Brian Williams, who was suspended by NBC News in February, apologized Thursday for making “inaccurate statements,” and said he was hoping to win the trust of viewers in his new but diminished role at the network.
“I’m sorry,” Williams said in an NBC news release on Thursday. “I said things that weren’t true. I let down my NBC colleagues and our viewers and I’m determined to earn back their trust.”
Williams was suspended by NBC in February after it was discovered he had exaggerated his telling of a harrowing military aircraft crash while in Iraq in 2003. He said he was aboard an aircraft that came under attack, but later admitted it was not.
NBC conducted an internal investigation to find the extent of Williams’ embellishments. The release said the investigation found “a number of inaccurate statements” by Williams over the course of his career with the network.
Williams will return in mid-August, the release said, as a fill-in anchor for Lester Holt, who was named permanent anchor of “Nightly News.” Williams will also be demoted to an “anchor of breaking news” for MSNBC.
An interview with Williams will air on NBC’s “Today” on Friday.
In the release, NBC News and MSNBC Chairman Andrew Lack said, “Brian now has the chance to earn everyone’s trust back.”
