Discussion: Brian Williams Defends Iraq Story Mistakes: I Was A 'Scared' Civilian

Discussion for article #233063

“It was my first engagement of the war and remember I was — we were all I think scared, I have yet to meet the veteran who doesn’t admit to cinching up a little bit when it starts, and it all became a fog of getting down on the ground,” Williams said when asked how he could misremember which aircraft he was riding on.

This would make sense if the scenario were, let’s say, that Brian Williams trashed his father’s car. When confronted, the “scared” Williams would have lied and said he didn’t wreck the car. But being scared leads to making up a story about how courageous you were in battle? Bullshit.

AH. the fog of ground.

Give me a break. Brian Williams has mesmerized his audiences his whole life, and for the first time, ever, he’s being questioned and scrutinized: Shot at in Irag. Attacked by gangs after Katrina. Befallen by dysentery. He’s used these lies to skate his way to the top and he’s paid handsomely for his yarns.

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I completely believe that Williams was telling a story he believed to be true. From his point of view there was some commotion and probably some sudden and purposefully action being taken by the crew he was with. I’m certain he was intensely panicked by it all and I’m certain the military personnel had better things to do than fill him in on what the exact details were.

When he got the story from his military keepers they probably were short on details.

I don’t care what the rest of the planet thinks, I believe him.

He was wrong but he wan’t lying.

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My only issue remains that this episode was all of a piece of the administration and military to charm the media into cheerleading the war. And that campaign was successful. So sure, Williams’ made mistakes in recollection and believed those mistakes as time went by. Not the issue.

The participation in the cheerleading campaign remains the problem.

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OK, you believe him. But he was absolutely totally wrong, and has disseminated that misinfo for many years, geatly enhancing his reputation. It also appears that he’s been “wrong” numerous times, with similar benefits to himself. Now, tell me you trust what he says as a purveyor of news. Not I. I can sympathize with a delusional person but that doesn’t mean I trust that person. As for myself, I do not believe that he was unaware of his falsehoods, so don’t trust him AND have no sympathy. He needs to move to Faux.

Brian is misusing his ground entrenchment tool. He should take his lumps and move on.

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Being scared doesn’t mean that you have to continually tell a self-serving, grandiose lie, or lies, as it now seems. Sorry dude, any friend of Rush Limbaughhahahaha is not a friend of mine. http://mediamatters.org/research/2005/01/24/nbc-nightly-news-anchor-brian-williams-thinks-l/132611

I agree, he was telling his experience in a war zone.

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Brian Williams, stop talking.

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If Williams admits that he was too afraid to be a war correspondent, why did he allow Rumsfeld to embed him in Iraq? He should have stayed in NY and done his job as an anchor and report only the facts he could verify. The more he tries to explain why he lied, the more ridiculous his explanations sound. He sounds like he allowed himself to be manipulated by the Bush administration and is a coward, too.

Just stop talking and resign. We will respect you a lot more if you leave gracefully and pledge that you will learn from your mistakes…and hope others in the corporate media do as well.

He’s reported an experience that never happened to him… repeatedly…throughout the years. He could have just said that he found war to be *ell. Why report attacks on others which never happened to him and credit them for himself? It’s just so unprofessional and self serving.

Williams didn’t have to do this. He chose to make himself the center of other people’s stories erroneously. Journalists don’t do that. Williams has created a “celebrity” for himself all based on lies. He’s disqualified himself as a network anchor. Just resign already.

There is a great deal of irony involved when you look at the bigger picture, I agree.

However, his career is toast now.

Jon Stewart dissed the media tonight for being on top of this story, but totally dropping the ball when it really counted… BEFORE we lost tens of thousands killed or wounded in a war that was fought under false pretenses where the media held no one accountable.