CBS This Morning co-host Charlie Rose on Monday reported live from Cuba and hyped the dead Fidel Castro as a “revolutionary hero” around the world known for “defiance of the United States.” In his first question to Cubans in Havana, Rose led with this loaded question: “What was the best thing he did for the Cuban people?”
The journalist narrated, “Tonight, a city in mourning. There is less partying and more sense of remembering the man who founded the revolution.” At the end of the segment, Rose concluded, “Whether you love Fidel Castro because of what he did in education and health care, or hate him because of civil rights and human rights, there is no doubt that he is considered here a revolutionary hero.”
He added, “Not only in Cuba, but in many place around the world, and also for his defiance of the United States.”
According to the Black Book of Communism, “an estimated 30,000 people were arrested in Cuba for political reasons and 7,000 to 10,000 were believed to have been executed.”
CBS journalist did not give a numerical number of the dictator’s brutality. Instead, Norah O’Donnell more generally explained, “He became an enemy of the west, persecuting and killing dissenters and isolating his country for much of the world.”
To his credit, Rose did briefly talk to family members of jailed dissidents. Berta Soler told the journalist: “We are going to continue with the dictator Raul Castro who will do the same thing Fidel did.”
In the wake of his death, the MRC’s Rich Noyes looked at the decades of flattery offered up by American journalists towards the Communist.
A transcript of the CBS This Morning segment is below:
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CBS This Morning
11/28/16
7:11AM ET
GAYLE KING: Huge crowds are expected in Havana's Revolution Square to start a two-day memorial for Fidel Castro. The revolutionary leader and dictator who ruled Cuba for nearly 50 years died on Friday. Flags are at half-staff throughout the country and government has called for nine days of national mourning.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Castro led the revolt that overthrew Cuba’s then-dictator in 1959. He became an enemy of the west, persecuting and killing dissenters and isolating his country for much of the world. He clashed with ten U.S. presidents, from Dwight Eisenhower to George W. Bush. In 1962, the Cuban missile crisis nearly started a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Charlie Rose is in Havana with how Castro's death might change the communist country 90 miles south of Florida. Charlie, good morning.
CHARLIE ROSE: Good morning. The mood here is quiet and subdued as this island nation of 11 million people tries to come to terms with Fidel Castro's death. For nearly half a century, he controlled just about every aspect of their life. Fidel Castro's death marks the end of an era, whether it is the start of a new one for Cuba remains to be seen. Illness forced Castro to transfer his powers to his brother Raul in 2006 and hand over the presidency in 2008. Though his iron fist no longer ruled Cuba, the 90-year-old was still a potent symbol of the revolution. What was the best thing he did for the Cuban people?
MAN ON THE STREET: I mean, education, health have been free for the people.
ROSE: Health and education?
MAN ON THE STREET: Of course.
ROSE: Will it change without Fidel?
MAN ON THE STREET: I don't really worry about it. I don't.
ROSE: After his 1959 overthrow of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista —
VOICE: Fidel Castro, Face the Nation
ROSE: — Castro appeared on Face the Nation.
FIDEL CASTRO: What we want now is peace. What we want now is to pay attention to our things.
ROSE: Some Cubans wonder if Raul Castro will now pursue a modified capitalism and democratic reforms. These women are wives and mothers of jail dissidents. [Rose translates] “We are going to continue with the dictator Raul Castro who will do the same thing Fidel did,” Berta Soler said. “Those two did the same things together.” President Barack Obama reestablished diplomatic ties with Havana and loosened the travel ban in 2009. President-elect Donald Trump called Fidel a brutal dictator and said he may roll back some of President Obama's policies.
Under Raul Castro, younger Cubans saw a taste of American-style freedom. The last time I was sear, Diplo stood on this stage in an electronic dance concert watched by some 400,000 people. Tonight, a city in mourning. There is less partying and more sense of remembering the man who founded the revolution. “There could be change,” this man said, “or maybe things will remain the same.”
But many believe Fidel Castro's death is a time for mourning and a consideration of Cuba's future. The government has not released many details about Castro's death. We still do not know the cause of his death. For example. For his part, Raul Castro says he intends to step down in 2018. Here is what is interesting here: Whether you love Fidel Castro because of what he did in education and health care, or hate him because of civil rights and human rights, there is no doubt that he is considered here a revolutionary hero. Not only in Cuba, but in many place around the world, and also for his defiance of the United States.
