Eyebrows were raised at Cop26 on Monday when a veteran US news anchor announced he would be covering the climate summit from Edinburgh – 47 miles east of Glasgow.
Wolf Blitzer, a news anchor with CNN, wrote on Twitter that he was reporting from Edinburgh in Scotland, “where 20,000 world leaders and delegates have gathered for the Cop26”.
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. pic.twitter.com/BGTAeU5cBy
— Wolf Blitzer (@wolfblitzer) November 1, 2021
His tweet was roundly mocked, given that the Cop26 conference was actually being held in Glasgow, more than an hour’s drive from the CNN base in the centre of Edinburgh.
Byline Times’s chief Westminster correspondent, Adam Bienkov, replied with a map of Scotland, while Specsavers got in on the act, telling Blitzer that he “should’ve gone to Glasgow”.
A parody Boris Johnson account quipped: “You seem to have all the necessary attributes to become my next Foreign Secretary.”
Rumours have swirled around the conference that a mix-up at the White House left several American media teams based miles away from Glasgow.
The Guardian has contacted the White House Correspondents’ Association for a response.
But it wasn’t the only example of American journalists getting confused about the geography of Scotland in the opening days of the global climate summit.
Reuters’ White House correspondent Jeff Mason tweeted a picture of the US president, Joe Biden’s arrival in Scotland for Cop26, with the caption: “Arrived in Glasgow.”
However, it wasn’t long before it was pointed out to him that Air Force One had actually touched down at Edinburgh airport.
Edinburgh airport’s social media team saw the funny side, replying: “Jeff, you have no idea what you’ve done … Welcome to Edinburgh, and Scotland!”
The Reuters reporter did correct himself just minutes later though, writing: “Correction: arrived in Edinburgh. The president is motorcading now to Glasgow.”
Meanwhile, Channel 4 News’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy rubbed salt in the wounds by airing his displeasure at his American colleagues’ pronunciation of Glasgow.
He wrote: “Dear American and other friends – it’s pronounced Glas-go not glas-gow. Watching everyone get it wrong on US news channels is painful.”
The Cop26 summit, hit this morning by huge queues for delegates, continues until 12 November.
