In a richly detailed story by Bryan Burrough in Vanity Fair, a friend of suspended NBC News anchor Brian Williams describes a recent conversation about the furor that led the anchor to step away from his job. “I talked to Brian about this,” says one friend, “and I’ll never forget what he said at the end. He said, ‘Chalk one up for Brokaw.’”
Another NBC News insider is quoted in the story insisting Brokaw was not the person behind Williams’ suspension. “Tom didn’t push Brian out, but he didn’t try to save him, either.”
Citing a host of unnamed insiders, the story is filled with colorful anecdotes and juicy tidbits, including this description of NBC News boss Deborah Turness:
“Look. Deborah Turness: I have seen no evidence she knows what she’s doing, but in fairness, she walked into a complete shitstorm there,” says a former top NBC executive. “Today is a horror show. Brian Williams? He didn’t give a rat’s ass what Deborah Turness says. But this is fundamentally not a Deborah Turness problem. She’s just a symptom of the problem…. This is a Comcast problem.”