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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| NBC anchor Brian Williams 'temporarily' steps down | NBC anchor Brian Williams 'temporarily' steps down |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| US NBC anchor Brian Williams has said he is temporarily taking himself off air, days after apologising for wrongly saying he came under fire in Iraq. | US NBC anchor Brian Williams has said he is temporarily taking himself off air, days after apologising for wrongly saying he came under fire in Iraq. |
| Williams said it had become "painfully apparent" that he was too much a part of the news. | Williams said it had become "painfully apparent" that he was too much a part of the news. |
| He repeatedly told a story about being shot down in a helicopter in Iraq but veterans disputed his account. | He repeatedly told a story about being shot down in a helicopter in Iraq but veterans disputed his account. |
| Williams, the most-watched network anchor in the US, blamed the "fog of memory" for the lapse. | Williams, the most-watched network anchor in the US, blamed the "fog of memory" for the lapse. |
| In a statement, he said he would not be presenting his nightly show for several days while the network investigated his claims. | |
| "Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us," he added. | "Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us," he added. |
| 'I made a mistake' | |
| On Wednesday, Williams made an apology on air over the Iraq story. | |
| "I made a mistake in recalling the events of 12 years ago," he said. "I want to apologise. I said I was travelling in an aircraft that was hit by RPG [rocket-propelled grenade] fire. I was instead in a following aircraft." | "I made a mistake in recalling the events of 12 years ago," he said. "I want to apologise. I said I was travelling in an aircraft that was hit by RPG [rocket-propelled grenade] fire. I was instead in a following aircraft." |
| His apology came after veterans who were on the helicopter that was hit challenged his version of events. | |
| One of them, Flight engineer Lance Reynolds, wrote: "Sorry dude, I don't remember you being on my aircraft. I do remember you walking up about an hour after we had landed to ask me what had happened." | |
| Some critics were not satisfied by Wiliiams's apology, calling for his resignation. | |
| Questions have also been raised about his coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, with one health official challenging a claim he contracted dysentery reporting on the event. |