Brian Williams has been the subject of news rather than a reporter of news in recent days after he retracted a story he had previously told about being aboard a helicopter that was hit by an RPG in Iraq in 2003, saying he misremembered the events and mistakenly conflated the aircraft he flew in on with an aircraft shot down several hours earlier in the same area.
Saturday, Williams released “A Personal Note from Brian Williams” via NBC’s press website. That statement has been reproduced in its entirety below.
“In the midst of a career spent covering and consuming news, it has become painfully apparent to me that I am presently too much a part of the news, due to my actions.
As Managing Editor of NBC Nightly News, I have decided to take myself off of my daily broadcast for the next several days, and Lester Holt has kindly agreed to sit in for me to allow us to adequately deal with this issue. Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us.”
Related story: NBC launches investigation into Brian Williams’ Iraq story
