(Updated) *Respect Is Not Praise. CNN’s Octavia Nasr Gets Flak For “Respecting” Fadlallah

The Lebanese editor at CNN is getting all sorts of criticism, from Israel sympathizers (and from Lebanese kiss-asses) for posting the following on twitter:

“Sad to hear of the passing of Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah.. One of Hezbollah’s giants I respect a lot..#Lebanon”

The critics are using Ms. Nasr to kick CNN, but CNN would be making a terrible mistake if they fired her. Octavia not only knows Lebanon and the region very well, she is very popular with the Lebanese and Arabs on Twitter and the Blogosphere. She has painstakingly built personal relationships with the region’s online activists and she’s the go-to person whenever someone thinks they have a scoop. In fact, one can argue that her offending tweet is something all savvy networkers do all the time: Mirror her audience.

Whether the pro-Israelis in America like it or not, there is a general consensus in Lebanon of “respecting” Ayatollah Fadlallah, and Octavia Nasr, an excellent journalist, did what any professional would have done.

Update: Octavia explains what she meant in her own words. The good news it seems, is that no one is getting fired (for now).

Update2: The idiots fired her.

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