Since NBC News anchor Brian Williams admitted to having repeated false claims that he was aboard a U.S. military aircraft downed by enemy fire in Iraq, the most notable coverage of the affair by the network played out on “Meet the Press” and “Morning Joe,” which airs on NBC’s cable arm, MSNBC.
The coverage climaxed Monday with “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough evoking biblical scripture.
“One of the verses in the Bible that always makes me a little nervous before I start judging other people is the one that says you will be judged and you will be given the mercy that you show others,” Scarborough said. He added, “I’m in no position to cast the first stone and quite frankly … I know that there are very few people in this industry or in politics that could live by the standard of perfection.”
Media critics have made similar comments, though without religious references and while also noting that the standard for news anchors, who sell their credibility to their viewers, is higher than for the average person or politician.
Scarborough said that Williams is “a friend” and that he’s hopeful the embattled newsman — Williams is currently on a self-imposed hiatus from his nightly newscast — will be judged by NBC executives “on the entirety of his career.”
On Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” NBC’s most revered weekly affairs program, host Chuck Todd did not devote much time to the Williams controversy. “NBC News has been the news this week,” he said, before reading Williams’ statement on his work hiatus. Todd then went to a commercial break.
Throughout the weekend on MSNBC, newsreader Richard Lui offered short news reports on Williams’ latest statement, which said he would be off the air but would return at an unspecified date.
The first time NBC News or MSNBC covered the matter was on Friday’s “Morning Joe,” wherein co-host Mika Brzezinski gave a somber five-minute readout of the timeline of events.
Williams first admitted and apologized for his false claims, which he had publicly reiterated since 2003, after a military veteran who witnessed the Iraq incident confronted Williams on the details via a Facebook post. “Sorry dude, I don’t remember you being on my aircraft,” wrote the veteran, Lance Reynolds. “I do remember you walking up about an hour after we had landed to ask me what had happened.”
Other past claims by Williams have been scrutinized in the fallout, raising questions as to whether he has embellished or fabricated his stories.
