Williams deserves a mulligan — but only one.

"Anybody that’s enjoying the destruction of this man, you gotta look at yourself here," O'Reilly added. "There's a lot of people that seem to be real happy that his career is going down the drain — that disturbs me."

Aw, look at O'Lielly. That's sweet.

[green73]

Former CBS reporter Attkisson asks why it was OK when Hillary told a lie like Brian Williams


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFXqCSSfSCU


Strangely, Drudge et al. won't crucify Hillary over this... Hmmmm...

Ha! This is on Drudge today.

[donnay]

^ LOL Well, it's true. Do they know how much they're hated for it, I wonder?

http://news.yahoo.com/jon-stewart-brian-williams-iraq-katrina-daily-show-video-131059852.html




Aw, look at O'Lielly. That's sweet.


Oh Bill O'Lielly! LOL


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5qU4qudJYk


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqf1rFoADcE

[Lucille]

Brian Williams Helped Pave the Way to War

Like the man said, they all do. I'll just put this here because, if you've met one presstitute, you've met them all.

https://www.theburningplatform.com/2015/02/10/pro-u-s-troops-cnn-reveals-itself/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Z7cPQf9O8oE

[Suzanimal]

NBC News Suspends Brian Williams for Six Months Without Pay




From: Deborah Turness (NBCUniversal)
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2015 7:47 PM
To: @NBC Uni NBC News All
Subject: Brian Williams

All,

We have decided today to suspend Brian Williams as Managing Editor and Anchor of NBC Nightly News for six months. The suspension will be without pay and is effective immediately. We let Brian know of our decision earlier today. Lester Holt will continue to substitute Anchor the NBC Nightly News.

Our review, which is being led by Richard Esposito working closely with NBCUniversal General Counsel Kim Harris, is ongoing, but I think it is important to take you through our thought process in coming to this decision.

While on Nightly News on Friday, January 30, 2015, Brian misrepresented events which occurred while he was covering the Iraq War in 2003. It then became clear that on other occasions Brian had done the same while telling that story in other venues. This was wrong and completely inappropriate for someone in Brian's position.

In addition, we have concerns about comments that occurred outside NBC News while Brian was talking about his experiences in the field.

As Managing Editor and Anchor of Nightly News, Brian has a responsibility to be truthful and to uphold the high standards of the news division at all times.

Steve Burke, Pat Fili and I came to this decision together. We felt it would have been wrong to disregard the good work Brian has done and the special relationship he has forged with our viewers over 22 years. Millions of Americans have turned to him every day, and he has been an important and well-respected part of our organization.

As I'm sure you understand, this was a very hard decision. Certainly there will be those who disagree. But we believe this suspension is the appropriate and proportionate action.

This has been a difficult time. But NBC News is bigger than this moment. You work so hard and dedicate yourselves each and every day to the important work of bringing trusted, credible news to our audience. Because of you, your loyalty, your dedication, NBC News is an organization we can – and should - all be proud of. We will get through this together.

Steve Burke asked me to share the following message.

"This has been a painful period for all concerned and we appreciate your patience while we gathered the available facts. By his actions, Brian has jeopardized the trust millions of Americans place in NBC News. His actions are inexcusable and this suspension is severe and appropriate. Brian's life's work is delivering the news. I know Brian loves his country, NBC News and his colleagues. He deserves a second chance and we are rooting for him. Brian has shared his deep remorse with me and he is committed to winning back everyone's trust."

Deborah
http://gawker.com/nbc-news-suspends-brian-williams-for-6-months-1685084037?utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_facebook&utm_source=gawker_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

[Lucille]

I wonder if he'll seek professional help for his pathological lying during his six month vaycay.

http://reason.com/blog/2015/02/10/nbc-suspends-serial-humble-bragger-brian#fold


Tonight NBC banished Williams to Liar Island for six months without pay—which means that this tireless man of the people will forfeit $5 million in salary.
[...]
NBCUniversal Steve Burke added that "Brian has jeopardized the trust millions of Americans place in NBC News. His actions are inexcusable and this suspension is severe and appropriate." It's a pretty vigorous slap of that news division's most valuable asset. Given that NBC's internal investigation is "ongoing," I think it's safe to assume that the 2003 helicopter saga will not be the only turd found in that particular punchbowl. Meanwhile, Lester Holt (who's good!) will continue pinch-anchoring.

