This blogger is all for free expression, but Octavia Nasr crossed the line when posting a Tweet that seemed to show sympathy for a group that is considered a terror organization by the U.S. Government.
Over last weekend, Nasr Tweeted to say she was "sad" to hear of the passing of Lebanese Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah. Nasr called him "one of Hezbollah’s giants I respect I lot." What was she thinking? Her Tweet logically led HR to ask CNN if it supports a terror sympathizer and a group that "is committed to the destruction of Israel." HR also wanted to know which of Fadlallah's individual views does Nasr admire?
HR asked:
“Is it Fadlallah's praise for the massacre of eight Israeli students at Mercaz Ha-Rav Yeshiva in Jerusalem on March 6, 2008? Or perhaps it was the fatwa (religious opinion) to the suicide bomber who attacked the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983. Fadlallah supported the seizure and hostage-taking at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979, backed suicide bombing attacks in 2002, and praised Iran's efforts to build long-range missiles as the "pride of the Islamic world" in 2008.”
CNN cut Nasr on July 7, believing that her credibility in the Middle East is now compromised. It got that right. Nasr now says she made an "error of judgment" in writing "such a simplistic statement." She also noted that 140-character-limited Twitter is not the place to "comment on controversial or sensitive issues, especially those dealing with the Middle East."
Nasr got that right. She explains her respect for Fadlallah stemmed from his advocacy of women's rights.
HR has commended CNN for "standing up for journalistic standards." President Joe Hyams applauded the network for "acting swiftly and in the best interests of professional journalism."
Good work, HR.
