NBC suspends nightly news anchor Brian Williams over Iraq claims

NBC News President Deborah Turness wrote in a memo to staff that Brian Williams is suspended as managing editor and anchor of NBC’s Nightly News. The six-month suspension without pay is effective immediately. The suspension follows Williams’ continued misrepresentation of events surrounding the Iraq War, which he was covering live from the war-stricken areas.

During the coverage, Williams propagated that the helicopter he was travelling in to cover the Iraq War was hit by a grenade. However, later it turned out that he was in a different group of helicopters, which were not hit. Stars and Stripes, the U.S. military newspaper, first reported that number of soldiers disagrees with Williams’ claims, and he was not on or near the helicopter that was hit.

As one of America’s renowned journalists, Williams’ suspension casts a shadow over the NBC network and its reputation as one of the most trustworthy sources for news in the country.

Steve Burke, NBC Universal CEO, said in a statement that Williams has “jeopardized” the trust by his action. Millions of Americans trust NBC News and his actions are “inexcusable.”

Backlash against Williams gained renewed critics from soldiers on social media after his Nightly News episode on January 30, where he retold a version of the story.

Turness also mentioned in her memo that this was completely inappropriate for someone in Williams’ position.

The suspension comes along the same time when Comedian Jon Stewart announced to step down as the host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. One of the popular online poll showed Stewart to be favorite among 44% of respondents compared to 29% for Williams as the best source of trustworthy news. The results also underscore how late-night comedians have gained better credibility than some of the primetime anchors, especially among the online generation.