In related media news that's burning up the Twitter, Jon Stewart announced late this afternoon he's leaving Comedy Central's The Daily Show this year. Leading to the question: Are the two stories related??? Actually, they are, at least a bit. Read on about the outgoing Jersey boys, their collaborative moments in Williams's downfall, and how this story had the unlikely outcome of putting Stewart, Bill O'Reilly, and David Brooks on the same page.

Williams has been a frequent guest on The Daily Show, trotting out the kind of faux-humility and alleged comic stylings that made him the most successful personality in the nightly news business. (I have never been a fan, but people speak highly about these skills, and he got numbers until now.) One of Williams's shaggy-dog stories currently getting scrutiny, regarding a 2006 helicopter ride over Israel, received embellishment in Stewart's chair. The two gentlemen also genially discussed another now-doubted story—about Williams being held up at gunpoint while selling Christmas trees as a teenager in Red Bank, New Jersey—at a local event in 2012.

So last night, a visibly conflicted Stewart gave Williams an extended noogie for his transgressions (making some shrewd points about the difference between news-delivery and bar-bullshitting), and then pivoted to the hypocrisy of journalists giving Williams the kind of scrutiny they failed to apply to Dick Cheney 12 years ago:
[...]
Stewart's "yes, but" analysis, which drew mixed reviews, mirrored similar comments from the likes of Michael Moore and Bill Moyers. Other news celebrities coming to Williams's qualified defense include Dan Rather, Joe Scarborough, Dan Abrams, Joe Klein, and Fox News ratings monster Bill O'Reilly. Like many of the above, O'Reilly is particularly upset with you, the rabble, with all your gleeful schadenfreuding on the Interwebs:
[...]
New York Times columnist David Brooks agrees with The Factor, describing the public response to Williams as "barbaric." Former CNN host Piers Morgan decries the "brutal slaughterhouse of social media," with its "ferocious critics" who "want to see his bones removed, sawn into pieces and hurled into the Hudson river." Well.

If I was a seven-figure teleprompter reader (note that I do not disparage that skill!) able to command $40,000+ speaking fees and luxurious real estate on The New York Times bestseller list, I, too, might look upon the Internet's looming swarms of potential career-killers with a special kind of loathing. As indeed Brian Williams himself did back in 2007.

But the story here is actually quite simpler: The guy lied about stuff, in a gross kind of way, on his broadcast, and also while promoting his show in other fora. Social media's biggest role here, aside from giving some knowledgeable veterans a place to challenge the original helicopter story, was to let NBC and Williams know that people were laughing at them. If you're going to dine out on the ersatz populism, do not expect my tears when the crowd turns on your fraudulent work.

It's sweet how the presstitutes are circling the wagons. I hope it hits their credibility hard too.

[DamianTV]

Well, if you happen to tell the TRUTH, you wont be coming back. Ever.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wk6QBqRWvEc

This is one guest we will never see again.

[Lucille]

Well, if you happen to tell the TRUTH, you wont be coming back. Ever.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wk6QBqRWvEc

This is one guest we will never see again.

About that...


It was Sara Eisen that had the quote of the brief clip... (which has unbelievably been edited out (http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-10/man-will-never-be-invited-back-cnbc) since we posted it seems at around the 1:40 mark) when faced Steve's barrage of facts about the real economy, replied:

"but the key is that's not what The Fed is telling us."

Summing up the unbelievable 'faith' (misplaced beyond all reputational loss) that so many have in the central planners of the world.

