In the fast-paced world of Twitter, it's always a good idea to double check information before sending it out for public viewing. Acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee is the most recent celebrity to send out a tweet that he soon after regretted. After receiving a tweet from user "maccapone" with Trayvon Martin's shooter George Zimmerman's supposed address, Lee quickly retweeted the information to over 250,000 followers who then shared the address amongst their own followers. The address turned out not to be the address of George Zimmerman, however, but an elderly couple, who have been receiving disturbing threats and intimidating correspondences via the mail.
“He definitely owes a big apology," said Elaine McClain, wife and resident of the home. "All this is really scary and it’s a shame. There’s no reason they put our address out there without checking to see who lived there.” The McClain's have even moved temporarily from their home to avoid any further possible threats.
For several weeks, Lee has been a vocal celebrity figure in the Trayvon Martin case, voicing much of his stance on his heavily followed Twitter account. Since sending out the wrong information, Lee has publicly apologized to the McClain's, including a tweet that he promptly put out after realizing the error of his ways. Given their influence on the public, should more celebrities adopt a filtering process for their tweets to avoid these types of mishaps?
