Police arrest teenager over Tom Daley Twitter abuse

[Chrisw666]

rohrl said:

Just noticed this on the BBC.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/19092545

BBC said:

Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton quits Twitter

Helen Skelton has closed down her Twitter account after saying she cannot cope with negative comments.

Her final message on the site was posted on Wednesday evening.

It read: "Turns out I don't have very thick skin after all so I am closing my twitter account. Enjoy the games. Signing off, skelts x"

Her profile is no longer available on the social networking site and appears to have been closed after sending the last tweet.

Other microbloggers have since tweeted her, offering their support.

Helen Skelton is best known for presenting the CBBC programme Blue Peter.

More recently she has been working as a reporter for the BBC at the London 2012 Olympics.

She has also completed extreme physical challenges for the charity Sport Relief.

These include kayaking the length of the Amazon and becoming the first person to use a bicycle to get to the South Pole.

Earlier this week Tom Daley reported a Twitter user for sending him offensive messages after he failed to secure an Olympic medal in the 10m synchronised dive.

The user was arrested and given a warning.

I think that's refreshing. Rather than pissing and moaning and demanding everyone be nice to her she accepts that she is not thick-skinned enough herself. Maybe she's just angling for sympathy and a bit of publicity on the back of Tom Daley but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

It's also a bit sad that she feels she has to do it and reflects what a ste society we live in.

What's she done wrong? Been good looking, got a decent job, done some very public but still very hard stuff to raise money for and the profile of charities?

Yes her leaving Twitter may be a publicity thing but if she is really doing it because people send her abuse then it would be nice if those people could take a long hard look at themselves and could perhaps start to communicate to the rest of us why they do what they do.

[Chrisw666]

maser_spyder said:

Chrisw666 said:

So calling Daley a name by direct message on Twitter would be abuse, but standing in front of a lot of people and making a similar comment would be humour (Possibly in very poor taste)?

Crikey, READ THE TWEETS!!!!!!

It WAS NOT a bit of name calling and swearing.

The media only picked up on the specifics re. Daley, but there was a LOT more that wasn't reported.

Unless you've actually read what the guy tweeted, you really shouldn't be passing comment at all.

I've read the Tweets but my (semi-rhetorical) question was about where the line between a poor taste joke and personal abuse stops.

[mattnunn]

Blue Peter presenter closes down twitter account.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/19092545

Twitter, facebook etc... has gone the same was as CB radio, it's basically not feasible to allow members of the public acces to anonymous communications without a minority of numb skulls abusing people. Celebs etc... using twitter which is the driver of it's success will soon find other ways of marketting themselves.

[iphonedyou]

Chrisw666 said:

I've read the Tweets but my (semi-rhetorical) question was about where the line between a poor taste joke and personal abuse stops.

Well that line is of course arbitrary, but consideration of a number of factors should narrow it down. The comments linked to above have no punchline, no delivery or structure similar to a joke, and no wit whatsoever. The overwhelming reaction is negative; offense has been taken, rather than amusement. The comments are not in isolation, but rather make up a pattern of regular, targeted offensive comments.

A joke may be in poor taste, but through structure or delivery, may reasonably be construed as a joke. An offensive one, perhaps, but a joke nonetheless. Were the offensive jokes not in isolation, but rather part of a regular, target campaign, then I'd expect them to be considered abuse in a similar way to the above.

[10 Pence Short]

I know Helen Skelton, fair play to her for no longer feeling the need to tweet.

[0000]

mattnunn said:

Blue Peter presenter closes down twitter account.

And uses twitter to announce doing so.

[maser_spyder]

Chrisw666 said:

maser_spyder said:

Chrisw666 said:

So calling Daley a name by direct message on Twitter would be abuse, but standing in front of a lot of people and making a similar comment would be humour (Possibly in very poor taste)?

Crikey, READ THE TWEETS!!!!!!

It WAS NOT a bit of name calling and swearing.

The media only picked up on the specifics re. Daley, but there was a LOT more that wasn't reported.

Unless you've actually read what the guy tweeted, you really shouldn't be passing comment at all.

I've read the Tweets but my (semi-rhetorical) question was about where the line between a poor taste joke and personal abuse stops.

I think we can probably assume it stops at the death-threats (realistic or not).

[Steameh]

Anyone who is stupid enough to make death threats, whilst having a picture of themselves appear next to their death threat, along with all their contact information and where he lives probably deserves locking up.

[Chimune]

Chrisw666 said:

So calling Daley a name by direct message on Twitter would be abuse, but standing in front of a lot of people and making a similar comment would be humour (Possibly in very poor taste)?

I though this was a given. You can call someone a bd to their face, but if you write it down on a scrap of paper and hand it to them, the law changes for the worse ( for you ).
I have no problem with that.

WRT to the lass shutting down her twitter account:
I see facebook and twitter as equivalents to David Blain in his box suspended above the Thames. He is welcome to do it for whatever reason he wants, but the small print says he also has to put up with having burgers thrown, laser pointers, shouting at 4am and plenty of other wk which frankly i really couldnt be arsed with. It is for this reason that i cant be doing with social media.

[s3fella]

Hasn't some promising footballer been reprimanded for sending homophobic tweets to Tom Daley, too?

[Puggit]

Exactly the same as the old days of SP&L - the loud few ruin it for the others.

Mind you, Twitter is for tts.