Twitter Hall Of Shame

Kelly Steele (@steelekelly)

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 20:17:00 -0400

Kelly Steele, a campaign staffer to Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., had to eat his Twitter words because he formed them into satire, a dangerous rhetorical art best practiced by those who are not working for politicians. And the worst part is that Steele wasn’t even taking a cheap shot at the rival campaign of his boss.

Steele tweeted a photo of a frowning Rob McKenna, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, at an Asian event and included the text, “Why aren’t the speaking English? #ASIANS.” He was poking fun at a McKenna staffer who earlier this year lost her job for tweeting the same words but not in jest.

As often is the case in Twitter politics, Steele defended his tweet amid the uproar that followed but later apologized.

Jarvis Britton (@iTweet_Unspok3n)

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 21:08:00 -0400

Death threats and wishes are a sad state of Twitter reality, but it’s a federal crime to aim such rhetoric, whether real or hyperbolic, at the president. Jarvis Britton is the latest to learn that lesson. He was indicted today for threatening to kill President Obama.

Britton, who was denied bond, tweeted his first threat against Obama in June and, despite a warning visit from the Secret Service, posted a series of violent musings over the next three months. Here’s a sampling of Britton’s tweets:

“Free Speech? Really? *Let’s Test This!* Let’s Go Kill The President!”
“@BarackObama I wish you were DEAD!”
“What if the secret service interviewed me yesterday because they want me to be an assassin for them? That would be hella cool!”
“@BarackObama Your Time Is Coming!”
“Might get in some [expletive] for this post, but has anybody ever killed the presidential candidate?”
“If somebody killed the presidential candidate, I honestly wouldn’t give a [expletive]! Probably would give a toast! #FREEDOMOFSPEECH”
“@BarackObama Alabama will see my power in the next 36hrs! Word to the secret service!”
“Can the president stop it? He only has 36hrs!”
“Who wants to put a bullet through @BarackObama head?”
“Putting together a team to take out the president! Got three people already, who else wants in?”
“Serious question? If you knew about a terrorist group planning to kill the president, would you tell? I kinda wanna see if they can! F.E.A.R.”
“Yes you can kill a president with cyanide. who would put that in water/coffee?”

Britton is the third person in the past month to be arrested or visited by the Secret Service for threatening the president or wishing for his death. The other two were Donte Jamar Sims and teenager Alyssa Douglas.

Katie Moody (@katiebrady12)

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 15:56:08 -0400

Until Sunday, Katie Moody was just a senior administrative coordinator at John Hopkins University and a New England Patriots fan living in the wrong city, Baltimore. Now she is the scorn of the Twitterverse because of a crass tweet she posted after the Baltimore Ravens beat the New England Patriots 31-30 on a last-second field goal.

The tweet was aimed at Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR), whose younger brother died in a motorcycle accident a day before the game. “Hey, Smith, how about you call your bro and tell him all about your win— Ohhhh. Wait. #TooSoon?” Moody wrote.

Smith’s teammate, running back Ray Rice (@RayRice27), was among the many tweeters who lambasted Moody for her poor taste. “@katiebrady12 smh u are terrible I hope you know the word karma,” Rice tweeted. “A tweet that might have received about 10 seconds of consideration will be her legacy,” The Baltimore Sun noted in an editorial.

Moody’s employer also was pulled into the controversy when people learned that she worked at John Hopkins. “The social media comment that made light of the Smith family’s loss represented the thoughts of one individual,” the school said in a statement. “It does not in any way represent the Johns Hopkins community.”

Moody initially defended her tweet as a joke, but in response to the outcry against her, she first made her Twitter account private and then deleted everything on it accept this apology tweet: “I truly regret my ignorant, tasteless comment, and I am so sorry for the pain that it has caused, especially to Torrey Smith and his family.”

TJ Lang (@TJLang70)

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 10:20:19 -0400

TJ Lang’s profanity-laced tweets aimed at replacement referees in the National Football League may be a candidate for “the most retweeted tweet of all time.” But the Green Bay Packers lineman’s outburst over arguably the worst officiating call in NFL history also may cost him dearly.

Lang acknowledged as much in the tweet that, as of last check, had been retweeted 95,120 times. “Fine me and use the money to pay the regular refs,” he griped.

Of course, if the NFL decides to levy fines against players for publicly criticizing the league and/or the refs, TJ Lang won’t be alone. Two of his teammates, Jermichael Finley (@JermichaelF88) and Desmond Bishop (@Desbishop55), were just as harsh. If the on-field calls keep going the way they have this season, the NFL may have a full-blown Twitter rebellion on its hands.

