Why Did Brian Williams Lie on Letterman?
If you missed the David Letterman show, then you didn’t see NBC’s Nightly News host Brian Williams lied or ‘mis-remembered‘ about being shot down in a chopper, when he was traveling in 2003 with a NBC crew in Iraq.
Brian Williams went on the David Letterman Late Night Show and out right lied about being in a chopper over Iraq, and was shot down…when that never happened at all. It was the chopper that went 1-1/2 hour before his! (Scroll Down for Video)
Now he has come out issuing an apology only after service members who were aboard with him called him out, he apologized to the public and those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
UPDATE:2-10-15- NBC put Brian Williams on 6 months leave of absence without pay.
Who is Brian Williams?
Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American journalist who is the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, the evening news program of the NBC television network, a position he assumed on December 2, 2004.
Williams became anchor of NBC Nightly News on December 2, 2004, and his first year in that post was marked by coverage of two disasters: the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. His work helped earn NBC a Peabody Award, the Peabody committee concluding that Williams and the Nightly News staff “exemplified the highest levels of journalistic excellence in reporting on Hurricane Katrina. He also earned the George Polk Award for the extensive coverage of the hurricane.
Alright, seems like a pretty decent reporter, fair, won some amazing awards for many years, probably very valuable to NBC.
So Why Would He Lie?
(Op-ed)
My personal opinion, he knows with the recent news about the Jordanian pilot who was shot down over Syria near Raqqa, who was captured and then later set on fire in a cage on video for the whole world to see. He’s made this claim in the past too, this was the third time he recounted this tale. Its convenient with the ongoing wars in the middle east. He knows this is lingering on everyone’s mind. So he decides to say he was shot down to draw a comparison, not directly, but make the connection for you to think,“Oh my! That could have been Brian Williams captured and so on..”
Yes, I personally believe this is what he is trying to draw upon for the viewers so people will think,“Wow, what a hero!” with out saying it. When nothing like that ever happened to him, it was a chopper in front of his, which I mean yeah that can be worry some and I’m sure it was scary, but I think its just totally disrespectful for him to make this up, especially to all service members, worldwide who served and have been shot down. I am grateful for Brian Williams traveling to Iraq to cover the news, just like I am for all the journalist that travel abroad in harms way to report the news for us safely at home, but shouldn’t that be enough for him?
