I’ve gotten a little numb over the years to the jokes and rude remarks about West Virginia. As a general rule, my approach as a talk show host and columnist is to ignore them or laugh them off.
Protesting every slight and finding an offense where none is intended can make us sound insecure or even petty. There are, however, exceptions to that rule.
Monday night, Detroit Free Press reporter Zlatie Meyer tweeted, “#West Virginia has its tainted water problem under ctrl. Now it can work on incest.”
Twitter exploded with pushback from not only West Virginians, but others who recognized Meyer’s comment as churlish and offensive to folks here, especially the 300,000 West Virginians who have been living for nearly a week without potable water.
“This is brutally offensive,” tweeted Bryan. Dusty tweeted, “I really hope you are fired over this.” Added Kayla, “Since when is a disaster which has harmed people an appropriate topic for a joke?”
Meyer, who identifies herself as a journalist, humorist and non-conformist, realized later Monday night she had made a bad mistake. She removed the tweet and apologized. “I realize the people of #West Virginia have been going through a lot. My joke was in very poor taste. I can’t apologize enough.”
What causes a journalist to say—I’m sorry, Tweet–such a thing in the first place? A poor attempt at humor? A simple mistake in a rush to try to be glib?
The website eHow says Twitter might be dulling our senses. “According to a CNN report, Twitter and other social networking tools can possibly numb a person’s level of compassion.As widespread as Twitter is, this could become a social morality nightmare, where people become indifferent to human suffering.”
There’s a huge emotional distance between typing 140 characters in Detroit and waiting in a line for water in West Virginia.
I reached out to the Free Press and received what sounded like a heartfelt apology from editor and publisher Paul Anger. Here it is in full:
“The Free Press and Zlati Meyer sincerely apologize for her attempt at humor, which was in very poor taste. Zlati apologizes, and the Free Press apologizes as an organization. We are extremely sorry that this happened,” Anger wrote.
“We can empathize with the pain endured by West Virginians in the water crisis and both Zlati and the Free Press regret any further distress that her ill-advised remark might have caused.”
That’s an unequivocal apology, and we should accept it. Hold the return fire of Detroit jokes and further darts at Meyer. This matter is not about retribution, but rather atonement.
Twitter has been a critical resource during the water crisis. Media, officials and the public have kept up a constant flow of valuable information. But the Meyer Tweet is also a reminder that the tool, when used flippantly, can cause considerable damage.