Context:
In the wake of the 2013 Boston Marathon tragedy, Arkansas state senator Nate Bell turned to his personal Twitter account to offer the following statement:
“I wonder how many Boston liberals spent the night cowering in their homes wishing they had an AR-15 with a hi-capacity magazine? #2A”
— Nate Bell (@NateBell4AR) April 19, 2013 Continue reading
Context:
Accused of participating in a food scandal by including some horse meat in their beef products, UK supermarket giant Tesco sent a tweet from their account that was ill-timed. The tweet, which posted to more than 47,000 followers, said: “It’s sleepy time so we’re off to hit the hay! See you at 8 am for more #TescoTweets.” The following day, the store apologized for the tweet with the hay pun, saying it was “scheduled” for posting before the company knew about the horsemeat issue.
Apologia:
Via Twitter: “I’m terribly sorry. That tweet was scheduled before we knew of the current situation.” Continue reading
Context:
The University of Southern California’s freshman football player Leonard Williams tweeted his opinion about El Paso, the city where the USC played in a bowl game. His post read: “Out here in El Paso. Shitty city but glad I can enjoy this moment wit the USC family.”
Apologia:
“Sorry about what I said last night. It came out wrong. I’m so grateful to be a part of this bowl and looking forward to a great game. I was saying I’m just proud to be here with my family. … I also think the people in El Paso are very welcoming and made me feel at home. Once again I apologize for speaking with out thinking.”
Context:
Brave Grancru, a fan of NFL’s New York Jets sent a triad of twitter threats to the team’s quarterback Mark Sanchez after the team’s loss on Monday, December 17.
Among the tweets he sent out targeting Sanchez included: “DON’T COME TO PRACTICE WEDNESDAY I PROMISE YOU BULLETS EVERYWHERE…@Mark_Sanchez”
He then tweeted, “SANCHEZ BETTER HAVE ARMED SECURITY AT PRACTICE !! YOU THINK IMMA SIT HERE & WATCH THIS BULLS— ??” Continue reading
Context:
Motley Crew’s member Vince Neil posted a response to the Newtown, Conn., shooting that caused a Twitter battle to follow between Neil and his followers. His first tweet read: “Sad day today. Prayers to all the families. Gun Control!!!” His fans reacted by criticizing his stance on the right to bear arms and a serious of outraged tweets ensued. Finally, he issued a pseudo-apology tweet.
Apologia:
“I’ve been misunderstood on this subject. It was upsetting to me that the focus was not on the children and their families. I lost a child that age. I never said ban guns. I said gun control. Sorry if I offended anyone.” Continue reading
Context:
Frank Graves, a pollster for Ekos, apologized formally in Federal Court for using his Twitter account to check what was saying about him after being dismissed from a court case challenging fraud allegations during the 2011 general election. Previous to his formal statement, he apologized Continue reading
Context:
Braylon Edwards, former wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks, apologized for a tweet he wrote criticizing his former team, the New York Jets, and their coaching staff.
“Don’t blame Sanchez,” Edwards tweeted Dec. 3, after embattled Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez was benched during New York’s 7-6 victory over the Cardinals. “I played there. Blame the idiots calling the shots. Mark is a beast and will (prove) it when given a proper chance.”
Apologia:
Edwards apologized for his statement via Twitter. Continue reading
Context:
Appliance selling giant KitchenAid composed and published a tweet during the first Presidential debate about President Obama’s late grandmother, after he mentioned her during a discussion about Medicare. The tweet read: “Obamas gma even knew it was going 2 b bad! ‘She died 3 days b4 he became president.” Obama’s grandmother, Madelyn Payne Dunham, died the same week as the 2008 election.The company received instant backlash and hastily replied with an apology tweet and Facebook statement via the brand’s head Cynthia Soledad.
Apologia:
Via Twitter: “Deepest apologies for an irresponsible tweet that is in no way a representation of the brand’s opinion.” Continue reading
Context:
On September 11, Larry Schwartz, who oversees internet messaging for the US Embassy in Cairo, issued a message via Twitter that was seen as an attempted but failed apology to Muslims. The sequence of tweets caused outrageous backlash among the Embassy’s followers, and others.
Apologia:
“The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims – as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. Continue reading
Context:
When Travis Wright, a long-time Kansas City Chiefs fan, got frustrated by Sunday’s loss to the Falcons, he took to Twitter to declare that he couldn’t be much of a fan anymore, accusing owner Clark Hunt of being cheap and adding an obscenity.
When the Chiefs employee who handles Twitter for the team saw that, Continue reading
Apologia Texts 