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CNN's Wolf Blitzer trolled mercilessly for COP26 gaffe!

Blizter tweeted he was reporting from Edinbugh, when in fact the summit was being held in Glasgow, which is over 40 miles away, gets brutally trolled

CNN's veteran journalist Wolf Blitzer found himself the subject of some brutal trolling on November 1, after confusing the venue for the COP26 summit. Blitzer tweeted he was reporting from the venue of Edinburgh, when in fact the summit was taking place in Glasgow, 46 miles away. While many were quick to spot and troll the journalist for the error, others rushed to defend him noting that Glasgow was already incredibly packed, necessitating the move to the Scottish capital. 

The gaffe is the latest setback for the embattled news organization, which has found itself at the center of America's political divide. In May 2021, it was revealed CNN's senior correspondent Barbara Starr had her records secretly obtained by the Trump Justice Department. Months before that, the network became the center of a major scandal after Project Veritas exposed the anti-Trump bias of network execs. In June, CNN was sued by Pastor Greg Locke for its coverage of him.

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But through all the turmoil, Blitzer has remained a constant and calming presence on-air, has reported some of the biggest stories over the past year. To cover the much-talked-about climate summit, he also traveled to Scotland, but it appears the wrong city. He tagged himself in Edinburgh, the capital city, which as the net was quick to point out was not the venue for the summit.

'I’m now reporting from Edinburgh'

On November 1, Blitzer tweeted, "I’m now reporting from Edinburgh in Scotland where 20,000 world leaders and delegates have gathered for the COP26 Climate Summit. COP, by the way, stands for “Conference of the Parties.” It’s the 26th time they have gathered to discuss and take action on this critical issue." Along with that tweet, he also attached a photo of himself at a makeshift studio, with the background of Edinburgh castle. 

While many were quick to troll him, there seems to be more rational reasoning for his choice of location. With world leaders and attendees filling up hotels in Glasgow, other people (including the media) have been forced to camp elsewhere, with Edinburgh being an ideal alternative. The capital city is where Air Force One landed, and where many world leaders first touched down, before moving to Glasgow. 

But, for a veteran like the 76-year-old Blitzer to confuse the cities seems unforgivable. And social media was quick to take advantage of that, poking fun at the journalist for not accurately reporting the venue.

'Do you often report on what's happening in Washington from Baltimore?'

"Forgive me if I get my information from a news organization that managed to go to the right city," one person replied to Blitzer. British eyewear brand Specsavers quickly won the net with its response, "Should've gone to Glasgow." One person asked, "The distance from Edinburgh to Glasgow is the same as the distance from Baltimore to Washington D.C. Do you often report on what's happening in Washington from Baltimore?"

"Wolf Blitzer covering the Glasgow conference from Edinburgh is the rough equivalent of a Scottish journalist reporting “live from New York” in Philly," one person tweeted. A parody account of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson commented, "You seem to have all the necessary attributes to become my next Foreign Secretary." Another noted, "Wolf Blitzer reinforcing the belief that American hubris makes them embarrassingly ignorant of the rest of the world. You’re in the wrong city." One person replied, "this reminds me of that time I went to NYC to visit the White House."

Nearly 24 since the tweet was put up, Blitzer hasn't corrected it, nor has he issued an apology. CNN too hasn't commented on the fast-growing controversy. Blitzer did, however, correct the venue to Glasgow in a later tweet, so it does seem like he learned his lesson.