WASHINGTON – CNN has fired a senior editor for Middle East news after she published a Twitter message that said she respected a Lebanese Shia cleric who had been branded a terrorist by the United States, US and British media said yesterday.
The Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, one of Shia Islam’s highest religious authorities and an early mentor of the militant group Hizbullah, 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 Hizbullah’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 Ms Nasr and that “we have decided that she will be leaving the company”.
The ayatollah 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 the spiritual leader and mentor of Hizbullah 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 Ms 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 offence 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.
A BBC report said that Ms 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.” – (Reuters)