Laura Ingraham Apologizes For Parkland Survivor Tweet

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Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

After advertisers began pulling out of her Fox News show, Laura Ingraham apologized Thursday for her tweet taunting Parkland school shooting survivor David Hogg. On Wednesday, Ingraham tweeted, "David Hogg Rejected By Four Colleges To Which He Applied and whines about it. (Dinged by UCLA with a 4.1 GPA...totally predictable given acceptance rates.)" She then linked to a story about it on conservative website Daily Wire, which also reported that he got into three other colleges.

In her apology, which included his correct grade-point average, she wrote, "Any student should be proud of a 4.2 GPA —incl. @DavidHogg111. On reflection, in the spirit of Holy Week, I apologize for any upset or hurt my tweet caused him or any of the brave victims of Parkland."

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She added: "For the record, I believe my show was the first to feature David immediately after that horrific shooting and even noted how 'poised' he was given the tragedy. As always, he’s welcome to return to the show anytime for a productive discussion." She included a clip in which she interviewed Hogg on February 14 about his experience during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL.

A representative for Fox News pointed out Ingraham's statement to Refinery29.

Any student should be proud of a 4.2 GPA —incl. @DavidHogg111. On reflection, in the spirit of Holy Week, I apologize for any upset or hurt my tweet caused him or any of the brave victims of Parkland. For the record, I believe my show was the first to feature David...(1/2)
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 29, 2018

... immediately after that horrific shooting and even noted how "poised" he was given the tragedy. As always, he’s welcome to return to the show anytime for a productive discussion. WATCH: https://t.co/5wcd00wWpd (2/2)
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 29, 2018

So far, three companies have pulled ads from her program The Ingraham Angle. Rachael Ray's pet-food company Nutrish was first. TripAdvisor followed suit. A spokesperson said that the company does not "condone the inappropriate comments made by this broadcaster," adding: "In our view, these statements focused on a high school student, cross the line of decency. As such, we have made a decision to stop advertising on that program."

Wayfair was the third and latest company to pull its spots. "As a company, we support open dialogue and debate on issues. However, the decision of an adult to personally criticize a high school student who has lost his classmates in an unspeakable tragedy is not consistent with our values," Wayfair's head of public relations, Jane Carpenter, told CNBC. "We do not plan to continue advertising on this particular program."

David Hogg Rejected By Four Colleges To Which He Applied and whines about it. (Dinged by UCLA with a 4.1 GPA...totally predictable given acceptance rates.) https://t.co/wflA4hWHXY
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 28, 2018

After Ingraham's tweet, Hogg stood up to her and publicized a list of her advertisers.

Pick a number 1-12 contact the company next to that #

Top Laura Ingraham Advertisers
1. @sleepnumber
2. @ATT
3. Nutrish
4. @Allstate & @esurance
5. @Bayer
6. @RocketMortgage Mortgage
7. @LibertyMutual
8. @Arbys
9. @TripAdvisor
10. @Nestle
11. @hulu
12. @Wayfair
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) March 29, 2018

Hogg isn't buying Ingraham's apology. "[A]n apology in an effort just to save your advertisers is not enough," he tweeted. "I will only accept your apology...if you denounce the way your network has treated my friends and I in this fight. It’s time to love thy neighbor, not mudsling at children."

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I 100% agree an apology in an effort just to save your advertisers is not enough. I will only accept your apology only if you denounce the way your network has treated my friends and I️ in this fight. It’s time to love thy neighbor, not mudsling at children. https://t.co/H0yWs4zMGk
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) March 29, 2018

Fred Guttenberg, the father of Jaime Guttenberg — one of the 17 people who was murdered in the shooting — said that "an apology to save your advertisers" doesn't cut it: "What you did was disgusting," he tweeted. "Our message for common sense gun reforms has won, and...those in opposition have gone negative. They need to pay a price for that. These kids have suffered enough."

An apology to save your advertisers is not enough. What you did was disgusting. Our message for common sense gun reforms has won, and the those in opposition have gone negative. They need to pay a price for that. These kids have suffered enough.https://t.co/aNixXkErrI
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) March 29, 2018

Hogg's sister Lauren, who is active in the #NeverAgain movement, also lambasted Ingraham for her ill-timed apology.

*Waits till we boycott her advertisers to apologize* wow.

Hey @IngrahamAngle please just be a real journalist. Focus on the important stories and use your platform to help people not hurt them. #neveragain #ShutUpAndBeObjective #MarchForOurLives https://t.co/wZRBlHk4XS
— Lauren Hogg (@lauren_hoggs) March 29, 2018

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