Brian Williams - why lie?

Bill O'Reilly forced to clarify remarks about murdered nuns

The questions keep piling up for Bill O'Reilly, and increasingly those questions are being raised by a liberal media watchdog that has long feuded with the conservative Fox News host.

The latest round of scrutiny, over a claim by O'Reilly that he "saw nuns get shot in the back of the head" in El Salvador, forced the top-rated host to clarify his remarks.

For the second time in as many days, Media Matters for America on Wednesday released a report detailing "an apparent fabrication" by O'Reilly.

Media Matters produced two clips of O'Reilly talking about the murders. During a December 2012 broadcast of "The O'Reilly Factor," the host recalled describing the atrocity to his mother.

"When I would tell her, hey, mom, I was in El Salvador and I saw nuns get shot in the back of the head, she almost couldn't process it," O'Reilly said. "She couldn't process it, you know."

O'Reilly didn't detail when or where in El Salvador he saw those murders.

In a statement to CNNMoney on Wednesday night, O'Reilly said that reporters covering the conflict in El Salvador were shown "depictions of nuns who were murdered." He noted that his reference to the nuns in 2012 came on the day of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

"While in El Salvador, reporters were shown horrendous images of violence that were never broadcast, including depictions of nuns who were murdered," O'Reilly said. "The mention of the nuns on my program came the day of the Newtown massacre (December 14, 2012). The segment was about evil and how hard it is for folks to comprehend it."

"I used the murdered nuns as an example of that evil," O'Reilly continued. "That's what I am referring to when I say 'I saw nuns get shot in the back of the head.' No one could possibly take that segment as reporting on El Salvador."

The United States was rocked in December 1980, when three American nuns and a lay woman were murdered in El Salvador. O'Reilly notes in his book "The No Spin Zone" that he went to El Salvador to cover the strife shortly after he was made a correspondent by CBS News in 1981. In a 2009 interview, he said he had arrived in the country "right after" the murder of the nuns.

Media Matters cited a professor of religion at the University of Florida who wrote that "no priests or nuns were killed in El Salvador for more than eight years" after January 1981. The professor, Anna L. Peterson, also noted that "thousands of lay Christian activists continued to die at the hands of death squads and the military."

Peterson told CNNMoney that what she wrote "is correct, to the best of my knowledge." She said that video footage of political killings in El Salvador is rare, but still photos of dead bodies are widely available.

Media Matters has been digging in to O'Reilly's past statements since Mother Jones magazine questioned O'Reilly's claim to have been in a "war zone" during the Falklands war. He was actually reporting from Buenos Aires, thousands of miles from the Falkland Islands.

On Tuesday, Media Matters challenged O'Reilly's repeated claims to have been at the scene when George de Mohrenschildt, a friend of Lee Harvey Oswald, committed suicide.

Media Matters, which is dedicated to correcting misinformation in conservative media, has long kept a critical eye on O'Reilly and his colleagues at Fox News. The group is currently urging supporters to demand that Fox News "hold O'Reilly accountable for his deception."

O'Reilly has dismissed Media Matters in the past as a "vicious" propaganda outfit.

"Those fascists have tried everything they can try to get me off the air," O'Reilly said in 2012.

In a statement to CNNMoney on Wednesday, Fox News made it clear that it still has O'Reilly's back.

"Bill O'Reilly has already addressed several claims leveled against him," a Fox News spokesperson said. "This is nothing more than an orchestrated campaign by far left advocates Mother Jones and Media Matters. Responding to the unproven accusation du jour has become an exercise in futility. FOX News maintains its staunch support of O'Reilly, who is no stranger to calculated onslaughts."

Related: Bill O'Reilly faces new questions: His JFK story

Related: Jon Stewart scoffs at Bill O'Reilly controversy

CNNMoney (New York) February 26, 2015: 11:10 AM ET

NBC finds at least 10 Brian Williams embellishments

The in-house investigators assigned to look into Brian Williams' past reports have documented at least 10 instances of exaggerations and embellishments by the NBC anchorman.

The investigation is not yet complete, according to a person with knowledge of it, who described some of the findings on condition of anonymity.

It is unclear whether Williams had had a chance to defend himself to his bosses. NBC has not allowed him to do so publicly.

NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke was briefed on the current findings at a Thursday morning meeting in New York. The meeting suggests that the network is nearing a decision about Williams' future.

Williams, the anchor of "NBC Nightly News" for the past 10 years, was suspended nearly three months ago when a scandal erupted about his recounting of an Iraq War mission in 2003.

Related: Brian Williams wants back in as limbo drags

His suspension is scheduled to end in August, but it is unclear whether NBC will reinstate him at that time. Lester Holt has been filling in.

The network has been under pressure -- both internally and externally -- to reach a decision about Williams and announce it well ahead of the August deadline.

That decision will be informed by NBC's internal fact-checking effort, which is being led by Richard Esposito, the news division's senior executive producer in charge of investigations.

All of the people involved are being incredibly tight-lipped, and NBC refuses to confirm anything about the investigation.

Related: 'Shell-shocked: New details about NBC's handling of Brian Williams scandal

But The New York Times and The Washington Post reported new details on Friday night that painted Williams in a decidedly negative light.

The Times reported that Esposito's team has uncovered "discrepancies" in Williams' accounts of his reporting from Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt in 2011.

The Times said it was one of a "half-dozen instances" that have raised eyebrows internally.

The Post reported that the investigation has "turned up 11 instances in which the anchorman publicly embellished details of his reporting exploits."

It also said Thursday's meeting was attended by Burke; the man he recently appointed to oversee NBC News, Andy Lack, and the president of NBC News, Deborah Turness.

A spokesman for NBC did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

Earlier this week, CNNMoney reported that the fact-checking findings "may be a form of leverage -- to either say that Williams has been cleared of further embellishing, or that he's too damaged to return to the 'Nightly News.'"

If NBC executives believe he's too damaged, negotiations will have to ensue with Williams' lawyer. Last winter Williams signed a lucrative contract to remain the "Nightly News" anchor through the end of the decade.

In private conversations, TV agents and other industry veterans have speculated that the investigation's findings could be useful in a negotiation. NBC could offer to keep the investigation under wraps, or threaten to release it, depending on Williams' willingness to leave.

Jay Rosen, a New York University journalism professor who has followed the Williams case closely, said that "if the latest reports are accurate," they further complicate the picture.

If the executives "let Brian Williams return to NBC News, they have to calculate the effect on morale and the rough statement they would be making (essentially, 'your opinions don't count') to all the people in the news division who feel grave doubts and deep anger toward Williams," Rosen said. "Are they prepared to pay those costs? Maybe they are, I don't know."

Rosen suggested people at NBC may be "signaling their mood and intentions through the leaks."

Related: Brian Williams wants back in as limbo drags on
CNNMoney (New York) April 25, 2015: 4:09 PM ET

'Shell-shocked:' new details about NBC's handling of the Brian Williams scandal

The crisis inside NBC News over Brian Williams' puffed-up stories was made worse by the anchorman's denial and his strained relationship with executives in charge of the network, according to a new probe in Vanity Fair magazine.

As the crisis over Williams' exaggerated war stories unfolded, network executives were frustrated by Williams' "inability to explain himself," the story says. The anchor "appeared shell-shocked" when the scandal emerged, rendering him unable to respond effectively.

In February, amid the series of embarrassing revelations, Williams was suspended without pay for six months. His "NBC Nightly News" is now being anchored by Lester Holt. It is unclear whether NBC will let Williams return at the end of the suspension period.

Related on Tuesday: ABC's evening news ends five-year winning streak for NBC

At issue was Williams' involvement on an Iraq War mission in 2003. Over the years, his recounting of the mission turned more dramatic, to the point he was saying that an RPG had struck the helicopter he was aboard. In fact, that happened to a different helicopter, not the one Williams was on.

The Vanity Fair story, authored by Bryan Burrough, says NBC's internal fact-checking investigation of Williams is ongoing. It has been led by Richard Esposito, the head of investigations for NBC News.

"People who have spoken to Esposito say his group has compiled a number of other incidents that, taken as a whole, paint a portrait of Williams as a man who has consistently burnished his stories," Burrough writes.

The magazine also addresses the Williams scandal in editor Graydon Carter's monthly letter to readers. He concludes that Williams' "regrettable self-immolation" should not end his broadcasting career.

