The Facts

Brian Williams joined NBC as a reporter in 1993, rising to succeed Tom Brokaw as the station’s star anchor and managing editor of its flagship news show, NBC Nightly News. Williams claimed to have been shot down in an Army chopper in 2003, during the Iraqi war. He has recounted this story many, many times over the past twelve years. The story is not even close to being true.

The Story 

Brian Williams claimed that members of the US military saved his life in Iraq when “the helicopter we were traveling in was forced down after being hit by an RPG”. Williams claimed that Major Tim Terpak took the lead in protecting him and his colleagues. Social Media hit back, in the form of soldiers who were present that day.

The Conclusion

It is not just Brian Williams whose credibility is shot. It is the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) itself. On that day in 2003, Williams was accompanied by several of his NBC colleagues. He has been telling this war story since 2003, unchecked by any of those colleagues. Did his editors at NBC check his story? Either way, NBC is a loser. And Brian Williams is now a proven liar, and a disgrace to Journalism.