>>> AND WE’VE GOT MORE BREAKING NEWS FROM THE WHITE HOUSE.
LET’S GO RIGHT TO NBC WHITE
HOUSE CORRESPONDENT KRISTEN
WELKER.
WELKER. KRISTEN, YOU AND PETER.
WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?
WHAT’S GOING ON?
>> Reporter: WE HAVE MAJOR
BREAKING NEWS, AND PETER IS HERE
TO HELP ME BREAK IT.
WE’RE CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF
YOU AND YOUR GROUNDBREAKING
CAREER HERE AT NBC.
>> Reporter: THIS IS A LITTLE
BIT OF A PROM PICTURE THAT WE’RE
TAKING TOGETHER.
TAKING TOGETHER. YOU, ANDREA, HAVE PAVED THE WAY
FOR A GENERATION OF JOURNALISTS,
YOU HAVE SET THE HIGHEST BAR.
YOU ASK THE TOUGHEST QUESTIONS,
YOU REALLY ARE THE ALL STAR IN
THE ENTIRE NBC FAMILY.
>> Reporter: IT’S TRUE.
AND JUST ON A PERSONAL NOTE,
YOU’RE ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO
INSPIRED
INSPIRED INSPIRED ME.
INSPIRED ME. >> YOU GUYS.
>> Reporter: YOU’RE MY MENTOR
AND DEAR, DEAR FRIEND.
>> Reporter: AS IT TURNS OUT,
WE’RE NOT THE ONLY WAY THAT
FEELS THIS WAY.
THEY WANT TO CELEBRATE YOU
TODAY, TO THANK YOU FOR BEING A
TRAILBLAZER AND BEING A PART OF
JOURNALISTIC HISTORY.
JOURNALISTIC HISTORY. TAKE A LOOK.
♪
♪
>> ANDREA, YOU ARE SUCH AN INSPIRATION TO THE WHOLE NBC
NEWS FAMILY AND TO EVERY SINGLE
JOURNALIST WHO SHARES IN YOUR
TIRELESS PURSUIT OF THE TRUTH.
>> THANK YOU FOR BLAZING THE
TRAIL FOR US AND SO MANY WOMEN
IN THIS BUSINESS.
WE WOULD NOT BE ANYWHERE WITHOUT
YOU.
YOU. >> I WAS A VIEWER FOR MANY YEARS
BEFORE WE BEGAN WORKING
TOGETHER, AN ADMIRER FROM AFAR
OF YOUR WORK ETHIC, YOUR
PERSISTENCE, AND COMMITMENT TO
THE TRUTH.
THE TRUTH. YOU HAVE BEEN A ROLE MODEL TO ME
AND MORE PEOPLE IN THIS BUSINESS
THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW.
>> CONGRATULATIONS, ANDREA, 40
YEARS ON NBC NEWS.
KEEP GOING FOR IT.
WE NEED YOU NOW EVER.
>> THIS MILESTONE IS A TETSTAMEN
TO YOUR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION
AND I ALSO ENJOY SPEAKING WITH
YOU AND LOOK FORWARD TO MORE
YEARS OF YOUR PROFESSIONALISM
AND GREAT REPORTING.
>> ANDREA, A FAN EVEN WHEN YOU
TORMENTED HIM.
TORMENTED HIM. >> I CAN REMEMBER THE DAYS IN
THE EARLY ’80s WHEN YOU WERE
JUST A CUP REPORTER AND I WAS
CHIEF OF STAFF FOR RONALD REAGAN
IN HIS FIRST TERM AND I REMEMBER
WHAT A WONDERFUL REPORTER YOU
WERE, A HELL OF A REPORTER, IN
FACT.
FACT. >> I HAVE SO APPRECIATED
LISTENING TO YOU AND I HAVE
LOVED BEING ON YOUR PROGRAM, BUT
MOST OF ALL, I HAVE LOVED OUR
FRIENDSHIP, SO BEST WISHES TO
YOU AND 40 MORE TO GO.