Gennady Zyuganov (@KPRF_G_Zyuganov)

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 07:01:00 -0400

U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens did not reap what he sowed when he was killed in a terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, but with this entry into the “Twitter Hall of Shame,” Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov is reaping what he sowed on Twitter by lambasting Stevens.

Zyuganov, whose Twitter account is now private, insulted Stevens after he was murdered. “The American ambassador to Libya was shot down like the lowest dog,” Zyuganov tweeted. “He was the main expert for the Libyan ‘revolution’. What he reaped, he sowed.”

The U.S. State Department condemned the tweet, and one Obama administration source said the result would be that Zyuganov would lose his ability to maintain close relations with U.S. embassy personnel in Moscow

Kansas City Chiefs (@kcchiefs)

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 13:51:00 -0400

The culprit worthy of shame in this instance isn’t so much the Kansas City Chiefs as it is the person behind the professional football team’s Twitter handle. But the brand took the PR hit because the employee’s identity has not been released.

That employee forgot that the customer is always right — the customers in the sports world being fans — and decided to send a pointed direct message to a critical fan. Direct messages are private, but as we’ve seen before, recipients tend to make them public when the senders are important.

In the case of the Chiefs, the Twitter handler sent a direct message that said, “Would help if you had your facts straight. Your choice to be a fan. cc get a clue.” The recipient, Travis Wright (@teedubya), shared a screen shot of the message, and more criticism of the Chiefs ensued.

The Chiefs apologized — sort of. The writer of the DM posted this follow-up tweet: “I apologize to the fans for my response to a tweet sent to me earlier. No excuse for my actions. I am truly sorry and it won’t happen again.” But one reason it won’t happen again is because the juvenile in charge of the Twitter handle blocked Wright.

“I’m not trying to get the guy (who sent me the message) fired,” Wright told Scripps Media. “I’ m trying to get them to understand they can’t treat their fans with contempt.”

Tanya Heti (@Karleeka)

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 23:15:56 -0400

Picking a Twitter fight that escalates to the point where you tell a celebrity to “go hang yourself” will have consequences — if only short-term public embarrassment.

Tanya Heti learned that when she told Charlotte Dawson, a judge on “Australia’s Next Top Model,” to hang herself. Heti was suspended with pay from her mentoring job at Monash University while the school investigated the incident. Dawson had contacted the school by email to report Heti’s hostile language.

But the conflict ultimately appears to have done more damage to Dawson than Heti. Backlash from the incident sent Dawson into a state of depression, for which she was hospitalized. Dawson’s Twitter account is now private, but in an open letter as part of the #StopTheTrolls campaign, she said she will not leave Twitter, as critics suggest.

“If somebody uses Twittter to send pornographic images of children, that’s not OK,” Dawson wrote. “If somebody uses Twitter to scam money out of people, it’s not OK, just like the real world. If someone uses Twitter to encourage someone to suicide, to intentionally harass and intimidate people, THAT. IS. NOT. OKAY.”

The university, meanwhile, allowed Heti to return to work.

Donte Jamar Sims (@DestroyLeague_D)

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 22:22:00 -0400

Assassination attempts against the president are no Twitter-joking matter. Make the threats in the city that President Obama will be attending for a political convention— like 21-year-old Donte Jamar Sims did — and you’ll likely end up in jail.

Claiming to be high on marijuana at the time, Sims posted five tweets threatening assassination. He reportedly admitted to the tweets when officers visited his home and wrote an apology at the police station. The judge ordered Sims, who faces five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, detained until trial because of his criminal past.

UPDATE, Sept. 8: The Secret Service visited 16-year-old Alyssa Douglas (@Alyssa_Douglas) after she tweeted an assassination wish for President Obama. The Clarksville, Ohio, student said “someone needs to assassinate Obama … like ASAP” and included a vulgar hashtag in her tweet.

“These things are so readily available to young people; they don’t fully understand the consequences of what they say,” said Jeffrey Blevins, head of the University of Cincinnati’s Department of Journalism. “It’s not just a snide comment to a couple of their friends where the friends can read that remark in context. Instead, that comment goes out to the entire Twitter universe, and you lose control of it. That concept is very difficult for young people — and even some adults — to understand.”

Jason Biggs (@JasonBiggs)

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 21:28:00 -0400

You can’t be the voice of Leo the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle” on children’s television and the poster boy of political filth on Twitter. That’s the message Nickelodeon sent “American Pie” actor Jason Biggs after he posted, and later deleted, a series of vile tweets about the wives of the men on the Republican presidential ticket.

The Twitter curator Twitchy broke the news about Biggs’ disgusting tweets last week, and Fox News jumped on the story today. “I can’t even get into the real details,” Fox’s Dennis Kneale said in a purposefully vague report on the obscenities aimed at Janna Ryan and Ann Romney, as well as vice-presidential nominee Paul Ryan.

