Numerous studies have shown that memory is fallible, that even recollection of highly emotional events can be distorted over time. Though something that frightening should be recalled in vivid detail, sometimes those vivid details, despite their verisimilitude, are wrong. Undoubtedly, it was a terrifying and highly memorable event. It was only years later that Williams incorrectly recalled being behind the plane that was shot by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), and not in another formation.Įven then, the gist of much of what Williams recalled was not fabricated: he was traveling with troops in Iraq in 2003 and there was a plane that took on enemy fire from an RPG.

So Williams’ reporting style is precisely the type of reporting that ensures – rather than violates – reporter objectivity. We found that embedded reporters used more personal pronouns in their reporting than non-embeds did, but they did so in the context of factual eyewitness coverage, and rarely offered personal opinions. A colleague and I studied embedded reporting during the Iraq War. Of course, it would have been inexcusable if Williams had intentionally misled viewers about his reporting experiences to bolster his credibility.īut there’s also a body of research that suggests these recollections could be honest mistakes, made over time – that his memories of the events may have gradually melded together, becoming confused with other news reports he’d seen on TV.Īfter all, let’s not forget that Williams’ initial eyewitness accounts of his experiences in Iraq were accurate. The staff memo from Turness quoted Stephen B Burke, chief executive of NBC Universal, who said Williams’ actions were “inexcusable” and “jeopardized the trust millions of Americans place in NBC News.” News reports indicate those concerns included Williams’ claim that he’d seen a body floating in the French Quarter in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and even that Williams may have exaggerated rescuing puppies when he was a volunteer firefighter as a teenager. In a memo to staff announcing Williams’ suspension, president of NBC News Deborah Turness also expressed concerns about Williams’ misconstrued accounts of other events that had taken place while reporting in the field. Williams’ fall from grace at NBC came after he misrepresented, during a newscast, events that occurred while he was in Iraq in 2003.

He won’t be heading back to the Nightly News desk (now anchored by Lester Holt), but he will be reporting breaking news updates on MSNBC, beginning with the pope’s visit to the United States.

After being suspended without pay from NBC in February, Brian Williams returns to television this week.

Who replaced brian williams