>> ANDREA, I REMEMBER THE FIRST
TIME YOU EVER INTERVIEWED ME AS
PART OF A POOL INTERVIEW.
AND I DID A GREAT JOB FOR 25
MINUTES.
MINUTES. I THOUGHT I WAS GREAT.
AND THEN YOU CAME BACK IN TO SEE
ME LATER THIS DAY AND SAY YOU
LOOKED AT EVERY SINGLE WORD AND
I HAD SAID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
THAT WAS RIGHT, THAT WAS MY
INTENTION.
INTENTION. YOU NEVER LET ME DO THAT AGAIN,
ANDREA.
ANDREA. >> CONGRATULATIONS TO ANDREA ON
FOUR DECADES OF SERVICE AT NBC
NEWS, 40 YEARS OF HOLDING PUBLIC
OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE AND
INFORMING PEOPLE IN THE SERVICE
OF DEMOCRACY AT HOME AND ABROAD.
>> AMERICA IS IN GOOD HANDS WHEN
ANDREA’S ON THE JOB, PROTECT THE
PEOPLE’S RIGHT TO KNOW AND SHE’S
DONE THIS ALL OVER THE WORLD AND
THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS, ALL
OF HER COLLEAGUES ARE IN AWE OF
HER ENDLESS, ENDLESS ENERGY AND
DETERMINATION TO GET THE ANSWER
THAT THEY DESERVE.
>> ANDREA, WE GO BACK A LONG WAY
TO YOUR DAYS AT KYU IN
PHILADELPHIA.
PHILADELPHIA. YOU ALWAYS SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER.
I THINK IF YOUNG REPORTERS ARE
LOOKING FOR AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT A
REPORTER SHOULD BE, IT’S YOU.
THEY SHOULD TAKE A LOOK AT YOU
AND YOUR CAREER.
YOU’RE KNOWLEDGEABLE.
YOU’RE KNOWLEDGEABLE. YOU NEVER ASK QUESTIONS YOU
DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER TO.
YOU’RE ALWAYS PREPARED.
AS I SAID, YOU’RE COMPLETELY
STRAIGHT DOWN THE LINE.
I’VE ADMIRED YOU FOR A LONG
TIME, EVEN WHEN WE DISAGREED.
YOU’RE FIRST RATE.
I THINK YOU’RE THE MODEL FOR
YOUNG REPORTERS.
YOUNG REPORTERS. WE NEED MORE LIKE ANDREA.
>> ANDREA, MY REACTION TO
HEARING YOU WERE CELEBRATING 40
YEARS AT NBC NEWS IS THE SAME AS
DAN COATS’ REACTION TO HEARING
ABOUT A WHITE HOUSE MEETING WITH
PUTIN.
PUTIN. THAT’S GOING TO BE SPECIAL.
CONGRATULATIONS, ANDREA.
>> ANDREA, THOSE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE PEOPLE WHO YOU HAVE
IMPACTED OVER THE YEARS.
SO MANY HAVE SAID THIS
ACCURATELY, YOU HAVE INSPIRED AN
ENTIRE GENERATION OF
JOURNALISTS.
JOURNALISTS. >> WE THANK YOU NOT JUST FOR
YOUR PROFESSIONAL MENTORSHIP BUT
YOUR PERSONAL FRIENDSHIP,
CELEBRATING PERSONAL JOYS IN OUR
LIVES AS WELL.
TODAY REALLY IS ABOUT
CELEBRATING YOU.
CELEBRATING YOU. SO HOW, HAVING SEEN THOSE FACES,
HOW DOES TODAY FEEL, HOW DOES
THIS FEEL?
THIS FEEL? >> IT JUST, IT FEELS AMAZING TO
HAVE MY MSNBC FAMILY AND MY NBC
FAMILY AND TO HAVE THE TWO OF
YOU AND ALL YOUR COLLEAGUES ON
OUR WHITE HOUSE TEAM AND HALLIE
JACKSON AND EVERYONE ELSE WHOM
I’VE COVERED OVER THESE YEARS
AND I’M JUST EXCITED ABOUT THE
STORY WE ARE NOW COVERING, ALL
THE STORIES WE’RE NOW COVERING
HERE AND ABROAD.
