Lester Holt Shown “Respect” During Visit to North Korean Ski Resort
What did Lester Holt expect them to do? He is on a choreographed tour of the Masik Ski Resort that the Kim regime has been heavily marketing. The regime clearly wants this resort to be part of a future tour scheme to bring in foreign currency and NBC News is giving them free advertising:
NBC News’ Lester Holt arrived in North Korea over the weekend, broadcasting a segment from a ski resort that will soon host athletes from both North and South Korea training for the upcoming winter Olympics.
Holt is catching some flack for a statement he made during one report that aired on Monday. “We have been treated with respect here,” Holt said.
The statement has been used in promos for the clip.
North Korea notoriously keeps a strict lid on press inside the country, and it’s likely Holt’s broadcast was subject to tight rules and restrictions. Previous reports, like this one from VICE, have noted how certain elements of their trip seemed choreographed.
Holt even says during his broadcast that the ski resort “certainly a part [North Korea] would like us to see.”
The NBC team flew into the country from Beijing, China on North Korea’s state airline, Holt said. The security check at the airport in North Korea was so stringent that they checked novels people brought along to read, and even one crew member’s toothbrush. [Business Insider]
NBC reeks of desperation to get viewers for the Pyongyang Olympics. That ski resort doesn’t even look better than Alpensia or Phoenix Park…lol.
Lester never took SERE training. He’s (unwittingly??) a better advert for the Norks than that chunky “singer”. At least, he doesn’t look like he belonged to the Donner Party survivors…
NBC’s a dying relic from the network days of TV. So is their reporting style, nothing to see here, moving along… ➡
I thought Americans weren’t allowed to go to the North, especially after the Otto incident? Press shouldn’t be an exception.