NBC NEWS AND MSNBC TO FEATURE WEEK-LONG SERIES ON THE STATE OF U.S. & CHINA’S RELATIONSHIP

Thursday — Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt to Discuss Big Tech & China’s Censorship Rules 

 ‘Behind the Wall’ to Air All This Week Across TODAY, NBC Nightly News, MSNBC, NBCNews.com & NBC News NOW

October 18, 2021 – NBC News and MSNBC will air a series of reports all this week on the relationship between the United States and China, including the military, economic and social rivalries. Behind the Wall airs across TODAY, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, MSNBC, NBCNews.com and NBC News NOW.

On Thursday, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt will sit down with NBC News correspondent Jacob Ward to discuss the intersection of big tech and China’s censorship rules. Schmidt will also reveal the ethical dilemmas he faced as the head of Google. The interview will air on MSNBC and NBC News NOW, with a preview airing that morning on TODAY

Additionally, NBC News correspondent Janis Mackey Frayer will report from Beijing throughout the week. On Friday’s NBC Nightly News, she will report on why the Chinese government is cracking down on its tech universe, including sweeping new controls on everything from online touring to internet fan clubs. 

Additional programming throughout the week will include:

  • Reporting for NBC Nightly News tonight, October 18, from China’s Port in Greece, NBC News correspondent Keir Simmons will explore China’s infrastructure investments around the world.
  • Ward will also speak with the CEO of Intel about how the United States can end its dependence on imported microchips. The interview will air Thursday on NBC Nightly News and NBC News NOW.
  • On TODAY, NBC News’ Kerry Sanders will exclusively report, in partnership with researchers at Oxford University’s Internet Institute, on Beijing’s influence campaign. Sanders will also look at the upcoming 50th anniversary of panda exchanges between the United States and China.
  • On MSNBC, NBC News Pentagon correspondent Courtney Kube will preview The Pentagon’s China Military report. 
  • NBC News’ Josh Lederman will have exclusive access on NBC News NOW to the only operational lithium mine in the United States, as he explores whether the United States can catch up with China as the world shifts from fossil fuels to renewable energy. On NBCNews.com, Lederman will also report on the status of a collaboration between both countries on climate change. 
  • Following The Department of Justice charging Chinese academics with espionage-related charges, NBC News’ Ken Dilanian will speak with a researcher in Cleveland who was criminally charged for not disclosing his ties to China. Dilanian will investigate for NBC News NOW the prosecutorial overreach that may exist in some of these cases. 
  • NBC News’ Dave Ingram and Jason Abbruzzese will report for NBCNews.com on pushback to the administration’s potential plans to create a hub, known as a “national cloud,” for AI research in the United States.  
  • On NBCNews.com, NBC News’ Dan De Luce will look at how China grew into a superpower during the past two decades, as the United States focused on terrorism after 9/11.
  • As China hardens its approach to Taiwan, NBCNews.com will report on China’s extreme lengths to convince the world the island is not a country. NBCNews.com will also feature coverage of how China is collecting travel data from Americans, as well as how Chinese families are feeling about the country banning school tutors.   

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 For more information:

Dominique Donahue

NBC News

Dominique.Donahue@nbcuni.com

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