Brian Williams will be suspended for six months without pay as NBC News continues to investigate his history of false stories and fabricated anecdotes.
The suspension, which is effective immediately, was announced in a memo to staff by NBC president Deborah Turness.
“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,” Turness said in a statement. “We let Brian know of our decision earlier today.”
NBC News’ Lester Holt will continue to substitute for the embattled anchor.
Trouble started for Williams last week after he admitted in an interview with Stars and Stripes that he was not, in fact, aboard a Chinook that was brought down and RPG during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Williams later offered an on-air “apology” last Wednesday for what he characterized as a one-time mistake.
However, it was soon clear that this was no one-time error: Williams had told iterations of his “coming under fire in Iraq” on numerous occasions.
NBC News said in its memo Tuesday that his on-air “apology” last week was unsatisfactory.
“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,” Turness said.
After it was revealed he had fabricated his stories from Iraq, Williams’ reporting on Hurricane Katrina soon drew scrutiny, revealing multiple inconsistencies and what appear to be outright falsehoods.
“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,” the memo said.
NBC Universal Steve Burke is included in the note to NBC News staff, saying: “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,” Burke added.
Prior to NBC News’ suspension of Williams, various reports indicated the network’s top executives were aware of his penchant for fabricating stories. In fact, according to these same reports, NBC News executives even counseled Williams to resist the urge.
For now, Williams remains an employee of the 75-year-old news organization. It’s unclear how long that will last.
