Delta Air Lines, under a deluge of worldwide ridicule, issued an apology Tuesday for using an image of a giraffe to represent Ghana, where no giraffes live (except perhaps in zoos).
Delta tweeted the celebratory message Monday after the U.S. team defeated Ghana 2-1 in their World Cup game. The tweet showed a photo of the Statue of Liberty with a "2" next to it and a photo of a giraffe with a "1" next to it.
The counter-tweets and web-based news stories came fast and furious, with such headlines as "Delta discovers that there are no giraffes in Ghana" and "Delta's World Cup Tweet couldn't have gone worse."
Acknowledging the reality that many Americans -- perhaps most -- have no notion of whether giraffes live in Ghana, one tweeter said: "I really hope nobody with Delta's social media team gets fired this morning. The internet rage machine needs to grab a drink & chill out."
Delta posted its apology on the news page of its website today.
"As a global airline, we understand the role images play in shaping global perceptions," the note said. "We also recognize our responsibility to create messages that are both accurate and inclusive. We take this responsibility seriously.
"Yesterday, we failed to meet this responsibility. For this, we sincerely apologize."
Full coverage on myajc.com features more of the reaction on the Internet today, plus the text of Delta's apology, plus a Storify compilation of tweets that greeted Delta's mistake.
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