The Daily Nightly began on May 31, 2005. As Brian wrote in his first post it aims to provide a narrative of the broadcast day and a window into the editorial process at NBC Nightly News. Brian weighs in every weekday and NBC News correspondents and producers post regularly.
Brian Williams became the seventh anchor and managing editor in the history of NBC Nightly News on December 2, 2004. Read his full biography.
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Since it is on our minds today, it makes sense that the topic of Iraq will be at the top of our broadcast tonight as well. There is much to report: the new troops on the way in, the investigation into the Marines' action at Haditha, and of course yesterday's casualties. We'll also look at the dangerous business of journalism in this war.
Also in tonight's broadcast, we'll update the situation on Java following the earthquake there, and report on the president's choice to head Treasury. We'll also note the end of the search for Jimmy Hoffa's body in Michigan.
Back to the lead story from Iraq: I commend to your attention the posts of late from our team over there, led by Richard Engel. Richard's premise is that he felt the concussion -- and believe me, he feels every one, along with the other members of our team over there. I read a great distillation last night from our veteran colleague at CBS News, Allen Pizzey -- who in a post about their fallen crew and injured correspondent -- I think perfectly summed up the life of a foreign correspondent.
THE DRUMBEAT CONTINUES...
About the relentless bad news from Iraq of late, especially the blast that took the lives of the CBS crew: let's also remember that an American family received word yesterday that their son, a Marine, a volunteer for duty, was killed on Memorial Day.
Dan Rather has written a lovely, emotional and gripping essay on his three CBS News co-workers and what they mean to him and to our profession. So while I will not attempt to make a significant addition to the biographical record, a few words are in order.
I last saw Kimberly Dozier in Mosul, during my last trip to Iraq. We had a great talk over several hours (as the U.S. commanding general we were covering met behind closed doors with local religious leaders) and I caught up with the last several months in her life. She is an ace reporter. She has all of Iraq wired, and has friends throughout the U.S. military. She is serious but hardly humorless, brave but never foolhardy. She toiled for years in her own solid, quiet way... without the title or recognition she deserved. Only recently did her coverage of the Iraq War receive the widespread recognition that top-flight correspondents are accustomed to. Even the most casual radio news listener has no doubt heard hundreds of reports she has filed over the years... often in the worst conditions, always with special attention paid to the facts and storytelling. We are all thinking of her and following her progress and prognosis.
I was able to find two photos today of trips I have made with Paul Douglas. One appears to be on board a Chinook helicopter in Iraq. The other, if memory serves, is on board a C-17 cargo jet en route to Bosnia. Friendships in journalism are often measured by the assignment. You will often hear things like, "I did Iraq and Somalia with him". If life is what happens between assignments or overseas trips, our work relationships mostly bear the name of the nation where we last gathered. Paul and his partner James were those kind of guys: part of the "standing army" of field crews that make up the backbone of what we do for a living. They were as well-traveled as any people on earth, as resourceful as any infantryman, the guys you are thrilled to see when you arrive at a story anxious to discover who you're going to be sharing an aircraft/filing center/hotel lobby/motorcade with. We are thinking of their families.
Last night at a cookout with friends, we made a point to discuss the meaning of Memorial Day and note the sacrifice of the military families across this country. I then found myself engrossed in competing documentaries on Iraq veterans and their combat wounds on both MSNBC and CNN. It was a day for that kind of immersion, because it started with such bad news regarding members of our own extended journalism family.
We hope you can join us for tonight's broadcast.
Read more from Brian Williams 2006
This week at the United Nations
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Sitting at home, the scenes of another IED explosion all look the same - blood and guts, sand, angry Iraqis. One could almost substitute file footage from yesterday's, last week's, last month's or last year's IED explosions between the soundbites and the obligatory stand-up - and no one would notice.
Since the deaths of soundman James Brolan and cameraman Paul Douglas, I somehow feel a new obligation to actually look at the images and listen to the sound under the soundbites - reminded that living human beings in many cases risked their lives to bring back reporting I used to watch with the same indifference as an everyday live shot from city hall.
A.C. Mendiones, San Jose, California (Sent Jun 1, 2006 10:44:40 AM)
I feel I'm better than a murderer, no matter where I choose to sit, ANONYMOUS.