[euphemia]

What a horrible disgrace of a journalist. A free press is a right so important that the Founding Fathers wrote it into the Constitution. Lying is an abuse of the First Amendment, and the people should be able to sue for civil rights violations.

Integrity in journalism is everything. No integrity, no job.

[Suzanimal]

Maybe we need an MSM lies thread.

Governments Pay News Networks To FAKE Stories All The Time


This week, news reporter Brian Williams created global controversy when he admitted to lying about being in a helicopter crash in Iraq. His admission is just the most recent revelation in a long line of situations that have exposed the corruption that exists within the mainstream media.

While it is fairly common for reporters like Williams to get caught up in lies, it is equally common for mainstream media whistleblowers to leave their jobs and speak out against what they had seen.

Amber Lyon, for example, is an investigative journalist and photographer, who is most well known for her work reporting human rights abuses against pro-democracy protesters in Bahrain. She has also done extensive work on the power of psychedelic drugs as well as the problem of police brutality.

Lyon was thrown into the spotlight in 2012, after she conducted a groundbreaking investigation on the violence that the government in Bahrain was carrying out against their own citizens.

Unfortunately, before the episode that she recorded was able to air, CNN cancelled the report because the government in Bahrain paid them to cover it up. Instead of remaining silent about this cover-up, Lyon spoke out about the censorship and publicly left her job at CNN.

According to Wikipedia, on September 5, 2012 with the help of journalist Glenn Greenwald, Lyon exposed that CNN International never aired her documentary, iRevolution, on the Bahrain uprising. In an article by Greenwald in The Guardian, Lyon accused the network of censoring the documentary because the Bahrain regime was a paying customer at the network. The article also exposes that the government of Bahrain, as well as other governments throughout the world, are paying CNN for special content casting their countries in a positive light.

Read More: http://www.trueactivist.com/exposed-governments-pay-news-networks-to-fake-stories-all-the-time/

[FloralScent]

So who broke this story? I'm guessing it wasn't his fellow MSM cronies. There's no way in hell they'd intentionally open that can of worms.

[Suzanimal]

Brian Williams' account of '70s N.J. robbery questioned


RED BANK, N.J. — A longtime borough restaurateur doesn't believe embattled NBC anchorman Brian Williams's claim that he was robbed at gunpoint in Red Bank sometime in the late '70s while selling Christmas trees from the back of a truck.

"To be robbed in front of a church? Red Bank just wasn't like that," said Daniel Murphy Jr., 71, who owns Danny's Steakhouse and has lived in the borough since his family moved there in 1949. "It was the kind of town where as a kid I'd leave the house in the morning and not come back until 8, 9 o'clock at night and you never worried about safety."

Murphy was responding to interviews given by Williams in which he described being held up at gunpoint as a teenager while selling Christmas trees to help a church. In a 2008 interview with New Jersey Monthly magazine, Williams described the incident:

"I even sold Christmas trees out of the back of a truck in Red Bank. That wasn't a bad job, until a guy came up and stuck a .38-caliber pistol in my face and made me hand over all the money. Merry Christmas, right? Of course, I suddenly appreciated the other jobs I thought I hated." He told a similar story in a 2005 interview with Esquire, relating how he found himself "looking up at a thug's snub-nosed .38 while selling Christmas trees out of the back of a truck."

Murphy said he found it strange that Williams would remember the specific caliber of the pistol that the anchorman says was used to rob him. Williams claims the incident happened at West Front Street and Riverside Avenue in the borough.

"Today I shoot, but when I was a teenager, if someone had pointed a gun at me, I wouldn't have known what kind of gun it was," Murphy said. "Those were police-issued at the time. How would you know what caliber it was?"

urphy said such a crime would have been huge news in then-sleepy Red Bank.

"To be robbed in front of a church like that, it would have been in the Register," Murphy said, referring to the Red Bank Register newspaper, which went out of business in the late 1980s. Red Bank Police Chief Darren McConnell said in an e-mail Monday that it would be very difficult to try to find any record of an armed robbery in Red Bank from the 1970s without knowing the month and year that the crime allegedly took place.

