Former “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Brokaw denied to the Huffington Post on Friday that he had demanded his successor, Brian Williams, be fired over a recent admission that a story Williams told about an incident in Iraq was bogus.
Brokaw’s comments come after multiple reports based on anonymous sources suggested he was upset about the incident or had called for the firing.
Williams apologized on Wednesday night for saying he had been aboard a helicopter in Iraq that took rocket-propelled grenade fire. The newsman admitted he had been on a different helicopter and blamed the error on “the fog of memory.”
“I have neither demanded nor suggested Brian be fired,” Brokaw said in an email to The Huffington Post. “His future is up to Brian and NBC News executives.”
The New York Post’s Page Six had reported this week that Brokaw wanted Williams’ “head on a platter” over the incident and CNN reported that Brokaw was “furious” about the situation.
Brokaw, however, didn’t outright defend his successor.
Fellow former news anchor Dan Rather also weighed in on the issue but was more outspoken in his support for Williams. He described Williams as being “an honest, decent man, an excellent reporter and anchor — and a brave one,” in a statement to The Huffington Post on Thursday.
“I can attest that — like his predecessor Tom Brokaw — he is a superb pro, and a gutsy one,” Rather said.
New York Post Headline: “Tom Brokaw wants Brian Williams fired”
Last line of same article: "“I have neither demanded nor suggested Brian be fired,” Brokaw said in an email to The Huffington Post. “His future is up to Brian and NBC News executives.”
Whose the fucking liars peddling misinformation now?
New York Post’s Page Six, huh? Unsourced huh? That’s a Rupert Murdoch rag isn’t it?
You know, I was just reading an article at MediaMatters from yesterday on Scott Walker after reading Josh Marshall’s take on the potential for that Putz for President. It was an article that basically called out the Drudge Report for spiking the ball in Scott Walker’s favor by doing some online polling among its most loyal readers, and then trying to shill it to the rest of the rightwing bubble out there. Drudge even went as far as to use Murdoch as a cheerleader for Bush as a useful foil to describe why Walker is so much more viable as a candidate.
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2015/02/05/clear-gop-frontrunner-how-the-drudge-report-shi/202434
But it wasn’t until I got to the comment section that I could tell this Brian Williams story is truly being fashioned on the right as a cause celebre and being sent out into the online ether by the likes of Drudge wingnuts and baggers, who have long been stuck on that immature asshole’s website. The Drudge followers descended en masse to highjack the thread on Walker at MM by making it all about Brian Williams. That’s hardly a coincidence imo. There is a concerted smear campaign of some sort going on…That’s the best I can tell. Is what Brian Williams did a fireable offense? I’m haven’t a clue…probably not. But this added bullshit makes me believe there are more interests involved in taking him down then just the circumstances that surround the incident he’s described.
Now if only a story about Williams be more about Little Scotty Walker…I think we can call it even.
Tabloid is tabloid. Lets not forget what in one day this story has clearly morphed into.
Brings to mind a great movie, Kirk Douglas’ first great role, “Ace in the Hole” from Billy Wilder.
This movie pretty much says it all about media and reporters.It’s even more relevant today than it was in 1951.
http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTIwNjYzMTc0M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzM2Njc0MQ@@.V1_SY317_CR5,0,214,317_AL.jpg
Well, Tom, you overrated old fart who still can’t say the letter “L”, I am demanding that the lying fuck be fired. And I may not have a degree in journalism, but I still have more journalistic integrity in my left nut than you and Williams together have ever had.
Brokaw is a phoney …
People that have no lips scare me.