Octavia Nasr (Arabic: اوكتافيا نصر) (born 13 March 1966) is a Lebanese-American Rhetoric scholar and author whose research focuses on Yoga's identity and ethical code and how they apply to journalism and other fields.
[5] For more than 20 years, Nasr covered major stories involving the Middle East, as an on-air and off-air expert for CNN's global platforms.
Following the death of Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah on 4 July 2010, Nasr tweeted, "Sad to hear of the passing of Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah.. One of Hezbollah's giants I respect a lot..." Nasr fell victim of an astroturfing attack for this perceived show of sympathy and support for Hezbollah amid claims that her stated position was incompatible with her role at CNN as editor of news on the Middle East.
"[15] On the Huffington Post, columnist Magda Abu-Fadil wrote about coordinated online efforts to protest Nasr's comments and push for her dismissal.
[18] Glen Greenwald in Salon.com wrote, "That message spawned an intense fit of protest from Far Right outlets, Thought Crime enforcers, and other neocon precincts, and CNN quickly (and characteristically) capitulated to that pressure by firing her."
[19][20] On the other hand, Mediaite's Dan Abrams asked "Can you imagine what would happen to a U.S. journalist expressing admiration for an Al Qaeda leader who had other, better, attributes?
"[21] Others expressed concern over what they viewed as similar incidents, most notably Hearst syndicated columnist Helen Thomas retiring under criticism one month earlier.
[29][30] Dr. James Zogby, the president of the Arab American Institute, said, "the very public nature of Nasr’s firing was unwise for a network attempting to build a global audience.
"[31] Describing Nasr as "often the lone voice of reason" at CNN during Middle East crisis coverage, he warned that her firing sends a message "to Arabs around the world that their viewpoint doesn’t matter.
"[32] Orthodox Rabbi Shmuley Boteach wrote: "For people like... Nasr..., an imam like Fadlallah who wants to kill Americans and Israelis but who is unexpectedly nice to women has taken a giant leap forward from the Dark Ages, deserving respect and praise.
As Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer pointed out, this has dangerous consequences for both the implementation of policy and the policing of public thought (they were called anti-Semites for this).
"[38] While The Guardian writes: "Nasr is one of the more high-profile victims of a phenomenon known as "twittercide", comparing the incident with another controversy surrounding death of Fadlallah, namely a tribute to him which came from the UK ambassador to Beirut.