Following NBC Nightly News’ infomercial for Cuba on Wednesday night, on Thursday morning, NBC’s Today offered up more of the same as the network eagerly cheered the “historic talks” between the United States and Cuba.
In a live report from Havana, Andrea Mitchell, NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, boosted the talks and touted how “for these American college students from Brown University, studying in Havana, born after the Cold War, it's a chance to witness history.”
The NBC reporter began her coverage by hyping how “the president's new opening to Cuba is broadly popular according to our recent poll” before Mitchell brought on three American students currently studying in Cuba to beam at the change in America’s policy towards the communist nation:
The dawn of a new era between the United States and Cuba. For these American college students from Brown University, studying in Havana, born after the Cold War, it's a chance to witness history. But living with Cubans means living without social media.
The NBC reporter then turned to the three American students to wonder “how is it to be a young person without Wi-Fi?” Mitchell did interview one Cuban resident who slammed the Castro regime for their “huge limitations for young Cubans to have a home of their own and things like that” before she immediately turned to two other Cubans who championed the new policy:
RAFAEL FERNANDEZ: If both sides respect their systems, that's the bottom line, a lot of things will go forward.
MARITZA CORRALES: We’ll eradicate whatever the mistrust is and then we will build a new relationship from scratch.
While the NBC reporter did her best to play up the “popular” support for America’s new policy towards Cuba, Mitchell did concede that “most-challenging for the Cuban government, say observers, universal access to the internet, exposing more Cubans to a wider world, even as a Russian spy ship in Havana's harbor today was a lingering reminder of Cuba's past.”
Mitchell concluded the network’s promotion of the Cuba talks by insisting that “the question now is how quickly they can overcome the mistrust of the past and agree on an entirely new future for our two countries.”
Andrea Mitchell’s Thursday morning report struck a similar tone to her coverage on Wednesday night when she beamed that her whole experience in Cuba had been “pretty cool.” Nightly News anchor Brian Williams proclaimed “we witnessed something here today after a long night’s journey that started when the President finished last night in Washington.”
See relevant transcript below.
NBC’s Today
January 22, 2015
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Meantime, it's day two of those historic talks in Havana, Cuba, focused on re-establishing diplomatic ties between our two countries. And while the opening round was said to be productive, some big obstacles still remain. NBC’s Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell is in Havana this morning. Andrea good morning to you.
ANDREA MITCHELL: Good morning, Savannah. Well, the president's new opening to Cuba is broadly popular according to our recent poll, but, in fact, when American and Cuban diplomats sit down to actually talk about normalizing relations, which start today, neither side knows what to expect. The dawn of a new era between the United States and Cuba. For these American college students from Brown University, studying in Havana, born after the Cold War, it's a chance to witness history.
HANNAH COLE: I’m excited to see the culture preserved and I’m excited to be a part of this moment in history.
FRANCES AQUINO: I’m really intrigued by the political history it has with the U.S.
MITCHELL: But living with Cubans means living without social media. How is it to be a young person without Wi-Fi?
ADAM ROSENBERG: Being unable to contact my parents or my professors. I don’t have any way to set up internships for the summer. I'm just kind of out here alone.
MITCHELL: For some Cubans like Eloy Costa, change isn't coming fast enough.
ELOY COSTA: We have better chances of raising a family if we left the country. There’s huge limitations for young Cubans to have a home of their own and things like that.
MITCHELL: Retired banker Rafael Fernandez and his wife Maritza [sic] Corales believe the talks will produce change.
RAFAEL FERNANDEZ: If both sides respect their systems, that's the bottom line, a lot of things will go forward.
MARITZA CORRALES: We’ll eradicate whatever the mistrust is and then we will build a new relationship from scratch.
MITCHELL: Led by two strong women, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson and a powerful Cuban diplomat Josefina Vidal, the immediate focus is opening embassies in Havana and Washington, negotiating regular commercial flights, which could take longer, perhaps up to a year. Then banking, credit, financial ties. Most-challenging for the Cuban government, say observers, universal access to the internet, exposing more Cubans to a wider world, even as a Russian spy ship in Havana's harbor today was a lingering reminder of Cuba's past. And so the question now is how quickly they can overcome the mistrust of the past and agree on an entirely new future for our two countries. Back to you, Savannah and Matt.
GUTHRIE: Andrea Mitchell in Cuba for us, thank you.