SOME OF US saw this idiocy coming from a LONG WAY OFF and would not have put them (marines) in the situation TO START WITH. Now that they are there, they are expected to act like CIVILIZED HUMAN BEINGS. How pathetic to be so invested in a STUPID IDEA that you'll overlook MURDER and call it VALOUR.
Lee Steele Mountain View, CA (Sent May 31, 2006 5:46:43 PM)
So when will the comparison of Haditha to Mei Lai at this stage of the Iraqi conflict be made? This suggests that there are problems either identifying who are the enemy or what the hell are we fighting over situation?
(Sent May 31, 2006 5:09:10 PM)
It's not that I don't care about the CBS crew, but they're not the story, in my opinion. It seems you're fixated on the CBS crew more so than the soldiers doing their jobs the best they can inspite of the negative perception you're promulgating about our Marines.....every one of them a better person than those sitting in their living rooms here, taking verbal potshots at them.
(Sent May 31, 2006 3:45:22 PM)
When you decide to stop reporting US marines committing murder we might as well all welcome the police state. Maybe some would feel better if everyday you reported "Millions of Iraqis NOT murdered in cold blood." I'm pretty sick of those who prefer to keep their heads in the sand.
Lee Steele Mountain View, CA (Sent May 31, 2006 12:57:23 PM)
I am just a soldier's mom and I am sick and tired of our soldiers and their actions being investigated. Some of these Congressmen know what it is like being shot at day after day but it seems as though they have forgotten. I pray that some sense will come into play and use the money that will be wasted investigating this incident again for something like more armor for our boys. My son and three of his buddies' HUMVs have been hit by IEDS and by the grace of God they are all ok. I think that the media would support this with the events of yesterday. Why can't more of the good be shown? There are good things happenening in Iraq and they are rarely heard about. Just ask any soldier. God Bless the US soldier and their families.
(Sent May 30, 2006 11:51:14 PM)
Brian, thanks for bringing a great perspective to events of the past couple of days. A tough war with huge risks and often times uncertain outcomes for soldiers, civilians, and the journalists covering it all. This Memorial Day Weekend not only celebrated the brave service men and women thru the years who have fought for us. It also showed us the sad and ugly truth of war. Let us all pray for better days ahead.
Sam Hovell Daphne, Alabama (Sent May 30, 2006 8:37:01 PM)
I just watched the report on Nightly News about the 20 year follow-up to the NEWSWEEK article regarding marriage after 40 for college educated women. While I appreciated the interest in the historic, it seems very disingenuous to NOT MENTION that NEWSWEEK's cover story this week is ITS OWN ADMISSION that it was wrong.
Wouldn't the story be much more complete if the whole story was told?
Jay Seifried, Lake Villa, IL (Sent May 30, 2006 7:04:25 PM)
I am a military service member. I was told today Army will soon begin laying off civilian employees. The military is considering freezing all PCS moves and we were also briefed that the government did not know if they would be able to continue paying actual service members. I am intimately familiar with the budget on my installation and know that we are now completly out of money with millions needed to repair an installation that is falling down around us. The traffic signals do not work and buildings are now unsafe for soldiers and thier families to be housed.
Why has no one reported on what is going on with the budget. We keep saying the economy is doing well and that congress is allocating more money to war and humanitarian aid, but we will be laying off thousands of employees with-in weeks. Please look into this and get the word out. People need to know what may happen to thier jobs.
(Sent May 30, 2006 6:44:24 PM)
This morning on MSNBC News Live, NBC pentagon correspondent Jim Miklashevski was asked if the fallout to the recent killings in Haditha had the potential to be worse than the Abu Gharib scandal. Miklashevski's response was, "Absolutely, because no one was killed at Abu Gharib."
I almost fell out of my chair when hearing Miklashevshi's response. I recall reading that at least two deaths of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Gharib
were officially ruled by the Pentagon as homicides.
Am I mistaken, or has Miklashevshi forgotten the facts?
Kane Thomas, Honolulu, Hawaii (Sent May 30, 2006 6:34:12 PM)
Talk show host Laura Ingraham went to Iraq several months ago and was critical of new reporters not venturing out of the Green Zone. Keith Oberman disagreed with her. What is Ms. Ingraham's response to the injuries sustained by Kimbery Dozier and Bob Woodward?
John Doe, Los Angeles, Ca. (Sent May 30, 2006 6:26:21 PM)
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