...
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/02/10/brian-williams-claim-questioned-new-jersey-robbery/23161755/

[brandon]

some dank memes in here

[enhanced_deficit]

Suddenly no room for lies in US political media?

This news shows he wasn't really tight with swc.

http://www4.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Barack+Obama+Brian+Williams+2009+White+House+VUPFJ cy8vQpl.jpg (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?433586-Majority-of-Americans-now-believe-Obama-is-quot-dishonest-and-untrustworthy)

Most Americans see Obama as Dishonest (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?433586-Majority-of-Americans-now-believe-Obama-is-quot-dishonest-and-untrustworthy)


LIES: When Does Al Sharpton's Suspension Begin? (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?468683-LIES-When-Does-Al-Sharpton-s-Suspension-Begin&)

[Suzanimal]

From Peter Schiff's FB page

Friday Hilarity: Wouldn't it be nice if politicians also got in trouble for lying?

The video is at this link, I can't embed it.

https://grabien.com/file.php?id=36218

[robert68]

Questions Emerge Over Statement Brian Williams Made In Southland (http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/02/12/questions-emerge-over-statement-brian-williams-made-in-socal/)


LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Two days after NBC announced the six-month suspension of Brian Williams, questions have emerged over at least one other statement made by Williams when he was in the Southland.

While speaking at a forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in 2008, an audience member asked Williams what his “wow” interview was or moment in his career.

“What was my wow … I’ve been so fortunate,” he said. “I was at the Brandenburg Gate the night the wall came down.”

What Williams was referring to was the demolition of the Berlin Wall in 1989, but there are now reports that he actually arrived the day after the wall came down.

Williams’ predecessor Tom Brokaw was the only American anchorman to report live from the scene on that historic day.
...

video at link

[Suzanimal]

Moar liiiieeesssss...


Williams May Have Lied About the Berlin Wall, Navy SEALs​, and the Pope

Apparent inconsistencies in Williams' accounts of covering the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 have also been discovered. From CNN:

"I've been so fortunate," he said during a 2008 forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. "I was at the Brandenburg Gate the night the wall came down."

Williams did indeed witness some of the wall's physical removal. But "the night the wall came down" is widely recognized as November 9, 1989, an iconic date with particular significance to Williams' "Nightly News" predecessor Tom Brokaw.

While Williams has publicly and repeatedly admitted to arriving one day after Brokaw, he's repeated the claim that he was there with the former anchor during the initial dismantling at least one other time. "Here's a fact: 25 years ago tonight, Tom Brokaw and I were at the Berlin Wall," Williams said at a gala held on November 8, 2014, according to CNN.

And if that wasn't enough, new questions have arisen about whether Williams met Pope John Paul II during a 1979 visit to Catholic University, Williams' alma mater. During some accounts, Williams claimed he was merely at the school during the visit; in other versions he describes, with varying detail, actually meeting the pope.

From CNN:

In 2002, Williams was quoted as saying that he chipped in with the school's preparations as an employee in the campus public relations office.

"I was there during the visit of the pope," Williams said.

If he had any interaction with the pope, Williams didn't mention it then. But that changed in 2004, a year before the death of Pope John Paul II. While delivering the commencement address at Catholic University that year, Williams said the "highlight" of his time at the school "was in this very doorway, shaking hands with the Holy Father during his visit to this campus."

After reporting the news of the pope's death in 2005, Williams said on-air that he was "thinking back to the first time I met him at Catholic University, I guess it's 25 years ago now."

Days later, Williams provided a more colorful version of his meeting.

"I have to begin with a beautiful day in 1979," Williams said in an interview published by NBC News. "I was a student at Catholic University, and over the course of two hours, chatted up a Secret Service agent who spilled like a cup of coffee and told me that the pope would be coming our way, straight up the steps of a side door at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. I positioned myself and held out my hand and said, 'Welcome to Catholic University, Holy Father.' And he embraced my hand with both of his, made the sign of the cross, and said a blessing to me."

