As a native of Lexington, KY and a former tour guide of the horse farms (that is how I got through college)I have a deep love of horses. Thank you for
your feature on Barbaro. It is never a waste of time to share a story of courage, determination and
grace which are all the qualities of this great animal. We all need inspiration and Barbaro gave us
that as he courageously struggled these last 8 months to survive. It was nice you paid him the
tribute many of us felt he richly deserved.

Dianne Reif, Winchester, VA

Is that a pun in the topic title?? Mr. Williams doesn't watch Entourage, does he?

Mr. Williams,
Our family thanks you for telling our story last night on the broadcast. We know that our grief and loss represent thousands of parents nationwide who lose their children in car crashes. What we experienced...losing a son, and walking through a grueling recovery (and lifelong disability) with our surviving son, has forever changed us. I pray that national awareness of this number one killer of youth will be the springboard to action on the part of teens, parents, and our lawmakers.

Brian,
Love you blog and read it daily. But how about putting some paragraph breaks in it? I know you divide topics by subhead, but those blocks of text can be quite lengthy, and sometimes hurt my poor editor's eyes.

Ari, redemption is within your reach. Don't blow it.

How can Kelly O'Donnell run a Libby trial piece as lengthy and detailed as she did last evening on the broadcast and leave out names such as Russert, and Andrea Mitchell. Just wondering. Also wondering, in the brief mention of David Gregory, she didn't report that his denials of ever having received any word about anyone about Valerie Plame is flatly contradicted by Ari Fleischer.
Seems a little...odd, if not downright "slanted" wouldn't you say? But, I guess it's okay cause NBC deems it so!

Brian...Last night's story on teenage drivers brought back some difficult memories. We have four children, all of them made it through their teenage years and have become wonderful adults and wonderful parents. There was not one night when they were out that we could sleep until we heard them come in the door. These feelings of fear were compounded when one night at 1:00 AM there was a very loud knock on the front door. Instinctively, I checked each room on my way down the hall. All of ours were in their beds asleep, but the news at the front door concerned the son of our neighbors. He was in an accident and was being life flighted to the hospital. His parents had left that morning to take his older brother to college in Florida. His brother dated our daughter so the police were sent to our home. That was the beginning of a very long and painful night. Andy did not live. Alcohol or drugs were not involved, but that did not change the outcome of the accident. I told my children that I never wanted to hear that knock again. I believe after that they were more aware of what can happen if for just a split second you take your attention away from the road. Our children survived those sometimes difficult teenage years. Currently we can go to sleep and know that all is well, but we have ten grandchildren who will be driving one day and I know we will worry just as much about them and we did their parents. Thanks for airing this story.

Mr. Williams,

You are incorrect. Mr. Libby does NOT "contend he learned from a journalist" about Wilson's wife. Mr. Libby is very clear that he first learned about it from the Vice President.

I quote from information the prosecution gleaned from Libby's Grand Jury testimony: "LIBBY was surprised by this statement because, while speaking with Russert, LIBBY did not recall that he previously had learned about Wilson's wife's employment from the Vice President."

Libby never said he first heard it from a reporter. He has always told investigators that he learned it elsewhere first.

I saw you on Letterman and that's when I wrote down your website...I have been reading ever since. Anywhoots...I like how you cut through stories and simplify them...it is helpful to most of us. I certainly appreciate it! Yours, the gay gramps...yes there's a few of us, we're not many but we're damn at loving our kids.

Thanks for Martin Savidge's first-rate report out of New Orleans on the Katrina Recovery hearing at which Obama appeared.

I hope Obama succeeds in helping draw renewed attention to the continuing hardships there. Last night he said on a Fox Radio newscast something to the effect that Katrina survivors don't get much attention anymore, even though they're still experiencing many hardships and need help, because many are poor, lack political clout, and "can't speak for themselves." That's similar to what I've been saying about their powerlessness and lack of a voice--which makes it easy for politicians--such as Bush who omitted all mention from Katrina from his State of Denial address and Sen. Joe Lieberman who unilaterally decided that now that he's chair of the Senate's Homeland Security Committee, he won't subpoena Bush Administration papers on Bush response to the storm because it's "not important--to walk all over them and sweep their problems under the rug.

