Last night, Delta Airlines congratulated the US soccer team on Twitter and Facebook for beating Ghana in a World Cup game. US beat Ghana 2 – 1. While the message chose the Statue of Liberty to stand for USA, it used the picture of a giraffe to depict Ghana.
See the tweet before it was deleted.
Naturally this tweet raised a lot of dust on Twitter from Ghanaians. Twitter was filled with tweets condemning the image used to represent Ghana as being racist. But some people came to their aid citing ignorance.
Delta Airlines has since tendered an apology for the tweet. See below.
Last night, we posted a congratulatory message on Twitter and Facebook to the U.S. Soccer team on its win in a World Cup game. The message used an image of a giraffe to represent Ghana. The image was both inaccurate and inappropriate.
As a global airline, we understand the role images play in shaping global perceptions. 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.
We have removed the image and are reviewing our processes to ensure that future images and posts reflect both our values and our global focus.