While these inconsistencies aren't as cut and dried as the one that led to Williams' suspension, their discovery certainly doesn't bode well for Williams, or for the odds of his returning to NBC in six months.

http://tktk.gawker.com/williams-may-have-lied-about-the-berlin-wall-navy-seal-1685669943?rev=1423858170018&utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_facebook&utm_source=gawker_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

[Suzanimal]

I died when I saw this one...

http://i.imgur.com/RIWFwhF.png

[kcchiefs6465]

"I have to begin with a beautiful day in 1979," Williams said in an interview published by NBC News. "I was a student at Catholic University, and over the course of two hours, chatted up a Secret Service agent who spilled like a cup of coffee and told me that the pope would be coming our way, straight up the steps of a side door at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. I positioned myself and held out my hand and said, 'Welcome to Catholic University, Holy Father.' And he embraced my hand with both of his, made the sign of the cross, and said a blessing to me."
This is the funniest thing I've read in a while.

[Valli6]

This is the funniest thing I've read in a while.

"I was a student at Catholic University, and over the course of two hours, chatted up a Secret Service agent who spilled like a cup of coffee...
That's so "Jack Webb"! :D

http://oldtimeradiolover.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/jack-webb-meme-2012-06-22-OTRCAT.com_.jpg
http://www.otrcat.com/z/jack-webb-nat-novak-ugly-at-50-meme-otrcat.com.jpg

[Lucille]

Boobus loves to be lied to.

Brian Williams Should Be Allowed Back on TV, New Poll Says
https://tv.yahoo.com/news/brian-williams-allowed-back-tv-poll-says-163955066.html


Apparently, 52 percent of Americans believe Williams should be allowed back on television, according to new CNN/ORC poll released on Wednesday.
[...]
A total of 1,027 adults were interviewed by ORC International by telephone nationwide from February 12-15 by live interviewers calling both landline and cell phones. Among the entire sample, 29 percent identified themselves as Democrats, 23 percent identified themselves as Republicans, and 48 percent as Independents or members of another party.

In addition, 172 interviews were conducted with African-Americans drawn from a separate sample of landline telephone numbers in areas where at least 30 percent of households are African American.

[DamianTV]

Boobus loves to be lied to.

Brian Williams Should Be Allowed Back on TV, New Poll Says
https://tv.yahoo.com/news/brian-williams-allowed-back-tv-poll-says-163955066.html

In the absensce of Brian 'Liar Liar Pants on Fire' Williams, Boobus has to lie to themselves. Only issue is, as they've found out, they do not do nearly as good of a job of lying to themselves as someone that is careful, calculating and methodical is at formulating those lies. 'Everything is Awesome' and 'Boogity Boogity' get pretty boring pretty damn quickly. This is WHY Boobus loves to be lied to: they WANT to be.

[devil21]

^^^^^
It's easier to regurgitate the nightly propaganda talking points than to try to come up with them on their own.

[TheGrinch]

Sure this has turned out to be a good reminder not to trust the media, but I feel like Williams is getting all this extra attention because the lies they've dug up on him are largely inconsequential, while there will be no mention of the lies and distortions that have great consequence. Let's look at the lies they "exposed";

Did his helicopter take fire and have to be grounded? No. Did a helicopter get grounded while he was there? Yes
Did he actually witness the Berlin Wall coming down? No. Did it come down around the time he was there? Yes
Did he actually meet the Pope? Probably not. Did the Pope visit while he was there and shake hands with people? Yes

I used to have a friend that would do the same thing when he told stories he'd been told by others. He would tell the story like it was about him, rather than killing the immersion into the story by explaining that it was just something he heard. That's what good story tellers do, they help to make the story more engaging to the audience.

There is virtually nothing that was dishonest about what he said, he was only guilty of making up that he was witness to it.

Not that I mind the blackeye to mainstream "journalists", but focusing on Williams misses the lies we should really care about.