Regarding Louisiana's "Road Home" program which was mentioned in the piece and regarding which plenty of finger-pointing has been taking place: These funds for Louisiana had been approved by Congress 6 months after Mississippi's, so Mississippi already has a leg up regarding rebuilding. Disbursement of rebuilding funds by the "Road Home" has been a monumental screw-up from Day 1. The Virginia corporation charged with this task, IFC, has been seriously mismanaging it. This is why so few homeowners have actually received their grants. I've read in the Times-Picayune and other Louisiana papers online how, for example, homeowners have received letters informing them that they will be receiving a certain amount, only to get, after having waited for weeks if not months, new, frustrating letters saying they'll be getting much less money then the first letter had said they could expect--or even nothing. It's a big, complicated mess, and I hope lawmakers or other officials either in Louisiana, or, failing that, in the federal government, can figure out a way to straighten it out and eliminate the red tape to get rebuilding grants to those who need them.

Regarding the Libby trial. I may be missing something but I'm having a hard time figuring out since Ari Fleischer told NBC's David Gregory about the Wilsons, why Gregory pressed Fleischer's successor for the information that Gregory already knew (that the White House leaked the information)

Brian,

As a high school history teacher, I can see the merit in using Wikipedia as a starting point for my students to conduct research online.

More often than not, Wikipedia articles link to places of "hard facts" where students can further dive into research and really get a grasp for the topic at hand. Though I do fear the days of actually going to the library and cracking open a book may soon sound like a history lesson itself, I think Wikipedia needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

I have found an innumerable amount of information related to my own lessons and lectures through Wikipedia, allowing me to include video/audio clips, photographs, and other hard-to find information I would not have otherwise known existed. Do I allow Wikipedia to be used as a "bona fide" source of information, however? Absolutely not (I do not accept any encyclopedia as a source, for that matter -- it's too easy to just copy/paste the neatly summarized information). Do I require students to properly site their research from respected, well-established sources of information, that must pass the scrutiny of full-time editors to ensure the credibility and reputation of that source? Absolutely.

In this age of user-driven content and information (Myspace, Youtube, Wikipedia, etc.), it is inevitable that students will encounter information that could be passed off as fact, or seem too good to doubt its factuality. What I would want students to learn, however, is how to spot the bad seeds -- how to use their analytical skills to compare sources of information, and see that perhaps someone's gotten it wrong along the way.

Teaching students to question, examine, and always demand the truth is a history lesson we can all agree on.

My 'message' to (you) Brian and the 'World at Large'... Use 'Wiki'-Pedia for whadt 'It' IS...A 'very' quick and easy way to get 'INITIAL' Information on a Subject, (and NOT 'all/or/any' Subject!). Then , CONFIRM! CONFIRM! CONFIRM! With 'other' Harder 'sites' and 'sources'. 'Repition' of, and 'Confirmation' from...a larger 'Variety' of 'Said' Sources IS 'THE ONLY Way' thadt will yield 'THE TRUTH'! As Jack Web said..."Just the Facts, Ma'am!" Otherwise...It's a highly 'useful'and 'entertaining' tool and vehicle for 'instant' info!?! Sounds a'lot like whadt 'Our' Daily/Nightly 'News' has 'TURNED' into!?! ...'Info-Taint'-Ment!!!
RLM
OUT!

I enjoy NBC Nightly News because after watching your broadcast since you've been on, I still have no idea who you voted for in the last election, nor who you'll vote for in the next election. Thank you for that.

As I was reading the above comments on Wikipedia it occurred to me that it would be very useful to have a fact-check feature on this web site. I get news from many sources, some questionable. And often times I come across something that I wonder whether or not it is true. It would be great to have a 'snopes' like site for current events. I know I'd use it.

I agree with you that I would never, ever accept Wikipedia as an official source on an essay, court decision, etc. But, as another writer has noted, it's a good starting-off point because it is so easy to use and has very little visual clutter. That's why it is so popular. For instance, I entered "Brian Williams" into Brittanica, Encarta, and Wikipedia:

- Brittanica gave me an encylopedia entry for "soliloquy: Dramatic monologue that gives the illusion of being a series of unspoken reflections."
- Encarta offered Williams college and the Williams tennis sisters.
- Wikipedia immediately gave me an entry on you.

The real encyclopedias would be wise to cut down on the bells and whistles that make it hard to search for and read articles. In other words, they need to Google-fy themselves. Until verification and usability combine, I expect that people will continue to use Wikipedia.

I have asked this question many times, but yet no answer appears. Why does the news from Iraq always consist of explosions and death. Night after night after night that is all you report. Please, can we have some positive stories, like electrical, water and sewer system progress, children going to school, etc.. Please, there has got to be something positive that you can share.

