AMERICAN YOUTUBE STAR Logan Paul has apologised for shooting a video in which he finds a dead body at a notorious Japanese suicide blackspot.
Paul posted the apology after a backlash to the video which appears to show a body hanging.
The video shows Paul, who has millions of Twitter followers and YouTube subscribers, going on a trek with friends in Aokigahara forest, near Mount Fuji.
Critics said that his demeanour in the now-deleted video – he is seen laughing and joking – was particularly poor, but that the segment should not have been made in the first place.
Others criticised the lack of nuance the video displayed and criticised Paul for not directing viewers to specific helplines.
Others said that YouTube, where Paul has over 15 million subscribers, should take action.
Reacting to the backlash, Paul deleted the video and posted an apology on Twitter.
“I’m sorry…I’ve never made a mistake like this before,” he wrote.
“I’m surrounded by good people and believe I make good decisions, but I’m still a human being. I can be wrong.
“I didn’t do it for the views. I get views. I did it because I thought I could make a positive ripple on the internet, not a monsoon of negativity.”
He said that he hoped the video could “save just ONE life”, but claims he was “misguided by shock and awe”.
“I do this sh*t every day. I’ve made a 15 minute TV show EVERY SINGLE DAY for the past 460+ days. One may understand that it’s easy to get caught up in the moment without fully weighing the possible ramifications.
“I’m often reminded of how big of a reach I truly have and with great power comes great responsibility…for the first time in my life I’m regretful to say that I handled that power incorrectly. It won’t happen again.
“I love everyone. I believe in people. I’m out here. Peace.”
(Can’t see the tweet above? Click here)
In a second video posted this evening, he said:
“I have made a severe and continuous lapse in my judgement and I don’t expect to be forgiven – I am simply here to apologise.”
He said that what happened in the woods in Japan was unplanned, and that the reactions captured on the video were “raw and unfiltered”.
“None of us knew how to react or how to feel. I should have never posted the video. I should have put the cameras down and stopped recording what we were going through. There were a lot of things I should have been doing differently but I didn’t. And for that, from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry.”
He apologised to the internet, anyone who saw the video, anyone touched by mental illness, and to the victim and his family.
For my fans who are defending my actions, please don’t; they do not deserve to be defended.
He concluded by saying he is disappointed in himself and that he promises to do better.
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