Veteran reporter Helen Thomas recently gave up her front-row seat in the White House briefing room after saying that Jews should leave Israel and “go home.”
Well that was her crime..
And that reaction from CNN was the absolute democracy and freedom of speech...
I am not writing this to defend Octavia, Hezbollah or Fadlallah...
I am writing only to ask why such mistakes can happen..
I am certainly writing to blame CNN
The mistake of Octavia was that despite she knows that Hezbollah and any person related directly or indirectly to this party is a red line to USA and all its affiliated organizations...
Of-course CNN is one of those organizations..
Her career was the cost of this mistake.
The mistake of CNN is that it fires an experienced and well informed reporter over a tweet she made about Hezbollah.... this will end Octavia career but promote well Hezbollah.
Actually.. people start wondering, how come Hezbollah a an extremist Islamic party, can be admired by a Christian reporter.
CNN itself kept her for 20 years and promoted her as follows:
" Octavia Nasr is CNN’s senior editor of Middle East affairs and a 25-year-veteran of the news business. A leader in integrating social media with news gathering and reporting, Nasr’s latest reporting on the elections in Iran and their fallout served as a backdrop to showcase her expertise in both traditional as well as social-media-driven content.
Nasr serves as an on-air and off-air analyst across all platforms of CNN Worldwide. She covers Middle East politics and current affairs, global terrorism and militant Islam. Her weekly Mideast Voices segment and her blogs offer a glimpse into the region rarely discussed on U.S. television.
Since she joined CNN, Nasr covered every major Middle East story. During the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, she traveled to the region and contributed to CNN’s award-winning coverage of the conflict. In 2005 she reported from Lebanon and Syria on The Cedar revolution and its regional repercussions. In 2003 she managed the 15-member Arab desk which coordinated coverage of the Iraq war, and provided CNN domestic and international audiences an inside look into Arab media and culture and how they viewed the conflict.
Nasr's experience and deep knowledge of the Middle East put her in the spotlight during CNN's coverage of September 11th and its aftermath. Shortly after the attacks, she spent months traveling in the Middle East region coordinating on-air appearances and forging exclusive newsgathering deals with media partners.
Nasr anchored CNN World Report and CNN International's World News from 1993 to 2003. Among the major stories she covered live were the Bosnian war, the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Japan’s Sarin gas attack, the Concorde crash, and every major step of the Middle East peace process.
Nasr is the recipient of the 2006 Excellence in Journalism award from the Lebanese-American Chamber of Commerce. She was honored CNN World Report’s 2003 Achievement Award for her numerous
contributions to the program. Her work has also brought her with her colleagues recognition and many prestigious awards including: Edward R. Murrow for Continuing Coverage of the 2006 war in Lebanon; Golden Cable ACE Award in 1993 for CNN’s coverage of the Gulf War; and Overseas Press Club Award in 2002 for CNN’s post 9-11 coverage.
Nasr joined CNN in 1990 and served as an editor on the international assignment desk coordinating coverage of the first Gulf War. Before joining CNN, she was a war correspondent for the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation. She reported from the front lines of the civil war during Lebanon's most dangerous times for journalists. Her journalism career began in 1985 as an assistant news director at LBC before becoming executive producer of news.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication arts. She is fluent in Arabic, English and French. "
On the other hand, the history of Husain Fadlallah, although linked him as a spiritual leader of Hezbollah, he is also considered as a moderate intellectual, who parted himself away of Hezbollah many years ago...however was requested to keep the title of Spiritual Leader.
The differences between Husain Fadlallah and the leadership of Hezbollah were no secret, but they both kept their respects towards each other.
And even if CNN logic is correct...
The man is dead.
Hezbollah is still on the same strategy and did not get any political advantage from Octavia's tweet.
Well may be a moral one..
So, why this happened?
If we have to accept the fact that CNN is an American channel, and must be sided with the American administration against the so called war on terror... then this case is not arguable.
But we do not see any official statement from USA government or White House about the Tweet of Octavia.
Actually, we see that some USA officials have made visits to the late Fadlallah in the past few years.
The only respond against the tweet of Octavia was from a Jewish organization, which immediately informed CNN and urged the news channel to take action..
The tweet was immediately picked up by supporters of Israel, to which the Islamic group is bitterly opposed. The Simon Wiesenthal Center in the US released a statement demanding Nasr "apologies to all victims of Hezbollah terrorism whose loved ones don't share her sadness over the passing of one of Hezbollah's giants".
The text was swiftly removed from her Twitter feed, but by then it had been heavily circulated, with criticism mounting.
They took the action the Jewish organization wanted..
Well CNN - Be the first to know that it is not Octavia's credibility for the Middle Eastern affairs has been compromised... it is your credibility for the Middle Eastern affairs that is compromised.
Sami Cherkaoui
What happened to her is beyond despicable. I think if a study was to be conducted on the amount of people losing their jobs over things they said on Twitter/Facebook it would show some serious numbers.
ReplyDeleteWhat ever happened to "Freedom of Speech"?
-Alz