"Taken all together, he would be an enormous asset anywhere," Carter writes. "And if NBC is smart, once Williams's time in journalism purgatory is up, the network will find a big chair for him and tether him to it for a good long while."

Carter's commentary and Burrough's reporting were both published online on Tuesday, the second day on the job for the new chair of NBC News and MSNBC, Andy Lack. Williams' fate rests with Lack and the man who just put him in charge, NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke.

Related: NBC News has a new boss. What's on his to-do list

Burke is described in the story as a competent executive who has improved NBCUniversal's standing in many areas, but has struggled to manage the network's news division. "Even some of Burke's defenders admit he has only himself to blame for the decline of NBC News," Burrough writes.

The author zeroes in on Burke's 2012 choice to name Pat Fili-Krushel the chair of NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC, despite the fact that she had "virtually no experience in journalism." Fili-Krushel has become "the scandal's second victim," Burrough writes, now that Lack has taken over.

Lack has decades of experience in journalism. He previously ran NBC News between 1993 and 2001.

Related: NBC's Chuck Todd 'proud' of how network handled Brian Williams

Burrough's story, which relies heavily on anonymous sources, adds new details about what happened inside NBC in the key hours leading up to Williams' initial — and inadequate — apologies for exaggerating the Iraq story.

Williams told an exaggerated version of the story on "NBC Nightly News" in late January, as part of a tribute to a military veteran who had been with him on the mission. Fili-Krushel's hand-picked deputy, NBC News president Deborah Turness, noticed Williams' story "and liked it, terming it 'very sweet,' " according to the story. "What she liked even more, she told one listener, was its performance once it was posted to Facebook, which she called 'extremely good.' "

Indeed, Williams' tribute to the veteran was widely shared on Facebook. But that's also where several vets posted comments saying that Williams had falsified parts of the tale. It is unclear when Williams first saw these comments. But according to the story, whenever he found out, "he did not tell Turness or Pat Fili, even though he and Fili had lunch the following Tuesday."

The same day Williams and Fili-Krushel had lunch, February 3, Stars & Stripes newspaper reporter Travis Tritten interviewed some of the soldiers on the mission and prepared a story about Williams' misstatements.

On February 4, Tritten contacted NBC to ask for comment. Williams spoke on the record to Tritten without his bosses knowing, according to the story -- a sign of how his relationships with Turness and Fili-Krushel were lacking.

Turness learned about the apparent exaggerations around 3:30 p.m., three hours before "Nightly News" broadcast time. She then tried to work with Williams on the wording of an apology that he read on the air. But the statement seemed to only exacerbate his problems.

"Burke learned of things only after the apology broadcast," Burrough writes. The surfacing of a David Letterman clip from 2013, where Williams told another misleading version of the story, made clear to the executives that the discrepancies were very serious. The next day, Burke began holding crisis meetings.

Related: Lester Holt's winning ratings earn applause at NBC

But Burrough quotes NBC sources who say Williams had a hard time acknowledging the scope of the situation, even as questions began coming up about other past stories he had covered.

Furthermore, the story affirms other recent reports about chilliness between Williams and his "Nightly News" predecessor Tom Brokaw, who remains an important voice inside NBC.

Burrough quotes a friend of Brokaw's, who says, "Tom will never say this for the record, but I've talked to him about this, and I can tell you for a fact Tom is livid about this. Tom didn't push Brian out, but he didn't try to save him, either."

The story also quotes a source who implies that Williams believes Brokaw is to blame for his sudden downfall: "I talked to Brian about this, and I'll never forget what he said at the end. He said, 'Chalk one up for Brokaw.' "
CNNMoney (New York) April 7, 2015: 2:21 PM ET

Tom Brokaw addresses Brian Williams controversy: 'really, really serious'

As speculation swirls about Brian Williams' fate at NBC, his predecessor is calling for patience.

In his first extensive public comments on the matter, Tom Brokaw, who held the anchor chair at "NBC Nightly News" for more than 20 years, called the controversy surrounding Williams' exaggerated tales a "really, really serious case."

"There's a process underway," Brokaw said at an event held at the University of Chicago's Institute of Politics on Monday night. "And the important thing is that the process is very carefully constructed, and we owe it to everybody -- including Brian and his family and certainly the people who work at NBC News who risk their lives everyday, and to the integrity of what NBC News has stood for all these years -- to let the process play out, to hear what the final conclusions are and then deal with it at that point."

