Sean Plunket has hit back against the "Twitterati outrage" he faced after a controversial tweet which appeared to show support for disgraced Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein.
The veteran journalist quit Twitter after the ordeal, saying he became "increasingly concerned" at not just others' online behaviour, but his own.
"My object was to raise the issue that social media was in danger of affecting wider public discourse around social progress in a way that we end up talking past each other," he told RNZ's Mediawatch on Sunday morning.
"I have been as guilty as anyone of the immediate reaction and responding in time to those who operate with a lexicon of foul language and abuse - that's why I'm no longer on Twitter. I don't want to be a part of that culture."
On Wednesday, Mr Plunket tweeted "Anyone else feeling for Harvey Weinstein?", drawing howls of protest.
Weinstein has effectively been forced out of the movie business and seen his marriage crumble, under a barrage of sexual harassment charges from high-profile actresses and models.
Mr Plunket later backtracked, claiming his post was a "little social experiment", then tried to deny all knowledge of it before finally taking responsibility for the comments.
"So my feelings for Weinstein are revulsion, anger and contempt. Wonder if this tweet will get covered in the herald," he later tweeted.
Had he said he felt for Weinstein in real life, Mr Plunket claimed, someone would have asked what he meant by that rather than attacking him or turning it into a news story.
"I never said what I was feeling for him and nobody bothered to ask.
"The reportage occurred without me being contacted or any clarification being sought. The Twitterati outrage was the story."
Mr Plunket shared his concern for those who "suffer social media pile-ons in silence", bringing up The AM Show host Duncan Garner, who quit Twitter days earlier after users reacted badly to a column he wrote for Fairfax.
"He obviously suffered the same fate of will misinterpretation."
Mr Plunket resigned as a member of the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) on Friday, but said this was not because of the tweet.
Asked if he'd be returning to Twitter anytime soon, Mr Plunket said he hadn't decided.
"It's a good way to gather news, particularly breaking news, but I don't think it's any place for conversation. I might and might not. But really, does it matter a hill of beans whether I do or not?"
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