News anchor and Managing Editor for NBC Nightly News Brian Williams, 55, recently came under fire for giving false reports about his Iraq war coverage, particularly about his helicopter which was allegedly brought down by enemy fire.
But army vets called him out on his mistake, and he later apologized for it. He is now facing an internal investigation from the company and he has decided to step down as anchor for the next few days pending his investigation.
In a personal note he provided NBC News, Williams said that it has become "painfully apparent" to him that he is currently too involved in the news because of his actions.
"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," he said.
It is not clear when he will be back since he only 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."
Since his admission, many have questioned Williams' credibility and his previous reports, including the one on Hurrican Katrina back in 2005.
But Richard F. Hanley, a journalism professor at Quinnipiac University, told The New York Times that Williams' decision to momentarily step down is a wise move that would help alleviate a currently awkward situation, and help him recover from it.
"It would be impossible for him to be as confident a reader of news with this over his head," said Hanley. "The audience would be thinking of that and not the news he was reporting on."
Williams' decision will also give NBC ample time to fix the issue and create a contingency plan in the event that Williams would be forced to resign.
Many believe that Williams' possible resignation would prove to be a major setback for NBC's news division. It has so far averaged a total of 9.3 million total viewers for its nightly broadcast, compared with 8.7 million for ABC and 7.3 million for CBS, according to Nielsen.
"There is really nobody on the NBC news bench who can replace Williams in terms of his projection and presence on the nightly broadcast," Hanley said. "Just look at the problems the 'Today' show had in trying to assemble a team that could reverse its fortunes there."