After fielding a weekend of online complaints about the tweets, Nickelodeon issued a statement that condemned Biggs’ tweets, apologized for linking to the actor’s Twitter feed and insisted that Biggs behave in future “public communication.”

UPDATE, Sept. 8: Sears, a Nickelodeon advertiser, is not running ads on the show that features Biggs. “The offensive comments made by Jason Biggs last week on his personal Twitter account are absolutely not in line with the values of Sears,” the company is telling people on Twitter. The Colorado Rockies baseball team also has canceled a Nickelodeon promotion day because of Biggs’ tweets.

Luke Donald (@LukeDonald)

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 20:04:00 -0400

Golfer Luke Donald fell into Twitter’s “Weiner trap” (named after disgraced Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y.) — he accidentally posted a public tweet that he meant to send privately as a “direct message.” In Donald’s case, the tweet criticized the design of a golf course that had just gotten the better of him.

“Gil Hanse is a [expletive]. Haha,” Donald tweeted after scoring a bogey on the 18th hole at TPC Boston. Donald quickly deleted the tweet, but bloggers captured screen shots of it. Hanse, who designed the course, said no apology was necessary.

Will Hill (@trill_sg)

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 18:22:00 -0400

Sharing the sexually explicit, and sometimes illegal, details of your “happy football life” on Twitter will hurt your chances of making that life a profession. University of Florida safety Will Hill learned that when National Football League teams thought twice about drafting him after seeing his tweets.

“Negatives: Raised concerns about some poor off-the-field choices via his Twitter account, but later claimed his account was hacked,” one scouting report about Hill said before the 2011 draft. “Still, some NFL personnel may be concerned about the content of his account and his character.” No team picked him in the draft.

Fortunately for Hill, the New York Giants believe in second chances. Hill deleted his Twitter account after the controversy that cost him a draft selection, and the Giants signed him as a free agent this year.

UPDATE, Sept. 20: “Once upon a time I didn’t care,” Hill told Sports Illustrated. “I learned you can’t go through the world like that, with everyone thinking, ‘He’s a good athlete but he’s a jerk.’ Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way.”

Krista Ford (@kristaford)

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 21:32:00 -0400

Clueless men regularly make foolish statements about women who have been raped, but women usually know better. Krista Ford, the daughter of Toronto, Canada, Mayor Rob Ford and a former lingerie football player, is the exception. She suggested in a tweet that women who “don’t dress like a whore” are less likely to become rape victims.

Her tweet, posted after a series of sexual assaults in Toronto and meant as advice for fellow women, sparked online outrage. Her own family scolded Ford for the tweet, and one of the rape victims, Toronto comedian Alice Moran, publicly challenged Ford’s logic in an open letter posted to Facebook.

Ford deleted the tweet and apologized. One columnist, however, said Ford had a valid point: “Dressing like a poor person does not look like an invitation to a sexual advance, and dressing like a whore does,” even though such attire is not an invitation for assault.

Samuel Cook III (@SamuelCookIII)

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 10:54:52 -0400

Mocking a man’s religion is a usually a no-no in politics these days, but that didn’t stop a man with ties to President Obama’s campaign from tweeting bigoted wisecracks about the Mormon faith of Mitt Romney, Obama’s Republican rival. Samuel Cook III targeted Romney on Twitter after the candidate posted a tribute to astronaut Neil Armstrong, who died last week.

Cook initially defended his behavior but eventually deleted the tweets in question and apologized for his behavior. “I would like to personally apologize to Mitt Romney for my inartful remarks regarding his Neil Armstrong tribute,” he wrote on Facebook. “My comments were poorly worded and do not reflect my personal and professional commitments to tolerance and collegiality.”

Dave Catanese (@davecatanese)

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 09:48:48 -0400

“Bad idea trying to have nuanced conversation on highly charged issue on [Twitter],” Politico reporter Dave Catanese tweeted Monday. “Did not intend to take a side. Lesson learned.” It’s too bad he didn’t learn the lesson from former colleague Joseph Williams, who lost his job over opinionated tweets two months ago.

Catanese made himself a target for Twitter hostility on Sunday when he published a series of tweets defending Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin of Missouri, who earlier that day had earned scorn for a comment about “legitimate rape” while discussing abortion policy. Politico removed Catanese from the Akin story.

“David Catanese crossed a line a reporter shouldn’t cross on Twitter when he seemed to weigh in on the merits of Todd Akin’s comments — especially in a way many people, including many Politico colleagues, understandably found offensive,” top editors wrote in a memo to staff. “… Today’s episode is a reminder that we need to be paying more attention to the ongoing issue of the right way for Politico journalists to be using social media.”

Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5)

Fri, 17 Aug 2012 21:12:00 -0400

Fines for foolish tweets are no longer just an American sports tradition. Our former colonial rulers across the pond are playing the game, too.

The English Football Association this week slapped soccer player Rio Ferdinand with a $71,000 penalty for retweeting a racist phrase about rival player Ashley Cole. That fine came weeks after the European Tour fined English golfer James Morrison for angry tweets about the handling of a golf tournament.

Ferdinand’s retweet, published in July, referred to Cole as “choc ice,” a term that means someone is black on the outside and white on the inside. Ferdinand, who plays for Manchester United, said he understood it to mean someone is fake. “The commission decided that the comment was improper and brought the game into disrepute,” according to a statement on the league website.

Alexa Dell (@alexakdell)

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 00:06:00 -0400

Daddy dearest Michael Dell, who will spend nearly $3 million this year on security for his family, apparently didn’t care much for some of daughter Alexa Dell’s informative tweets. Word has it that the billionaire computer executive had his daughter’s Twitter account killed for security reasons.

What exactly was Alexa Dell tweeting that caused so much concern? For starters, she posted a photo of brother Zachary dining in abundance and luxury on the family jet. Dell’s account (and that of her brother, @zachdell) disappeared soon after the photo found its way to the Tumblr blog Rich Kids of Instagram. Alexa Dell also reportedly tweeted location details of the family.

Anonymous Celebrity (@obamasmistress)

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 21:31:00 -0400

Only Twitter and the New York Police Department know the “Anonymous Celebrity” who tweeted under the pseudonym @obamasmistress, but apparently the tweeter wasn’t as threatening in person as he or she pretended to be online.

The NYPD went to court to force Twitter to release information about the anonymous Twitter user after a threat to commit mass murder in a New York theater. The warning surfaced online days after a similar shooting near Denver during the midnight premier of “The Dark Knight Rises.” Police interviewed the account owner in West Virginia but chose not to make an arrest.

Marisha Agana (@MarishaAgana)

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 18:52:00 -0400

If you are running for political office, or ever hope to do so, commit Godwin’s Law to memory and purge all thoughts of Adolf Hitler from your rhetoric. If you don’t, you’ll open yourself to contempt and mockery like congressional candidate Marisha Agana, R-Ohio, did by comparing President Obama to Hitler in a tweet.

Agana said Obama is like Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong because all are guilty of genocide — in Obama’s case because he supports abortion. But her point was lost in translation because she couldn’t elaborate on her point within the 140-character constraints of Twitter.

Agana apologized for the unclear wording of her tweet but stuck by her underlying argument about abortion.

Heidi Anne Wys (@Heidiwys)

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 20:37:00 -0400

When you earn six figures working for a top government official, it’s wise to keep your Twitter tongue in check. Heidi Anne Wys didn’t, so now people are demanding that the adviser to Puerto Rican House President Jennifer Gonzalez be fired.

Responding to a birthday picture that President Obama posted of his wife, Wys tweeted: “Who cares? Take her to Burger King, buy her a sundae with double banana, take her to your homeland, Kenya!” She penned other anti-Obama tweets before that, including one that read: “Wah! Wah! I feel like vomiting! Dinner with a guy borned in Kenya and claims he was borned in Hawaii!”

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat of Puerto Rican ancestry, demanded that Wys be fired. “Sentiments like this simply cannot be tolerated, and the Puerto Rican leaders responsible for her employment should act without hesitation.”

Gonzalez decried her aide’s tweets but did not fire her. “The expressions disseminated are not acceptable, do not represent my sentiments and are the exclusive responsibility of those who wrote them,” Gonzalez said. Wys apologized for the tweets.)

Tyler Hunter (@TH1_King)

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 16:15:33 -0400

Tyler Hunter has left his mark on Florida State University football — but probably not the one he wanted. The controversy over his tweets against the police, including one that advocated the killing of police officers, prompted FSU coach Jimbo Fisher to ban his players from Twitter this football season.

A sophomore defensive back, Hunter impulsively turned to Twitter to air his gripes about the police after being pulled over for making an illegal turn and wearing his seat belt incorrectly. “We need to do like Cali niggas and kill cops,” he wrote in one tweet, echoing the lyrics of a rap song.

Hunter deleted his Twitter account soon after posting the tweet, but within weeks, Fisher imposed a team-wide ban on the medium. “[Twitter is] a power that you must understand the implications of when you use it,” Fisher said. “We’ll continue to educate, but it’s a lot easier when there are less distractions.”