Discussion for article #233218
it just boggles the mind how he thought he could get away with these easily verifiable tales… what this does reveal is the impenetrable bubble he lived in where no one dared to question his veracity… and where the news room apparently lived in fear of pissing him off and risk getting transferred out…
obviously the new orleans lies never mattered; but once your supposed exploits with the military are revealed as lies, you’re finished. despite his thinking that he’s coming back.
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It’s a shame that media outlets have been so diligent in following up this story while mostly (McClatchy, TPM = exceptions) taking administration talking points as truth in 2002 and 2003.
Makes you wonder, don’t it?
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It sure makes me wonder and while I think Brian is a “dick” for lying and embellishing on more than one occasion, I wonder when this just becomes a case of piling on!!
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LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!
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There is a bit of the piranhas–injured horse in the Amazon tributary, aspect to this fracas
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I agree.
I forgot all about that one. Thanks for the laff.
It wasn’t that anyone was afraid, it was that everyone was far too lazy to fact check, literlally, anything. Even now it’s the same, this article is just repeating generic “we do not embed” statements from a military spokesman who didn’t say anyhing specific about Williams or his claims. Is anyone fact checking that claim? Aren’t there transport or press records about who was where during this 2003 event? Seems MSNBC, the military and William’s camera man might have some opinions on this matter that could be easily researched and verified if one were a professional news organization.
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It already IS a case of piling on, and for the sole purpose of news organizations to demonstrate how serious they are in policing “fabrications” by one of their own.
Fabrications by an Administration that led to hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths?
“I think we pushed. I think we prodded. … If there wasn’t a debate in this country, where was Congress?”: David Gregory, White House Press Correspondent for, yes, NBC. David Gregory of NBC defends the retched role of the press in the lead up to the invasion while ignoring the actual debate
Williams’ was part and parcel of all of this, as it is becoming increasingly clear.
So kudos to NBC for sh*tting all over Williams after NBC encouraged and rewarded such bullsh&t coverage, I guess.
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This is so sad, it makes me want to question the veracity of the Cheney administration and all of the network news war pumper-uppers.
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Why doesn’t someone interview the Janitor or the hotdog vendor in the street…I’m sure they would have a valid opinion. Consider that many of the military personnel would think it absolutely hilarious to feed a “scared sh#tless noob” a line of bullsh#t and have him believe it or even use it on a broadcast. Nobody knows for sure but the people who were directly involved…nobody! Brian Williams may well have intentionally “accelerated” his personal involvement but he has not modified or shaded the news stories in either political direction. You cannot say that about Fox, CNN or more than half of MSNBC. That man needs to be back on the air for the sake of the validity of the NEWS STORIES. The people of this country need that.
The “mob” mentality that quickly appears in this country is disconcerting.
If the Iraq war was built on lies, doesn’t anything that WIlliams said sort of cancel out?
Where were CNN, FOX, NY Times, Washington Post, NBC, CBS, ABC, USA Today, to name a few, when America was being duped to go to war in 2003? If you were not a responsible entity/ news service claiming integrity who actually questioned the Iraq war, such as Sen, Obama and Rep. Barbra Lee, you have no credibility in going after a fellow lying journalist. Back Off on Lyin Brian.
As to the Brian Williams attacks vs the Bullshit all the major media dished out in support of going to war with Iraq I have more trouble with the latter than the former. But I must say anyone interested in the truth in early 2003 when all the media were supporting Cheney/Bush (we know who was leading) it was available. I, for one, and many of you here, were always against that war as contrived bullshit. There were even opinion pieces written that this was junior trying to show he was tougher than his dad, or taking revenge for his dad. But no informed person I know bought into the “let’s go to war” bullshit. The media was far more responsible for that war than anything Williams did. Don’t get me wrong, Williams really fucked up a great career. But put it in perspective, his embellishments didn’t get anyone killed.