NPR: Loose Lips Sink Lebanese Anchorwoman

Loose Lips Sink Lebanese Anchorwoman

For this week's last call, we turn to Lebanese TV.

I've been around radio and TV mics often enough to know that, just because you think you're not on the air, that doesn't mean your microphone has been turned off. I once accidentally turned on the mics of several CBC radio hosts while they were engaged in a rather spirited round of profanities, for instance. Only the actions of a quick-thinking engineer saved us all from disaster.

But a loose tongue -- and the worldwide effect of YouTube -- did prove disastrous for one Lebanese anchorwoman.

Reporting on the assassination of Lebanese parliamentarian Walid Eido, the anchorwoman, who thought her mic was off, wondered why it had taken so long to kill him and speculated about who would be next. The video clip of her comments and laughter made it to YouTube and sparked outrage around the world.

NBN, the station where she worked, announced today that they had fired her and a colleague for the comments.

We'll see you Monday. I'm off to enjoy Father's Day. Here's a humor piece I wrote for The Christian Science Monitor a few years ago about being a dad. All lessons learned still apply. Don't forget to e-mail newsblog@npr.org if you see a good idea.

4:43 PM ET | 06-15-2007 | permalink

Comments

I employ two guys from Lebanon(Hani and Hazem)and sub-lease a hookah house to their parents. They are warm and wonderful people; I should know, I'm a Kansan. They grieve for their country. Don't forget, folks. Hatred and callousness are a result of environmental conditions, not genetics.

Sent by jordan shelton | 10:10 PM ET | 06-15-2007

This post leaves me curious about the motivations of the anchor woman. Was she happy about the death of this parlimentarian? Or was she satiring the fact that Libyans or some group is out to kill politicians and that is a fact in Lebanon?

Sent by Ed P. Gackston, III | 11:53 PM ET | 06-15-2007

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