A man identified by Variety as a “celebrity brand expert” polled 1,000 people familiar with the ongoing scandal surround NBC’s Brian Williams and found that an incredible 80% believe he needs to lose his chair as anchor and managing editor of the NBC Nightly News.
The same number believe Williams will struggle to regain the trust of his viewers, while 70% believe he never will.
A full 70% would not describe the anchor’s apology as sincere, and a full 60% believe Williams used the apology to downplay the seriousness of his 12 year-old lie. The only potential good news in the survey is that 60% said they are willing to forgive Williams.
There is little doubt that the only reason Brian Williams still has any kind of job at NBC News is his value to a division that is faltering almost everywhere else.