PR executive Justine Sacco posts an 'outrageous, offensive' joke on Twitter before boarding a plane

SHE'S supposed to be a PR expert, but Justine Sacco's 'outrageous, offensive' tweet has cost her her job and sparked outrage around the world.

Think before you tweet.

A PUBLIC relations professional in the US has been fired from her job following a global backlash after she posted an incredibly offensive Twitter comment about Africa and AIDS.

Justine Sacco, who works for media company IAC, sent out her tweet to more than 4300 followers as she boarded a plane for South Africa from London's Heathrow Airport, according to Valleywag.

"Going to Africa. Hope I don't get AIDS. Just kidding. I'm white!" she tweeted.

The tweet quickly went viral and a representative from IAC (which is the parent company of Vimeo, Tinder and About.com and many more) has just released a statement confirming Sacco has been fired.

"The offensive comment does not reflect the views and values of IAC," the statement reads. "We take this issue very seriously, and we have parted ways with the employee in question.

"There is no excuse for the hateful statements that have been made and we condemn them unequivocally. We hope, however, that time and action, and the forgiving human spirit, will not result in the wholesale condemnation of an individual who we have otherwise known to be a decent person at core."

IAC had earlier released a statement condemning Sacco's joke.

"This is an outrageous, offensive comment that does not reflect the views and values of IAC.

"Unfortunately, the employee in question is unreachable on an international flight, but this is a very serious matter and we are taking appropriate action," the statement said.

Justine Sacco's tweet that caused an international uproar.

The former director of corporate communications at IAC has since deleted her Twitter account.

IAC have also removed any mention of her name from its website and contacts page.

She was earlier listed as a media representative.

@JustineSacco last tweet of your career. #SorryNotSorry

— Zach Sang (@ZachSang1) December 20, 2013

Meanwhile, the URL justinesacco.com has been redirected to an Aid for Africa website, stipulating where the public can make donations to its HIV/AIDS support program.

There was previously speculation that the PR exec's twitter account may have been hacked, but Valleywag writer Sam Biddle doubts that's the case.

There she goes again...

"That's harder to pull off when you can see the tweet came from your phone," Biddle wrote.

The tweet had been retweeted more than 3500 times and had more than 1700 favourites before it was deleted at approximately 7a.m. Cape Town time, at the same time her flight from London was scheduled to land.

Sacco has reportedly now landed in South Africa, with Twitter user @Zac_R posting pictures of her and family members on the social media site.

Yup. @JustineSacco HAS in fact landed at Cape Town international. She's decided to wear sunnies as a disguise. pic.twitter.com/2I3WZQCIci

— Zac (@Zac_R) December 21, 2013

Zac said he was not a journalist, just a local that lived near the airport and "had to see if it was real".

Nevetheless he has won wide praise from Twitter users for his journalistic efforts.

He tweeted that he didn't believe Sacco was a "horrible person", just someone that "joked about something that should never be joked about".

"Let's not get consumed by mob mentality and run her name through the mud. Rather focus on the subject she joked about. Not the tweet," he wrote.

He also described chatting with her father "for a few minutes", who did not seem "outwardly racist".

Justine and her sister / friend. She's on the phone to someone. "No! I really didn't think it would!" She said. pic.twitter.com/HAMxdquPOG

— Zac (@Zac_R) December 21, 2013

Looks like she lost her job. -> pic.twitter.com/cS6hKEhR3m #HasJustineLandedYet

— Alexander Thian (@aMrazing) December 21, 2013

Her Twitter account @JustineSacco may have vanished but it was quickly replaced with a number of fake accounts with similar spellings, including @JustineSaccco and @lolJustineSacco.

The hashtag #HasJustineLandedYet also quickly climbed to the top of Twitter's trending topics.

This #hasjustinelandedyet landing will outshine the Apollo 13 moon landing as the most watched landing of a human.

— Tom Makau (@tommakau) December 21, 2013

This isn't the first offensive tweet Sacco has posted online. In fact Sacco has made a number of internationally epic gaffes.

Just Friday, upon landing in London, she posted, "Chili- cucumber sandwiches- bad teeth. Back in London!"

Only the day before she wrote, "Weird German Dude: You're in first class. It's 2014. Get some deodorant."

Next time you plan to tweet something stupid before you take off, make sure you are getting on a @Gogo flight! CC: @JustineSacco

— Gogo (@Gogo) December 21, 2013

Another in January went, "I can't be fired for things I say while intoxicated right?"

Her Twitter bio of the deleted account read "CorpComms at IAC. Troublemaker on the side. Also known for my loud laugh."