ENGAGING in a Twitter spat does not interest me at all, but I found myself in one with Good Morning Britain (GMB) host Piers Morgan last week.
I was on the social media platform on Thursday when I saw the former Mirror editor’s comments responding to Katy Perry’s tweeted photo of the Queen talking to one of the injured victims of the Manchester bombing. Katy Perry tweeted: “God bless The Queen and her kind heart.”
Piers replied: “Agreed. Might have been nice if @ArianaGrande had stayed to do the same.”
I thought this appeared to be the tweet of a troll trying to gain notoriety.
I even thought maybe Pier’s account had been hacked. After all, two days earlier, Piers slammed a US journalist for a sick Ariana Grande joke.
I tweeted: “Piers should be sacked for this, (if it’s real).
“Having a go at a, no doubt, devastated 22-year-old woman three days after what happened.”
In a tweet Piers replied: “It’s real.
“Your fans get murdered and maimed at your concert, I think you should stay, visit and comfort.”
He later deleted this tweet, but not before thousands saw it.
There was also a massive response, the tweets ended up being used in international stories.
I shared my opinion because I feel there should be empathy for a woman who said hours after the tragedy she was broken.
Ordering the 22-year-old to do anything three days after a bomb went off at her concert was simply wrong.
She wanted to be with her loved ones in the immediate aftermath - why would anyone criticise her for that?
Piers pontificated in other messages. In one he said: “I expected better from her.”
On Friday the singer said the attack had weighed heavily on her mind. She is to return to the city for a benefit concert, raising money for victims.
I stand by my view GMB producers should look again at employing a man who appears to revel in controversy.
How can Piers be taken seriously when, for example, discussing social media trolling on the show?
Last week I wrote in this column everyone should consider tweeting with common sense during major tragedies.
It’s sound advice, but advice Piers appears to never follow, or be remotely bothered with.
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