[More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.]
Liberal author Douglas Brinkley did his best on the 11 February 2015 edition of Anderson Cooper 360 to excuse Brian Williams's "embellishment" regarding his reporting of the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina – mere moments after the CNN program spotlighted examples of the NBC anchor's questionable claims. Brinkley acknowledged that "the clips that you just played are a bit troubling," but asserted that "he was, really, very sick during these first days, and it might be part of the reason he was a bit confused...his reporting, overall, was stellar." Brinkley later expressed his hope that Williams would return to NBC News in some role.