[acptulsa]

Sure this has turned out to be a good reminder not to trust the media, but I feel like Williams is getting all this extra attention because the lies they've dug up on him are largely inconsequential, while there will be no mention of the lies and distortions that have great consequence.

This.

Would make a good meme.

The biggest lies I ever told...

...are the ones they'd have fired me for not telling.

[Lucille]

https://celebrity.yahoo.com/news/allison-williams-defends-dad-brian-williams-admits-situation-104000702-us-weekly.html


During a Q&A with Seth Meyers at New York's 92Y, the Peter Pan actress spoke out about the strain her father's high-profile disgrace has put on the whole family, and talked publically for the first time about her faith in the man she insists is "truthful" and "honest."

I don't believe "publically" is a word, and his daughter obviously has no idea what "truthful" and "honest" actually mean.

[Suzanimal]

More fallout from Brian Williams reporting scandal


Disgraced NBC News anchor Brian Williams has suffered another setback.

Ten days after being suspended for six months without pay as anchor and managing editor of NBC "Nightly News," Williams resigned as a member of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation's board of directors.

Foundation president and CEO Ron Rand and co-chairs Jack Jacobs and Bruce Whitman announced William's resignation in a brief statement on the organization's website Friday. The statement said Williams had been a board member since September 2006.
...
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/more-fallout-from-brian-williams-reporting-scandal/

[Suzanimal]

Brian Williams thought brain tumor may be behind tall tales, report says

Embattled news anchor Brian Williams couldn’t bring himself to admit he lied about coming under fire on a chopper in Iraq — so he instead wondered aloud if he had a brain tumor, a new report claims.

Several NBC News insiders told Vanity Fair that the fact-challenged Williams — who was suspended without pay for six months from his “Nightly News” gig — had trouble explaining what had happened.

“(He said,) ‘Did something happen to (my) head? Maybe I had a brain tumor, or something in my head,’” a source told the magazine in its upcoming piece. “He just didn’t know. We just didn’t know. We had no clear sense what had happened. We got the best (apology) we could get.”

...

http://pagesix.com/2015/04/07/brian-williams-blamed-lies-on-possible-brain-tumor-nbc-insiders/?_ga=1.125881935.390359201.1402332533

[Suzanimal]

He's going to MSNBC.



Williams' new role at NBC will include a position on MSNBC, the network's struggling cable news channel. "He will be the face of MSNBC," handling big breaking news stories, one of the people said on condition of anonymity.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/18/media/brian-williams-decision-nbc/index.html

[Pericles]

He's going to MSNBC.




http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/18/media/brian-williams-decision-nbc/index.html

As I think about it, that makes the most sense of all possible outcomes.

[Henry Rogue]

Somebody needs to put Rachel Dolezal's hair on Brian Williams' head.

[Suzanimal]

Brian Williams returns to air to anchor MSNBC's coverage of pope's arrival


Brian Williams returned to the air Tuesday, seven months after the former "NBC Nightly News" anchor was suspended without pay for fabricating stories about his reporting, both on NBC and elsewhere.

In his reduced role as MSNBC's breaking news anchor, Williams anchored live coverage of Pope Francis' historic visit to the United States on the Comcast-owned cable news channel.

"Good day, I’m Brian Williams at MSNBC headquarters in New York," the 56-year-old anchor said at the top of the 3 p.m. hour ahead of the Pope's arrival from Cuba at Joint Base Andrews — making no mention of the controversy or his six-month absence from the air.

Williams received a six-month suspension in February after admitting he embellished events that occurred in 2003 while he was covering the war in Iraq.

For years, Williams claimed he was aboard a U.S. Air Force helicopter that was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and grounded during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In late January, he told the story again on "NBC Nightly News," and soldiers who were with Williams in Iraq took to Facebook to dispute his account.

In a subsequent interview with Stars & Stripes, Williams apologized, saying he had “misremembered” what happened.

