On-air personality Brian Williams is stepping away from his anchor desk, temporarily. The managing editor and host of NBC “Nightly News” has been taking a lot of heat regarding a fabricated story about being on a helicopter during the 2003 Iraq war that was forced to land after being shot down by enemy fire.
This incident has led to NBC also conducting an internal investigation into Williams’s reporting during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Here’s what he says in a press release on Saturday, Feb. 6, regarding his leave of absence.
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.
