Šis un tas
The Balkans
A headline on the Web site of the Evansville Courier & Press confuses the Balkans and the Baltics.
March 23, 2006
Latvia should just quit the Baltic family and move in with the Balkans down south. Some folks already think the country is part of the Balkans, and the Balkans generally are warmer, too.
The latest example comes from the March 23 edition of the Evansville Courier & Press in Indiana. A story by Washington, D.C., correspondent Mara Lee examines Rep. John Shimkus, a Republican member of Congress from Illinois. The headline announces “Balkan heritage behind Shimkus’ status” and the representative is described in the story as “co-chairman of the House’s Balkan caucus.”
Shimkus, whose ancestry is Lithuanian, is co-chair of the House Baltic caucus.
It’s a common error, but one that seems to appear less frequently than it used to. When we Googled “Latvia” and “Balkan” together, we found only a few errors.
We were delighted to locate Michael Tarm’s review on Baltics Worldwide of press coverage of U.S. President George W. Bush’s visit to Latvia last year. While Tarm’s story highlighted the splash the Baltics made in the Western press as a result of the president’s visit, it also pointed out some problems, including an error in a headline posted on the Web site of National Public Radio. NPR has since changed the headline that once read “Bush Visits Latvia, Hails Balkan Democracy.”
A site for travelers and food lovers, The Worldwide Traveler, notes that Latvia is “sandwiched between its Balkan neighbors Estonia and Lithuania.”
Heavy metal music’s Bast Magazine, in a look at Latvian band Heaven Grey, remarked that Latvia is part of the Balkan states and that it’s next to the Balkan Sea.
We also found confusion about the Balkans and the Baltics on Web pages emanating from such organizations as UNESCO and the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
As we write this, it’s zero Celsius in Rīga. In Ljubljana, Slovenia, it’s 5 degrees. In Dubrovnik, Croatia, it’s 12 degrees. The Balkans are calling.
— Andris Straumanis
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Comments about this article
Inta Gotelli
Also -- AFS (American Field Service) in their 2004 (if I remember right) calendar featured their exchange students around the world - and on the Lativa page of the three "Baltic" references one was "Balkan" -- a mixup on the same page!!!! I sent the page back to them with a note but never heard back (My daughter was an AFS exchange student some time ago...) Needless to say they have not received any more contributions from us!
31 Mar 2006 (United States)
Emil Sveilis
When I was a United Press International (UPI) foreign correspondent in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) in the mid-1970s, several important members of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee visited the U.S. Consulate general on a so-called fact finding junket. I was invited along to the reception. One of the congressmen asked me about my coverage area in the Soviet Union. "From Murmansk through the Baltic states," I replied. "Ah, yes, he replied. The Balkans. Tito country. A bad ass, but we can live with him." I nodded and went to get another drink. End story.
06 Apr 2006 (Latvia)
Astra Moors
Laikraksta "Los Angeles Times" 1993. gada 30 janvāra numurā vēstuļu nodaļā bija ievietota kāda lasītāja vēstule ar virsrakstu "U. S. Intervention in the Baltic"! Rakstītājs bija Alexander P. Vucelic no Longbīčas, šķiet, lietuvietis, un pirmā teikumā viņš piemin " analysis of Balkan events". "Gudro" virsrakstu, vēstuli kārtīgi neizlasot, izdomāja kāds redaktors.
30 May 2006 (United States)
Jaunutis Burbulis
It never ceases to amaze me how provincial Americans are.
13 Jun 2008 (United States)
ilona Cekauskaite-Foley
tsk! tsk! tsk! Our immature media still lacks simple geographical knowledge.
17 Jun 2008 (United States)