The "process" Brokaw cited is an internal fact-checking investigation into fibs and exaggerations told by Williams over the years. It is being led by Richard Esposito, the news division's head of investigations.

Last week Vanity Fair reported that "people who have spoken to Esposito say his group has compiled a number of other incidents that, taken as a whole, paint a portrait of Williams as a man who has consistently burnished his stories."

Related: new details about NBC's handling of the Brian Williams scandal

Brokaw's behind-the-scenes role has been a tremendous source of intrigue. He remains a highly influential voice inside NBC News. Back in February, he swatted down a report that he had called for Williams' firing.

Vanity Fair elaborated on the frosty relationship between the two men. One "friend of Brokaw's" was quoted as saying, "Tom will never say this for the record, but I've talked to him about this, and I can tell you for a fact Tom is livid about this. Tom didn't push Brian out, but he didn't try to save him, either."

At Monday's event, Brokaw said the article by Bryan Burrough was "completely unsourced," an apparent reference to the use of anonymous quotes.

Burrough "never talked to me," he said. "The reporter never ever picked up the phone and asked me whether I said something, how I felt about something. It was outrageous."

(In an email Tuesday afternoon, Burrough said that's not quite true. "I sought comment from Tom Brokaw from the NBC publicity department," he said. "I was told he would not be available for an interview.")

So what is Brokaw's relationship with Williams, then? Brokaw didn't explicitly deny what Vanity Fair reported. He described the relationship as "cordial" in the past tense.

"There's been way too much speculation about it," Brokaw said, adding, "I want to say two things. One is that Brian and I had a cordial relationship. You know, it was tricky because he succeeded me and I had my own strong feelings about how things should be done, but I never interfered with it. And I would make suggestions from time to time."

Brokaw also said that Williams wrote him a "wonderful note" late last year, around the time of Williams' 10th anniversary in the anchor chair.

"Having said all of that, this is a really, really serious case, obviously," Brokaw said. He also called it "a very, very difficult time" for NBC and the people involved.

The University of Chicago forum was moderated by Politico's Roger Simon. It can be viewed on YouTube.

Brokaw's comments come at a time of widespread speculation about whether Williams will ever return to the "Nightly News" anchor chair. He is about two and a half months into a six-month suspension. Lester Holt is filling in.

Williams' fate will ultimately be decided by Andy Lack, who returned to the network last week to serve as chairman of NBC News and MSNBC, and NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke.

At the event, Brokaw made a reference to another television star who's been embroiled in a storytelling controversy -- Fox's Bill O'Reilly.

Brokaw recalled that he had once been asked if network newscasts were doomed, and he responded that "if Bill O'Reilly, who's widely perceived by a lot of people to be the most popular guy on television news, if he were competing against the three networks, he'd be in a distant fourth place."

Brokaw continued, "He went nuts when that got out. 'I'm on cable, it's different and I'm the number one guy on cable' and, you know, he just attacked me for three nights running. I don't get in arguments with Bill O'Reilly because it's just not worth it, frankly."

The audience applauded, and Brokaw added, "He was right. He's number one in cable. But in the wider universe, much bigger than cable, he's way, way, way down the list."

Related: ABC's David Muir on Brian Williams' woes: 'I wouldn't wish it on anyone'
CNNMoney (New York) April 14, 2015: 3:20 PM ET

i'd rather hear brian's lies over brokejaw's mush mouth mumblings

Bill O'Reilly's daughter says he choked and dragged ex-wife down stairs
Bill O'Reilly is a terrible, dumb, vicious, hypocrite. Now you might add wife-beater to that litany of the obscenities that come to mind when O'Reilly crosses your radar. Gawker is reporting that, according to documents from O'Reilly's recently lost custody case against his ex-wife Maureen McPhilmy, O'Reilly is not just a vulgar verbally and mentally abusive, bullying type—he's also a physically assaulting type of bully:

According to a source familiar with the facts of the case, a court-appointed forensic examiner testified at a closed hearing that O’Reilly’s daughter claimed to have witnessed her father dragging McPhilmy down a staircase by her neck, apparently unaware that the daughter was watching. The precise date of the alleged incident is unclear, but appears to have occurred before the couple separated in 2010. The same source indicated that the daughter, who is 16 years old, told the forensic examiner about the incident within the past year.




