Al Roker came under fire for Tweeting a selfie of himself and his colleagues on Sunday against a backdrop of storm destruction in South Carolina. He took the picture in front of a section of collapsed highway and a destroyed vehicle.
“My crew and I getting ready to report on East Coast flooding from S. Carolina on @NBCNightlyNews with Kate Snow,” the Tweet, which has since been deleted, read.
Al Roker apologizes for taking smiling #selfie amid flood destruction – http://t.co/E32gO2K1bk #AlRoker pic.twitter.com/DAxmm6JImn
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) October 5, 2015
He later apologized for his insensitivity via Twitter.
Absolutely correct. I apologize for being insensitive. The woman in that car got out without injury. We Should not have been in the picture
— Al Roker (@alroker) October 5, 2015
We came down to report and I offended those who lost so much. I am sorry
— Al Roker (@alroker) October 5, 2015
When a Twitter user suggested people overreacted to the selfie, Al Roker disagreed, reiterating he had made a mistake.
@PrisRaq89 Nope. I should know better. Got caught up in a moment of camaraderie without thinking about surroundings. It's my mistake
— Al Roker (@alroker) October 5, 2015
Since Friday, nine people have died in South Carolina due to weather-related incidents.
While Al Roker certainly meant no harm in Tweeting his selfie, he definitely did the right thing by removing the Tweet and apologizing for his error.
Did you see Al Roker’s initial Tweet? Do you think he was right to apologize and remove it?