Brian Williams 'temporarily' steps down

US NBC anchor, Brian Williams has said he is temporarily taking himself off air, days after apologising for wrongly saying he came under fire in Iraq.

Williams said it had become "painfully apparent" that he was too much a part of the news. He repeatedly told a story about being shot down in a helicopter in Iraq but veterans disputed his account.

Williams, the most-watched network anchor in the US, blamed the "fog of memory" for the lapse.

In a statement, he said he would not be presenting his nightly show for several days while the network investigated his claims.

"Upon my return, I will continue my career-long effort to be worthy of the trust of those who place their trust in us," he added. 

Richard Hanley, director of the graduate programme in journalism at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, welcomed a "good move by Williams and the network".

"It would be difficult for the audience to pay attention to what he's reading in terms of the news when the perception is all about this scandal," he told Reuters news agency.