Brian Williams Breaks Silence on NBC Suspension: & …Play videoBrian Williams Breaks Silence on NBC Suspension: 'It …
Other stories, including his reporting from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, came under intense scrutiny, and NBC launched an internal investigation.

"Brian has a responsibility to be truthful and to uphold the high standards of the news division at all times," then-NBC News president Deborah Turness wrote in a memo to staffers announcing Williams' suspension.

In June, Lester Holt, who filled in on "NBC Nightly News" during Williams' absence, was named permanent anchor.

In an interview with NBC's Matt Lauer the same month, Williams blamed his outsize ego for the embellishments.

"I said things that weren't true," Williams said. "Looking back, it had to have been ego that made me think I had to be sharper, funnier, quicker than anybody else, [to] put myself closer to the action, having been at the action in the beginning."

Did Brian Williams Have Late-Night Aspirations?Play videoDid Brian Williams Have Late-Night Aspirations?
"I own this, and I own up to this," he said.

But Williams isn't expected to address the controversy on MSNBC anytime soon.

The network has not made Williams available for interviews this week, and Andrew Lack, chairman of NBC News and MSNBC, told the New York Times the story is no longer about him.

"The news is the star,” Lack said. “We are building a network that has as its core value delivering breaking news better than anyone else. It is not about the anchor who happens to be delivering the news.”

And don't expect to see Williams with the pope either.

"Among the allegations NBC News was believed to have been investigating were claims Williams had changed his account of Pope John Paul II’s visit to Catholic University in the late '70s while Williams was a student there," Deadline.com reported. "Initially, Williams said he was there at the time; later he said he received a blessing from John Paul."

In December, NBC signed Williams — who had recently celebrated his 10th anniversary as “Nightly News” anchor — to a five-year contract worth a reported $10 million per year. It's unclear what his contract with the network looks like now.

“Brian is one of the most trusted journalists of our time,” Turness wrote in a memo to staffers in February announcing the new deal. “He has led this organization through every major news event for the last decade, from Hurricane Katrina in his first year in the anchor chair to his exclusive interview with Edward Snowden this year, through elections, wars, natural disasters, tragedies and triumphs. In all of those cases he’s taken ‘Nightly News’ viewers to the heart of the stories that matter most in a way that’s uniquely his.”

http://news.yahoo.com/brian-williams-return-anchor-msnbc-pope-coverage-162433573.html

[Suzanimal]

Was he there when the shootings occurred?


Brian Williams' Dallas coverage makes him social media laughingstock

....

A series of deadly shootings in Dallas late Thursday evening, which claimed the lives of five police officers, saw Williams return to NBC for the third time since his suspension in February 2015.

The attacks, which were reportedly carried out by multiple shooters, took place shortly after an anti-police brutality demonstration had concluded.

Though Williams anchored from his now-regular perch at MSNBC, the feed was carried live on NBC's main network.

His breaking coverage of the reportedly coordinated attacks started out simply enough, but soon went off the rails as he waxed poetic and launched into lengthy riffs on other violent moments in American history.

The death of President John F. Kennedy, he mused, was the "most violent" day for most Americans (he talked a lot about the Kennedy assassination in Dallas).

Williams also warned his viewers repeatedly that he was reporting through a "fog of war," meaning details and facts were in short supply. Nevertheless, he still suggested the shooters, whose motives authorities have not yet made known, may have acted in retaliation to the recent deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police officers.

Williams also used the term "end of days" in reference to the chaos in Dallas; he referred to the attacks on the police and their response as "urban warfare" and an "urban nightmare"; he called the situation a "national emergency"; he repeatedly deployed the term "urban kill zones"; and of course there was more Kennedy talk.

...

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/brian-williams-dallas-coverage-makes-him-social-media-laughingstock/article/2595952?custom_click=rss

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[kahless]

I tuned in specifically at 1am out of curiosity to see how he was going to handle the breaking the network coverage. I figured he would have learned his lesson and I was like shit I cannot believe this clown right off the bat leads off with it is a "national emergency" and it he just could not help himself after that. Unbelievable.