I am a divorced dad. My daughter lives with me and I cannot breathe anymore when she is out driving. Tonight, I made her watch your new report. Will it keep her safer? Probably not. But we did talk about it this evening. Thank you for your attention to this issue of our times.

Switching topics, can you put me in touch with Janet Shamlian who coverd this topic.

Brad

I lost my best friend in a careless accident. Yes, the music was deafening. I live with unimaginable regret. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

When I was 16 years old, I was a passenger in a speeding car that wrapped around a power pole. I was thrown from the vehicle and my best friend, who was sitting directly behind me, was pinned in the back seat. The telephone pole made contact between the two of us. My best friend survived but a crushed leg and shattered knee prevented him from ever playing any sports again. I have scars, the memory and would like to make a difference in the family's of first-time teenage drivers during those first couple of driving years. There were four teens in the car and fortunately, we all survived. This particular accident took place over 40 years ago and I am reminded daily; it seems like it happened just last Friday night.

Last year, a 16-year old student lost his life while riding in a speeding car driven by his friend near my home. This crash was followed by two more teen driving fatalities that month and was a "wake up call" for me. I researched the web and learned teens represent 7% of the driving population but they are involved in 14% of the accidents. Also, speed related traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for 16 - 20 year olds. Wanting to make a difference, Youth Driving Safe evolved.

My research shows the leading causes of teen fatalities are:

Speeding
Distractions (number of teens in the car, peer pressure, cell phone use, iPODs, CDs, loud music, etc).
Failure to use seat belts (53% of teens do not wear seat belts)
Driver inexperience (Over correcting, speed improper for conditions, poor judgment, etc.)
Considering my story, my research, your story and the daily teen crash fatalities, Youth Driving Safe advocates the parents of first-time teenage drivers consider:

· Parent-Teenage Driver Contracts

· GPS Vehicle Tracking of First-Time Teenage Drivers

The first step is for parents is to identify areas of concern and create a parent- teenage driver contract. The contract establishes the rules since driving is a privilege. We have an example at http://www.youthdrivingsafe.org/YDSDrivingContractII.pdf. A contracts address speeding, drinking, drugs, seat belts, hours when driving permitted, grades, penalties, distractions like number of teens in the car, cell phone use, text messaging while driving, flipping through the radio, iPODs, CDs, loud music, etc.

Now think back when you were learning to drive, Mom or Dad accompanied you and you were very careful. Then you received you driver's license . . . you were alone or with your friends. . . . .you were "free"; you were less careful, had a heavier foot, etc. Teenage drivers, knowing Mom and Dad can track them, are better drivers.

If and when a parent needs more than a Parent-Teen Driving Contract, we recommend parents with first-time teenage drivers consider a GPS vehicle tracking system for their teen driver. Via the Youth Driving Safe Program and the addition of GPS vehicle tracking capability, teenage drivers speed less, receive fewer traffic tickets, are in fewer accidents . . . . . . . and fewer teenage driving fatalities will occur. We have a mother's testimonial at http://www.youthdrivingsafe.org/testimonials.htm and trust me, that teen will not speed.

Our goal is to make parents of teen drivers as well as teen drivers aware that GPS vehicle tracking systems are available and they save lives. Via the Youth Driving Safe Program, a parent has the following capabilities:

- Auto-notification to Mom via email message to her cell phone when her teenage driver leaves/arrives home

- Auto-notification to Mom via email message to her cell phone when her teenage driver enters/leaves school parking lot

- Auto-notification to Mom via email message to her cell phone when her teenage driver enters a super highway, if teen forbidden to drive on certain highways

- Auto-notification to Mom via email message to her cell phone when her teenage driver exceeds agreed upon speed limit

- Mom can determine her teenage driver's location, speed and direction from any PC

- Mom has on-screen, real-time mapping of teen's vehicle by street name and block

- Remote Disable Ignition . . . . . when teen is grounded . .or if vehicle stolen

- Daily text teen driving history reports . . . . time of day, speed, location . . . . .

- and more . . . . . .

I have charts from the National Traffic Administration that shows an increase in population and a similar and related increase in teen driving fatalities. Informed parents of first-time teen drivers and Youth Driving Safe can make a difference and reduce the teen fatalities trend. We have seen downswings in crime because of new technology and greater public awareness. We have GPS vehicle tracking technology so now we have to inform the parents of first-time teen drivers . . . . then we will see a decrease in teen driving fatalities. When we do things the same way, we get the same results. That's why "the death toll hasn't budged." Technology can make a difference!

