You'd think the daughter of the late Esther Lederer, better known as the advice columnist "Ann Landers," might be especially careful in picking her words.
Turns out, the 71-year-old Margo Howard, herself an advice columnist, is facing some blowback on Twitter for a comment some readers saw as racist.
On Tuesday, Howard, under the username @margoandhow, reported some bafflement at Spanish-language TV station Telemundo's coverage of the trial of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich.
She wrote: "Not sure why Telemundo cares. Their soap operas off? Séptimo día de deliberaciones en el caso por corrupción del ex-gobernador #blagojevich."
Her comment quickly upset Illinois state representative Deb Mell (@debmell), who retweeted it, adding, "Wow that is so racist:"
(Note: Mell is Blagojevich's sister in law)
And NBC Chicago executive producer Kathryn Janicek (@kathrynjanicek) pointed out that Telemundo's crews had been at the trial every day.
Howard might have only dug herself deeper with this reply: "Not racist at all, & not meant to be. Y would People in Mexico care? & they ARE known for their shows."
At that point, Alba Mendiola (@albamendiola), a Telemundo reporter in Chicago, jumped in, pointing out that Telemundo is an American station that broadcasts in Spanish, with a strong local presence and viewership in Illinois.
Tell us what you think: vote in this poll, and make your case in the comments below.