Here Is The Apology CNN Issued To Kenya After ‘Hotbed of Terror’ Slur
US’ Cable News Network (CNN) has eaten a humble pie after it labeled Kenya a hotbed of terror few days to the visit of US President Barack Obama to Kenya.
The international media house greatly erred when it to made a statement aimed at making Kenya look like it is the most insecure country in the world, a remark that greatly angered many Kenyans.
What followed was the famous hash tag #someonetellCNN which went very viral, attracting the attention of the globe.
And after a successful and peaceful trip to Kenya by Obama, the government cut links with CNN when it withdrew an advertising deal it had struck with the news network.
And now CNN has tendered a heartfelt apology after the mistake which greatly threatened its relationship with Kenya and Africa in general.
On Thursday, Tony Maddox, CNN’s global Executive Vice President and Managing Director flew all the way from Atlanta to Nairobi to personally apologise to President Uhuru Kenyatta and Kenyans.
Speaking to President Uhuru at State House, Maddox admitted that CNN’s reference to Kenya as a ‘Hotbed of Terror’ was both undeserved and ill-conceived.
President Uhuru with Maddox at State House
“We acknowledge there is a widespread feeling that the report annoyed many, which is why we pulled down the report as soon as we noticed. It wasn’t a deliberate attempt to portray Kenya negatively, it is regrettable and we shouldn’t have done it. There is a world at a war with extremists; we know what a hotbed of terror looks like, and Kenya isn’t one,” Maddox is quoted as saying.
President Kenyatta on the other hand said:
“Today I held a meeting with CNN’s Global Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Tony Maddox, who called on me at State House, Nairobi. He personally delivered an apology on behalf of CNN International and expressed deep regret after portraying Kenya as a ‘hotbed of terror’ ahead of a visit to Nairobi by President Barack Obama last month. He admitted that the description of Kenya as a “hotbed of terror” was both ill fitting and undeserved. I expressed my deep disappointment at the story not only on behalf of the government, but also because it angered the people of Kenya. I reiterated that the war on terror was a global threat, not exclusive to Kenya, and that Kenya’s troops and her people have made great sacrifices and still do, to keep Kenya and the region safe. In one stroke, CNN’s description of Kenya as a ‘hotbed of terror’ undermined the sacrifices made by our Kenyan troops, and the value of hundreds of lives lost, and relegated them to nothing. That’s why Kenyans, as expressed by those on Twitter, were so angry. Kenya is nothing like the countries that have real war. There was no reason to portray Kenya in that way.”