THE REST:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/05/18/1385700/-Bill-O-Reilly-s-daughter-says-he-choked-and-dragged-ex-wife-down-stairs

If the ex did not come forward to the collective and claim to be a victim then it was never any of our business. I have no idea if Bill did it, and I dont care what happened.

Court Transcript Shows O’Reilly’s Daughter Allegedly Saw Him ‘Choking Her Mom’
Source: Mediaite

Two days after Gawker reported that Bill O’Reilly was accused of physically assaulting his ex-wife Maureen McPhilmy, the blog published portions of the court transcripts to prove it.

The allegations came from the couple’s teenage daughter during a custody trial that concluded three weeks ago. After Gawker’s initial report, O’Reilly released a statement, saying, “All allegations against me in these circumstances are 100% false. I am going to respect the court-mandated confidentiality put in place to protect my children and will not comment any further.”

But the transcripts obtained by Gawker confirm that O’Reilly’s 16-year-old daughter told a court-appointed forensic examiner that she saw the Fox host “choking her mom” while he “dragged her down some stairs” by the neck. Additionally, the daughter claimed that O’Reilly is an absent father with rage issues.

Manhattan psychologist Larry Cohen was assigned to evaluate each family member for the dispute, and reported his findings back to the Nassau County Supreme Court. Gawker’s transcripts come from the ex-wife’s counsel’s cross-examination of Cohen. The key transcript nugget centers around when the attorney asked the doctor if the daughter (identified as “M.”) hint of violence in the household:

Read more: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/court-transcript-shows-oreillys-daughter-allegedly-saw-him-choking-her-mom/

Do you know the full story? Why is this cretin allowed to get away with would have gotten you arrested, arraigned, jailed before bonding out, Hawkeye?

Highly dubious. This is a family matter, and has nothing to do with Brian Williams lying to promote himself.

https://celebrity.yahoo.com/news/brian-williams-may-lose-anchor-job-remain-nbc-161854737.html

If you are comcast management do you really want to announce that you cant figure out what to do? This is not going to go down well with the troops.

he's been around long enough he probably knows where all the bodies are buried

keep your friends close and your enemies closer

Brian Williams to Stay at NBC, but Not as News Anchor
By EMILY STEEL, JOHN KOBLIN and RAVI SOMAIYA
JUNE 17, 2015

NBC is planning to announce on Thursday that Brian Williams will not return to his position as the anchor of its “Nightly News” show, four months after the network suspended him for exaggerating his role in a helicopter incident in Iraq, according to two people briefed on the discussions.

Mr. Williams is expected to move to a new role primarily at the cable news network MSNBC, probably in a breaking-news capacity in the beginning, according to one of the people.

Lester Holt, who has been filling in for Mr. Williams as anchor, will take on the position permanently, one person said...

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/18/business/nbc-plans-to-let-brian-williams-stay-but-not-as-news-anchor.html?_r=0

In other words Comcast does not think they can make a firing stick, and they dont want to eat his contract, but they cant figure out what to do with him either.

Why is the moral fibre such a massive concern for someones career in entertaining?
Hes a talking head Look at Rush Limbaugh, he overcame everything but murder and is still ocking the dials.

I am amused that e should be so mortified at his BS . Whenever a news story breaks first, it is 90% Bullshit no?

Journalism is one of the most important pillars of democracy, it does not work without a correctly informed electorate. Free markets also operate very poorly under those conditions.

The fact that you are a member of the elite and dont know such basic truths is alarming. What school did you say you went to?

.

When you manage to locate a clue, we will talk.

This decision by Comcast feels a lot like the Lakers decision to offer Kobe a fat two year contract to get him to retirement, not justified on any rational grounds and almost any way you cut it bad for the organization. Also like the Lakers Comcast has no room to be overly generous, they kinda suck and need to rebuild. Like with the Kobe Contract this move throws a wrench into any plans to get ready for the future.

I can certainly understand your not being in a hurry to embarrass whomever gave you a degree.

Your major problem is that you dont believe in editing for content after you blurt out your fact-free beliefs.

What is it going to take to get you tracking with the tread topic? Is there anything we can do to assist?