Lastly, GPS vehicle tracking of first-time teen drivers is similar to training wheels on a first bicycle; it's temporary. A first-time teen driver in a GPS tracked vehicle will be a better driver. When a parent tracks for just the first year or two, that period will give the teen driver the good driving skills that will remain with them on their drive through life.

GPS tracking actually pays. Think about the cost of:

· Speeding tickets

· Higher insurance premiums

· Higher insurance deductibles

· A teen's life

· A grieving process . . . that never ends

The driving contracts list the parent-teen agreements; the GPS vehicle tracking system helps reinforce and complements the contract. Teens don't speed when Mom is watching.

Thanks for your interest. . . and please share this information with parents who have or will have first-time teen drivers.

We share a common goal: Save a teen's life!

With today's technology it would be very easy for auto makers to make a car with user interface and pass words or even a remote control to limit the car's top speed to a preprogrammed limit. This technology is currently being used by trucking and bussing companies. I currently work for a Caterpillar heavy equipment dealership and this technology is also being used on some of the Caterpillar equipment. Please investigate and offer this as a solution for all the problem of teens driving to fast. But the parents would need to get involved with their kids.

In your piece on teens hitting telephone poles, you might note that, in much of Europe, telephone poles are illegal - too dangerous, and distribution power is better underground. On the autobahn, trees thicker than a beer bottle at waist height are chopped down within a certain distance of the road. Think about it - what lunatic would line their streets with ugly, dangerous poles. Only in America?

Most of this evenings Nightly News was well done. I especially liked the Barbaro and Scooter Libby stories. I have a small complaint about the Coast Guard Fleecing of America story though.

The majority of the article outlined the problems with the program. The final sentences gave a very brief statement that the contractor denied all and said that the ships were sound.

I would have liked more on their side. And since it was an "investigative report" the investigator should, I believe, also provide more in the way of a conclusion. Perhaps she thought the preponderance of expose was conclusion enough, but I think the cointractor should havehad more time.

Thank you for having a segment about Barbaro on tonight's nightly news show. You were correct in that many would be appauled that any time was spent on Barbaro at all. Kudos to you for putting it in.

I'm not a horse enthusiast nor into "the ponies". But Barbaro was an amazing athlete. When he was injured, how couldn't you not hope that he would one day be OK?

Thank you again for airing a piece on such an amazing animal. Your producer wasn't the only one today with tears in their eyes, that's for sure.

To Jackie from California. You need to pay attention to the whole testimony given by Ari. He states that Libby was correcting him in that the VP didn't have anything to do with sending Wilson to investigate. It was Wilson's wife ... who works at the CIA... suggested to her superiors that Wilson was a good candidate to be sent. When pressed, he said that Libby never said that she was a covert operative and that he probably didn't know that she was at the time of the statement. Therefore if Libby didn't know she was an agent, he didn't break the law. And if you don't break the law, why cover up for something you didn't do. In other words, if didn't do anything wrong, you wouldn't have a reason to lie. I'm still wondering why when Fitzgerald was hired to investigate who outed Plame as a CIA agent, and he found out almost immediately in the investigation that it was Armitage, why he didn't indict Armitage and why he continued to investigate.

Brian,

I respect you as a journalist and as an intellectual. But I find it ironic that a member of the media would criticize a “subjective source of information” for the general public. Are newspaper and magazine articles used as references in your son’s class? How many times has the media screwed-up what it believed to be the facts? But yet some still choose to reference newspapers and magazines in their high school research papers. So why not accept Wikipedia as a source?

If you think that people who use Wikipedia as a source of information are fools, what do you think about people who watch the news? People take what they hear on the nightly news as fact. Do you believe that the news is "annoyingly correct and factual"? Would you be stunned to discover that your son's high school history teacher accepted NBC Nightly News as a bona fide source material on a paper he was writing?

I agree with your primary point. Wikipedia should not be used as a primary reference for research papers or for judicial rulings. No source should. However, I don’t like the way you expressed it. Do the people that enter information into this site get it wrong? Yes. But Wikipedia’s strength comes from the belief that knowledge is not static and that there is something to be gained from the input of others.

I use Wikipedia because I believe that this site can be use as a stepping-stone for finding additional resources of information. I like Wikipedia because it can be used as a forum to debate and question that which we believe to be the truth. If you find inaccuracies in Wikipedia, question it, research it, and correct it with what you find to be the truth. That is something you cannot do with Britannica.

If you don’t want to use Wikipedia, fine. Just don’t demean those that do.