PR EXECUTIVE TWEETS RACIST COMMENT THAT RESULTS IN NUMEROUS RESPONSES

JUSTINE SACCO'S TWEET

A PR executive for a major media company who Tweeted a racist 'joke' on Friday that sparked a social media revolt was unaware she had become front page news because she posted the message while boarding a long-haul flight.

Justine Sacco - the Communications Director for IAC, a parent company for Vimeo, OkCupid, Tinder, CollegeHumor, and Dictionary.com - was flying to Cape Town when she Tweeted: 'Going to Africa. Hope I don't get AIDS. Just Kidding. I'm White!'

The post had been retweeted over 3000 times and was picked up by news sites around the world by the time Sacco landed in Africa.

Blasted for being 'outrageous' and 'inappropriate', with titles like 'Worst Tweet of the Year' stacking up against, Sacco promptly deleted the Tweet, with her entire Twitter account soon vanishing as well.

But the damage had been done, and IAC were forced to comment on Sacco's behalf.

Sacco landed in Africa on British Airways Flight 43 and one can only guess the number of angry responses she'll receive.

#hasjustinelandedyet is trending on twitter right now as thousands await a response from the once unknowing Sacco. Africa caught wind as she is the number one twitter trend in South Africa.

Twitter user Stephanie Be wrote, 'WOW! Reinforce the ignorant American stereotype much?'

John M. Becker tweeted: 'Are you even real?!? This is utterly ghastly on so many levels.'

Josephine Baker wrote: 'listen, homegirl is about to be FIRED.'