Justine Sacco, an ignorant Public Relations executive working with InterActiveCorp, who tweeted, “Going to Africa, hope I don’t get AIDS’ has issued a statement apologising for her insensitive and racist tweet. Her statement was issued to South African paper, The Star, a day after losing her job for her astonishing tweet.
Read her apology below;
Words cannot express how sorry I am, and how necessary it is for me to apologize to the people of South Africa, who I have offended due to a needless and careless tweet. There is an AIDS crisis taking place in this country, that we read about in America, but do not live with or face on a continuous basis. Unfortunately, it is terribly easy to be cavalier about an epidemic that one has never witnessed firsthand.
“For being insensitive to this crisis — which does not discriminate by race, gender or sexual orientation, but which terrifies us all uniformly — and to the millions of people living with the virus, I am ashamed.
“This is my father’s country, and I was born here. I cherish my ties to South Africa and my frequent visits, but I am in anguish knowing that my remarks have caused pain to so many people here; my family, friends and fellow South Africans. I am very sorry for the pain I caused.”
As a PR executive, Justine’s job was to build a good image of her organisation and the public. Instead, she went ahead and place them in a difficult situation. She clearly underestimated the power of the internet and social media.
Before losing her job, Justine Sacco was the director of corporate communications at media company IAC.
ALSO SEE: Black People, Go Back To Africa – We Should Have Never Bought You @LesliFrye Tweeted.
