BSA member Sean Plunket's controversial Weinstein tweet

A new Broadcast Standards Authority (BSA) member, Sean Plunket, is involved in controversy over a tweet he sent out on Wednesday afternoon.

Plunket seemed to imply in his tweet that he felt for Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood producer currently involved in a scandal involving many women coming out claiming he's sexually harassed them.

Plunket, who's officially been in his new Government-appointed job less than two weeks, tweeted: "Anyone else feeling for Harvey Weinstein?".

Anyone else feeling for Harvey Weinstein?

— Sean Plunket (@SeanPlunket) October 11, 2017

The tweet quickly received a number of replies, including from several Kiwis outraged that the director of the BSA would either defend Weinstein or "troll" social media users by pretending to defend him.

The answer is no. If you hear of ongoing sexual assault but sympathise with the offender not the victims, there is something deeply wrong https://t.co/lQNAZTZHpz

— Golriz Ghahraman (@golrizghahraman) October 11, 2017

pic.twitter.com/pElnLLFnLZ

— CarterNixon (@CarterNixon) October 11, 2017

Think of the people who don’t have a voice before you wastefully use yours

— Stewart Sowman-Lund (@StewartLundNZ) October 11, 2017

Open letter to @BSA_NZ

I do not want this man involved in deciding what standards of decency are in NZ in any way. At all. Ever. pic.twitter.com/DyMgyEWPBV

— Ani ⚢ (@aniobrien) October 11, 2017

Plunket said he sent the tweet out as a "social experiment" and was "fishing" to show how Twitter has become "an echo chamber for the perennially outraged."

He told the Herald: "I feel revulsion and disappointment towards Harvey Weinstein, but as is with so often the case with Twitter, those seeking to be outraged leapt to attack anyone who doesn't comply with their group think."

The Ministry for Women replied to Plunket with a tweet featuring a gif of the Muppets character Miss Piggy shaking her head and saying "no". However, they were quick to delete it and then apologised for their criticism, saying: "Apologies @SeanPlunket, we didn't intend any offence in our tweet (now deleted)."

Their decision to delete then drew criticism by other Twitter users.

If I was fishing today I would have caught my limit.

— Sean Plunket (@SeanPlunket) October 11, 2017

And the outraged are off. Offence taken everywhere. For the record hw deserves whatever he gets.

— Sean Plunket (@SeanPlunket) October 11, 2017

So my feelings for Weinstein are revulsion, anger and contempt. Wonder if this tweet will get covered in the herald.

— Sean Plunket (@SeanPlunket) October 11, 2017