A freelance reporter who works for CBS and Yahoo has been severely criticized for tweeting an insensitive ‘joke’ just hours after 19 people were killed and many more injured in the Manchester Arena explosion.
While most verified Twitter users posted their concern and sympathy for the victims and their families, David Leavitt, tweeted to say: “MULTIPLE CONFIRMED FATALITIES at Manchester Arena. The last time I listened to Ariana Grande I almost died too.”
At the time of writing, the tweet has been retweeted to more than 24,000 times, with almost everyone voicing their disgust over the clearly inappropriate tweet.
Not content with his first effort, Mr Leavitt posted another tweet moments later.
“Honestly, for over a year I thought an Ariana Grande was something you ordered at Starbucks,” he wrote.
https://twitter.com/David_Leavitt/status/866791381225918466
https://twitter.com/POLITICSandFUN/status/866848617059037184
https://twitter.com/LeeMcKenzieTV/status/866804167276466176
https://twitter.com/Mike_P_Williams/status/866801575955705856
https://twitter.com/Samar7/status/866794847239319552
https://twitter.com/bruce_arthur/status/866799510755913730
https://twitter.com/AishaAdventures/status/866818112351612928
The journalist continued and this was followed with another Tweet, which was designed to stir people who had abused him with foul language in response.
https://twitter.com/David_Leavitt/status/866797929826275328
The journalist then had to apologize and also deleted his tweets.
https://twitter.com/David_Leavitt/status/866820610869137412
https://twitter.com/thetomzone/status/866820996971589632
https://twitter.com/David_Leavitt/status/866844676090978304
https://twitter.com/Liamsloyals/status/866877557165215744
https://twitter.com/athomascord/status/866877431038267393
https://twitter.com/Wellman_nateW/status/866877323156439040
