Katy Perry has posted a well-intentioned but misleading tweet in an attempt to offer her condolences to the victims of MH17.
“So INCREDIBLY sad to hear that there were 100 volunteers for UNICEF on flight MH17 Sending our prayers to all the families effected [sic],” she wrote to her 54 million followers.
However local UNICEF representatives have confirmed no staff or volunteers were on board the flight which claimed the lives of 298 people when it was shot down over the Ukraine on Friday.
“There were no UNICEF staff on Malaysian Airlines flight MH17,” a spokeswoman confirmed to Fairfax Media..
She said about 100 delegates of the children’s charity arrived safely in Melbourne before the International AIDS conference which began on Sunday.
“We do have global UNICEF staff and volunteers at the conference, including four UNICEF Australia Young Ambassadors.”
Perry, who was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador last year, has presumably confused delegates for the 100 medical researchers, HIV researchers and activists who were en route to the conference. Among those who are believed to have perished was former International AIDS Society president and father of five, Joep Lange, and World Health Organisation staff.
Meanwhile, the pop star has given UNICEF and the conference free use of her song Unconditionally to use in a campaign titled “#showthelove” which will promote information about sex and sexual health that is free from stigma and discrimination.
 
While Perry’s tweet caused confusion, Orange Is The New Black star Jason Biggs caused outrage for making a joke about Malaysia Airlines.
"Anyone wanna buy my Malaysian Airlines frequent flier miles?” he tweeted soon after news of the crash broke.
Biggs, who was the star of the popular American Pie film franchise, has deleted the offending posts.
