A firestorm of criticism followed CNN’s decision to call the visit to a Greek island by the President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, a “provocation.”
The video piece by veteran CNN correspondent Nic Roberston who has covered Greece often, was originally headlined “Greek president provokes Turkey by visiting tiny island at center of dispute.”
Twitter went crazy with dozens upon dozens of Tweets, criticizing the headline writers at CNN, asking why it saw it as a “provocation” that the President of a country visited that country’s own sovereign territory.
The Greek Analyst, a popular Twitter handle run by an unknown but well-read individual on all matters pertaining to Greece with a large following asked in a Tweet “Since when is the visit of the Greek President to a Greek island a provocation? An egregious title, playing right into Ankara’s propaganda game. @NicRobertsonCNN — who conducted an interview with calm and measured @PresidencyGR — should know better.”
The Greek Analyst concluded in a multi-Tweet thread that “Kastellorizo is not just “an island”. Kastellorizo is a Greek island. Kastellorizo is not “500 km away” from Greece’s mainland. Kastellorizo is 0 kilometers, 0 meters, 0 centimeters, and 0 millimeters away from Greece. Kastellorizo is Greece. Period.
Other Tweets, including one from the personal profile of Gregory Pappas, publisher of The Pappas Post, generated dozens of retweets and comments.
“CNN why is it a provocation to visit one’s own sovereign territory? There is no dispute RE: #Kastellorizo It’s a Greek island. The real provocations come from madman @RTErdogan,” Pappas Tweeted.
After the outcry by thousands, CNN changed the headline of the article to: “Greek president visits tiny island at center of eastern Mediterrean dispute, angering Turkey.”
CNN’s Before and After Headlines of the Same Article:
