Latvia to probe into misleading CNN story

RIGA - An inaccurate story about New Year traditions in Latvia made by Russia's ORT television and aired on CNN has caught the attention of the Latvian Foreign Ministry. Latvian officials will now launch an investigation into the story's details and origin.

As CNN had commissioned the story from ORT, the ministry will turn to the U.S. broadcaster to explain Latvia's opinion of the tape and point out the inadequacies contained in it, said ministry spokesman Vilmars Henins.

The story featured Latvians wearing national costumes and claimed the Baltic state marks Christmas mainly according to the Russian Orthodox calendar.

Footage of Latvians singing and dancing among the old homesteads of Riga's Open Air Ethnographic Museum came with notes at the bottom of the screen saying that according to the Russian Orthodox calendar the new year is celebrated on Jan. 14.

A voice-over said that Eastern Orthodox traditions prevailed during Christmas and New Year's festivities in Latvia.

A map revealing Latvia's geographical location showed Estonia and Lithuania in dark green and Latvia itself in gray - the same color used to depict both Russia and its Baltic enclave Kaliningrad.

Latvians are mostly Lutheran. Russian Orthodox believers are found mostly among the country's large Russian-speaking population.

In the conclusion of the story, the narrator said Latvians were among the greatest singers in the world, likely a reference to the country's traditional song festival, which draws many thousands of people to Latvia whenever it is held.