You’re Fired!

PR Pro Dismissed Over Offensive Tweet

MediaBistro.com

Fired PR Executive Issues Apology Regarding Her Tweet: 'I Am Ashamed' (MediaJobsDaily)

We can't even imagine what was going through Justine Sacco's head on Friday when she tweeted, "Going to Africa. Hope I don't get AIDS. Just kidding. I'm white!" The senior director of corporate communications working for Barry Diller's company, IAC, was promptly dismissed. Per her LinkedIn profile, she was promoted to that position in July. Prior to that, she served as director of corporate communications since September 2011. Adweek / Adfreak The whirlwind story of a successful PR pro's downfall on a global social media stage unfolded in little more than 24 hours. Sacco's tweet was posted shortly before she boarded a flight, leaving her likely unaware of the worldwide consternation and mockery she had instigated. Gawker As Sacco flew south through Europe and over Africa, her life began to slowly unravel. On the day when no one at work wants to work, she became the unwitting focus of Twitter, quickly eliciting a response from her boss Diller, who called her AIDS joke "outrageous, and offensive." As day became night on the East Coast, the hashtag #HasJustineLandedYet shot up Twitter's list of trending topics. ABC News "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," Sacco said. 10,000 Words It's amazing that it's almost 2014 and people are still getting fired for saying horrible, no good things on social media. Haven't we learned that what you say can and will get you in trouble? Variety At a time of year when the hamster wheel we call our careers slows a tick or two, consider that maybe we are all Sacco. Or at least 140 characters away from being her at any given time.