CNN
Editor Fired After Tweeting 'Respect For Hezbollah Giant'
16 July 2010
By Gilad Atzmon
Octavia Nasr, a 20-year CNN veteran based in Atlanta,
wrote on Twitter that she respected the Grand
Ayatollah Mohaamed Hussein Fadlallah, who died in
Beirut on Sunday.
CNN has fired a senior editor for Middle East news
after she published a Twitter message that said she
respected a Lebanese Shi'ite cleric branded a
terrorist by the United States, U.S. and British media
said on Thursday.
The Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, one of
Shi'ite Islam's highest religious authorities and an
early mentor of the militant group Hezbollah, died in
Beirut on Sunday.
Octavia Nasr, a 20-year CNN veteran based in Atlanta,
wrote on Twitter: "Sad to hear of the passing of
Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah ... One of
Hezbollah's giants I respect a lot," the New York
Times reported.
Some supporters of Israel saw the Twitter posting
almost immediately and took issue with it, the Times
said. CNN officials were not immediately available to
speak to Reuters.
The Times cited Parisa Khosravi, the senior vice
president for CNN International Newsgathering, as
saying in an internal memorandum that she "had a
conversation" with Nasr and that "we have decided that
she will be leaving the company".
Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah speaking in
Beirut, April 14, 2009.
Photo by: AP
Fadlallah was a supporter of Iran's Islamic Revolution
and one of the first backers of the Iraqi Dawa Party
of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. He was also the
spiritual leader and mentor of Hezbollah when it was
formed after Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, though he
later distanced himself from its ties with Iran.
CNN officials became aware of Nasr's message on
Monday, and a spokesman said on Tuesday that it was an
"error of judgment" on her part, the Times reported.
"CNN regrets any offense her Twitter message caused.
It did not meet CNN's editorial standards. This is a
serious matter and will be dealt with accordingly,"
the spokesman said, according to the Times.
The BBC report said that Nasr wrote in a blog post on
Tuesday:
"Reaction to my tweet was immediate, overwhelming and
provides a good lesson on why 140 characters should
not be used to comment on controversial or sensitive
issues, especially those dealing with the Middle
East."
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