Brian Williams has become more controversial than Kim Kardashian’s attempt to break the Internet by posing a champagne glass on her derriere. Now, as she’s preparing to exit The View , Rosie O’Donnell is among those attacking the NBC’s top news anchor by comparing him to Lance Armstrong, reported People .
Rosie served up her slam of Brian Williams when she was attending the Athena Film Festival in New York City. Although her purpose was to publicize her new HBO special Rosie O’Donnell: A Heartfelt Stand Up , O’Donnell took the opportunity to compare her own problems to Brian’s situation.
“Maybe that’s the problem in my relationships; I see someone I like and make s**t up like Brian Williams … I escaped 9/11 from the Twin Towers. No I didn’t; I got mixed up. F**king Lance Armstrong liar.”
As the Inquisitr reported, O’Donnell opened up about her multiple problems that led to her exit from The View . Rosie linked the intense stress and tension that she experiences on the show to health problems, which are a concern because she recently suffered a heart attack. She also stated candidly that she has split with her wife Michelle Rounds.
As for her attack on Brian Williams, Rosie isn’t alone in contending that he has lost his reputation because of the multiple reports indicating that he falsified news reports about Iraq and Hurricane Katrina.
“It happens to all of us … We misplace our keys, have trouble with people’s names, we can’t remember if the helicopter we were in crashed!” laughed Real Time host Bill Maher.
To respond to the reports, Williams has stepped down from his job as anchor temporarily, reported Time . He previously apologized for what he now admits are false reports that he was in a helicopter hit in Iraq.
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NBC News president Deborah Turness released a statement distributed to her staff.
“We have a team dedicated to gathering the facts to help us make sense of all that has transpired. We’re working on what the best next steps are – and when we have something to communicate we will of course share it with you.”
But some scientists are defending Williams, citing memory problems that they say are more common than most people realize, reported the Los Angeles Times .
Elizabeth Loftus studies the process of remembering, researching how people can come to believe in false memories.
“Memory is susceptible to contamination and distortion and supplementation. It happens to virtually all of us,” said the UC Irvine professor. “This could easily be the development of a false memory.”
As the Inquisitr reported, others are arguing that Brian succumbed to the temptation to embellish his stories . Some media gurus feel that he began to view himself as a hero by traveling to dangerous areas such as Iraq to cover stories.
What do you think? Should Williams resign permanently? Post your comments below.
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