AND HERE’S TO THE NEXT, WHATEVER
THEY ARE.
THEY ARE. >> WHATEVER THEY ARE.
WELL, ANDREA, PETER AND I WERE
TALKING ABOUT ALL OF THE LESSONS
WE’VE LEARNED FROM YOU AND I
THINK FOR ME SOME OF THEM ARE
PERSISTENCE, BEING PREPARED.
YOU HEARD SOME OF THE FOLKS
TALKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF
THAT.
THAT. >> I THINK THAT’S EXACTLY RIGHT.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS THERE’S
NOBODY WHO’S BETTER PREPARED
THAN ANDREA.
THAN ANDREA. I REMEMBER THE OLD DAYS WE WOULD
HAVE THESE MEETINGS AND I WOULD
SAY, HEY, A SOURCE FAMILIAR WITH
JOHN KERRY’S THINKING OR
SOMEBODY’S THINKING IS TELLING
ME THIS AND ANDREA WOULD SAY, SO
I JUST HUNG UP WITH JOHN KERRY
AND HE TELLS ME THE FOLLOWING.
I THINK I WOULD GO WITH HER
SOURCE ON THIS ONE.
>> ANDREA, WHERE DID YOU LEARN
EVERYTHING THAT YOU KNOW ABOUT
BEING A GREAT JOURNALISTS?
>> I HAD REALLY GREAT MENTORS.
YOU SAW SOME OF THEM.
CERTAINLY TOM AND BRIAN AND
LESTER AND ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES
HERE AT NBC AND I LEARNED FROM
YOU.
YOU. I LEARNED FROM WATCHING YOU
GUYS.
GUYS. WATCHING YOU AT THE WHITE HOUSE
AND BRIEFINGS AND WHEN THE
PRESIDENT WANDERS OUT.
SO PETER AND KRISTEN, THE WHOLE
TEAM THERE, INCREDIBLE TEAM AT
THE WHITE HOUSE AND ON THE HILL
FOR US, I LEARN EVERY DAY FROM
ALL OF YOU.
>> WELL, ANDREA, WE JUST FEEL SO
FORTUNATE AND SO HONORED TO BE
ABLE TO WORK WITH YOU.
WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT
ALL OF THOSE CLIPS WE JUST
SHOWED WAS THAT PICTURE OF YOU
LAUGHING AND SMILING AND I THINK
THAT’S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
THE GENERAL PUBLIC DOESN’T KNOW
IS WE JUST HAVE SO MUCH FUN
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. WE HAVE SO MUCH FUN WORKING WITH
YOU.
YOU. THAT’S SOMETHING WE FEEL SO
THANKFUL FOR.
THANKFUL FOR. >> WORKING RELENTLESSLY.
>> AND MY THANKS TO ALL OF MY
PALS HERE, MICHELLE, PERRY, OUR
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, AND CASEY
DOLAN AND ERICA, OUR WHOLE TEAM
OF EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE HERE
THAT PUT THIS SHOW ON EVERY DAY.
THANKS TO YOU.
>> WE LOVE YOU, ANDREA.
>> THANKS FOR LETTING US BE A
PART OF IT.
WE LOVE YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
WE’LL BE RIGHT BACK.
>> I’M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW
HAVE YOU BEEN AT NBC FOR 40
YEARS WHEN YOU’RE 39 YEARS OLD.
I JUST DON’T GET IT.
I DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW YOU --
I’VE DONE IT, BUT YOU’RE ANDREA
MITCHELL AND YOU ALWAYS MAKE THE
IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE.
IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE. ANDREA, I LOVE YOU.
YOU’RE SOMEONE I LOOK UP TO,
CONTINUE TO LOOK UP TO.
THANKS FOR BEING YOU.