Paris Jackson has apologised to the Australian public after making a cultural gaffe on social media.
The 19-year-old daughter of the late pop icon Michael Jackson took to her Twitter account to say sorry for using the "dingo stole my baby" quote – which was made famous by Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, who was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1982 – in a now-deleted Instagram post.
Paris angered the Australian public by posting a picture of herself patting a dingo and captioning it: "A dingo ate my baby."
The model and actress was unaware of the context of the quote, which was first screamed by Lindy after her daughter Azaria was abducted from a campsite in 1980.
Responding to the criticism she had received online, Paris tweeted: "i was referencing a meme i had no clue it stemmed from such a tragic and horrific incident. my sincerest apologies, from the bottom of my [heart emoji] (sic)"
The teenage star subsequently claimed she’d been "shredded" by the Australian media for her mistake.
But Paris insisted she was still looking forward to returning to the "beautiful country" in the future.
She tweeted: "it breaks my heart to have visited the most beautiful country i’ve ever seen and may ever see, and meet the kindest most genuine people, and then be shredded to pieces by their monstrous media. despite the nasty and cruel words, can’t wait to come back. (sic)"
Meanwhile, Paris recently spoke of her desire to become a role model for young people.
The American star said that although she makes mistakes, she hopes to eventually become someone who can inspire others.
She explained: "I’d like to be a role model that parents are OK with their kids looking up to.
"I make it very clear that I am flawed because I think it’s important to show others that, sure, I have a highlight reel like everyone else in the industry, but I’m also definitely still a human being with a sloppy behind-the-scenes. And that’s OK."
Paris Jackson says sorry to Australia after social media gaffe
