More than half of Americans are willing to forgive Brian Williams, and think he should return to the NBC Nightly News desk after he serves his six-month suspension for fabricating elements of several stories while in the field, according to a new CNN/ORC poll.

Last month, Williams came under fire over claims that a helicopter he was traveling in while covering the Iraq war in 2003 was struck by RPG fire. Other past stories by Williams also began to unravel, and he ultimately took a leave of absence from the broadcast before NBC suspended him.

As speculation swirls over whether NBC will bring Williams back at all after his six months off the air, the survey found that 52 percent believe he should be given a chance to return to the network. Forty percent say he shouldn’t.

The forgiving attitude towards Williams may be a widespread feeling that his punishment was sufficient, or even too harsh. A separate survey, by television-consulting firm Magid Associates, found that 44 percent think the six-month suspension was “just right.” Roughly one third (30 percent) said it was “too strong.” Only nine percent said it was “too weak.”