Brian Williams’ Suspension Blankets NBC News Today

NBC News programs spent the day reporting on its suspension of Brian Williams. This morning it reported this on Today show:

Tonight, NBC News unveiled its new Nightly News title, which was pointedly missing the “with Brian Williams” bit, as well as that Michael Douglas narrated opening, replaced with Voiceover Guy guy identifying Lester Holt as the anchor. Holt filled in for Williams on Monday and Tuesday as well, but his permanent temporary anchor status was made official late yesterday when NBC News announced it was putting Williams on ice for six months while continuing to investigate other claims he’s made over the years that have been called into question.

“Now to the story many of you are talking about tonight and one that not only hits close to home, but in our home,” Holt told viewers about half way through the broadcast. All of NBC’s Brian Williams bad news has been addressed in the middle of the network’s evening newscast, starting with Williams’ apology one week ago tonight for having said on the previous Friday’s broadcast that he’d been in a military helicopter shot by an RPG in the Iraq War in 2003, when he was not.

After reporting on the suspension, and the statements from NBC News chief Deborah Turness and NBC Universal Chairman Steve Burke, Holt continued: “If I may, on a personal note say, it’s an enormously difficult story to report. Brian is a member of our family — but so are you, our viewers. We will work every night to be worthy of your trust.”

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