That's a nicely done apology. No, "I'm sorry you were offended" bullshit, no "freedom of speech" foolishness, no blaming the media for things he actually did. Instead, we get a clear recounting of events, a reasonable explanation for how it happened, a full apology, a reasonable defense against the false accusations, and closing with "it's my job to know".

He's right; the Internet is a treacherous medium. But he's also right that it's the speaker's responsibility to own that. I'm going to bookmark this for reference next time I screw something up.