The American news giant, CNN, has reshaped the world a bit in their live coverage of events in Ukraine. The eastern part of the European country got pinned miles and miles away from where it actually is – in Pakistan.
CNN was reporting Sunday about independence referendums in Ukraine’s eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk while also using a map to indicate the country’s geographical location. Apparently by mistake, the arrow with Ukrainian flag on top was pointing to Pakistan, South Asia.
The error was quickly spotted by sharp-eyed viewers, one of whom snapped the TV screen and published the image on Twitter. Quite predictably, the post has gone viral with hundreds of users retweeting the picture and marking it as “favorite”.
CNN made my day by placing Eastern Ukraine into Pakistan. Only on CNN. @atikaCNN@npwcnn@ErrolCNNpic.twitter.com/bNISb1KbJo
— Russian Market (@russian_market) May 11, 2014
Even the fact that instantly after that the channel correctly marked Slavyansk and Donetsk – where CNN journalists are located for coverage – did not save the situation.
This is not the first time CNN has bombed on Twitter with revised maps. Last year, the top US news channel placed Hong-Kong wrong in South America.
Oh no, CNN--that's not where Hong Kong is! pic.twitter.com/uCct4WsbOh
— Traci Lee (@traciglee) October 7, 2013
Before that, the cable network outraged the Brits after its on-air map relocated their capital London miles to the north-east, in Norfolk.
US TV knowledge of Britain. pic.twitter.com/DOv2XuqxTj
— David Eckhoff (@theroyalfactor) February 9, 2014
The Ukraine mistake, however, fits into a pattern. A recent poll revealed that only 16 percent of Americans could correctly identify Ukraine on a map, with the median respondent being about 1,800 miles off. Some people thought Ukraine could be located as far south as Argentina or Australia, or as far north as Finland.
Interestingly enough, those who could not correctly spot the continent where Ukraine is located, were more likely to support American military intervention to resolve the ongoing political crisis in the former Soviet republic.