Brian Williams returns to NBC for Dallas coverage and Twitter is unimpressed

Brian Williams returned to NBC Thursday night when the network opted to turn to MSNBC’s live coverage of the unfolding violence in Dallas.

It was an inauspicious return for the former “Nightly News” anchor, just his third appearance on NBC since his six-month suspension in February 2015 for misrepresenting his experiences during the Iraq war.

As snipers targeting law enforcement officers brought an end to a previously peaceful protest regarding police violence, Williams called the events a “national emergency” and informed viewers that any reporting would be done through the “fog of war.”

If Williams felt as though that statement might serve as blanket protection for any specious or baseless suppositions to come, it’s safe to assume that Twitter did not share his sentiments.

Many on the social media platform took offense at Williams’ characterizations of events as they took place, with some suggesting that his remarks were full-on irresponsible.

Williams used terms such as “urban warfare” to describe the situation, as well as “urban kill zones” and “end of days,” even going so far as to hold up a copy of Friday morning’s New York Post cover reading “Civil War” and saying, “Let’s hope this headline is wrong.”

Throughout the live broadcast, Williams spoke repeatedly about the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which took place a few blocks from the events of the evening and seemed to be one of the few historical references the anchor found suitable to draw upon.

Before Thursday night’s broadcast, Williams had made two appearances on NBC since his suspension, once during a December 2015 threat made against a Los Angeles school and once during a special report on immigration following a Supreme Court ruling last month. 

It would appear that Williams’ absence from the network has not endeared him to audiences.

libby.hill@latimes.com

Twitter: @midwestspitfire

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