NBC appeared to admit on Twitter Sunday that it is producing propaganda for the North Korean regime by not only running government-approved reports but also presenting images it believes the regime wants the world to see.
NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt is reporting from inside North Korea, delivering an “exclusive” look at the rogue state as the Korean Peninsula preps for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea. At the same time, NBC seems to be — by its own admission — broadcasting North Korean propaganda.
While reporting at the Masikryong ski resort, where North and South Korean athletes will train together prior to the start of the Olympics, Holt reveals that the the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs “crafted much of the itinerary of where we can go and [is] advising us on what they don’t frankly want us to shoot.”
His comment indicates that Pyongyang may be calling the shots on what NBC presents to its audience.
Inside North Korea: @LesterHoltNBC shares details of his trip so far.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs “crafted much of the itinerary of where we can go and advising us on what they don’t frankly want us to shoot.”
More tonight on @NBCNightlyNews. pic.twitter.com/iaHQOhjUoa
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) January 21, 2018
More importantly, the video footage features what Holt calls a “modern” ski resort, with this well-known anchor asserting, “This is an image that I think they [the North Korean government] want the world to see.” NBC’s international broadcasting is making that possible.
North Korea is under intense pressure from tough international sanctions, but the rogue regime in Pyongyang is determined to show that it is unfazed by these punitive actions. “Perhaps that’s why it is important, from their standpoint, for us to show that,” Holt explained, referring to the images of the luxury ski resort near the coastal town of Wonsan, a town previously used for weapons testing.
The North Korean propaganda site “Today Chosun” began promoting the resort Monday as one of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s monumental achievements. Kim built the ski resort, which cost an estimated $35 million, at a time when average North Korean people were starving, and there is evidence that child labor may have been involved in its construction.
As the expensive resort has reportedly been a ghost town since it opened five years ago, the North Korean regime is eager to promote it. North Korea has said that the Winter Olympics are an opportunity to show its national power. Some may be complicit in spreading that message.
NBC did not respond to requests for comment.
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