Brian Williams: When things go wrong at work

It must have been humiliating for NBC’s market-leading evening news anchor Brian Williams to apologize for a false story he has been telling for some time. Williams has now admitted that he “conflated” the facts of a 2003 war-time chopper ride in Iraq. He had claimed many times that the helicopter, with him in it, was hit by a rocket-fired grenade. Quite harrowing but not for Williams because he was in a different helicopter that came along later and was never hit by anything. Never mind how Williams came to misstate this memorable event. How about what is happening now. It is reported that former NBC anchor  Katie Couric is keen to take over from Williams if the network decides he has to go. “No one smells blood in the water like Katie,” says a source. More than that, Williams mentor and one-time friend Tom Brokaw has disowned Williams.  “Brokaw wants Williams’ head on a platter. He is making a lot of noise at NBC that a lesser journalist or producer would have been immediately fired or suspended for a false report,” a source told the New York Post. The source who spoke to the Post said Brokaw and former NBC News president Steve Capus have known for a long time that Williams was spreading a false story. They reportedly warned him against it. Another “longtime NBC employee who has worked with Williams on several occasions” told the Post “everyone” at the network knew Williams was “a liar.” Wow.