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:
Mariah Cary, Miss Iowa 2012, misspoke during her onstage interview for the Miss America pageant live on ABC television when she was answering a judge’s question about medical marijuana. Her response made it appear as if she supported recreational use of the drug, even though she started by stating she was against its use outside of medicinal purposes.
Apologia:
“I apologize for the slip up with words in my on stab question..hope u all know what I meant so blessed!! Top 5 at miss America!” 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:
Ke$ha, famous American pop singer, used her Twitter account to apologize for the content of her song “Die Young” after radio stations dropped her song from their playlists in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting. The song’s music video contains gun imagery.
Apologia:
@keshasuxx on December 18: “I understand. I had my very own issue with ‘die young’ for this reason. I did NOT want to sing those lyrics and I was FORCED TO.”
@keshasuxx issued a second tweet the same day: “I’m so so so sorry for anyone who has been effected by this tragedy.and I understand why my song is now inappropriate. words cannot express.”
Source: Huffington Post
Context:
Professional football player and cornerback for the Denver Broncos Tony Carter caught flack for his attempt at joking about the shooting in a Denver-area theater via Twitter. He posted: “At a late night movie in Denver yall pray for me!” He later deleted that tweet and wrote, “No Disrespect!!!” Shortly after posting, he also removed that tweet.
Apologia:
Via Twitter: “I am truly sorry for the insensitive and inappropriate comment I made last night. It will never happen again.” Continue reading
Context:
Bollywood film director Shirish Kunder quickly tweeted an apology to actor Shah Rukh Khan, who starred in the highly anticipated, excessively budgeted film, RA.One, for having tweeted about the film: “I just heard a 150 Cr firework fizzle.” Continue reading
Context:
LePage compared the IRS to the Gestapo. When many found that analogy troubling, he released his first apologia statement, that said, in part: “Clearly, what has happened is that the use of the word ‘Gestapo’ has clouded my message.” When that raised further outcry, he tried another apologia tactic.
Apologia:
“The acts of the Holocaust were nothing short of horrific. Millions of innocent people were murdered, and I apologize for my insensitivity to the word and the offense some took to my comparison of the IRS and the Gestapo.” Continue reading
Context:
During one of his stand up gigs, Comedy Central’s Daniel Tosh singled out a woman in the audience after she yelled at him from her seat for including a joke about rape. She yelled: “Actually, rape jokes are never funny!” Tosh said: “Wouldn’t it be funny if that girl got raped by like, five guys right now? Like right now? What if a bunch of guys just raped her?” She wrote a blog post about the offense that immediately went viral. Tosh used Twitter to apologize.
Apologia:
Via Twitter: “All the out of context misquotes aside, i’d like to sincerely apologize.” Continue reading
Context:
Hilary Rosen, a Democratic pundit and influential player in squelching online music purveyor Napster, offended Ann Romney with her comments about Romney’s choice to be a stay-at-home mother. Rosen argued Romney could not understand the struggles of women in the sluggish workforce because she “never worked a day in her life” as a stay-at-home mother.
Apologia:
“Let’s put the faux ‘war against stay at home moms’ to rest once and for all. Continue reading
Apologia Texts 