Twitter campaign 'backfires'

The BBC has an article about somebody at the NYPD who didn't understand technology:

A plan by the New York Police Department to use Twitter to boost its image seems to have backfired. Users were asked to tweet a photo of themselves with officers and add the hashtag #myNYPD as part of a social media campaign. But, instead of a steady stream of friendly photos, the hashtag was quickly adopted by users posting images of possible police aggression (photo, bottom). The NYPD said: "Twitter provides an open forum for uncensored exchange."
The original tweet was posted on the NYPD's Twitter feed on Tuesday. Featuring two smiling officers and a member of the public (photo, top), it encouraged users to send in similar photos. But, while several people did so, the hashtag was also picked up by others who used it to identify tweets containing photos of the NYPD in more hostile situations.
By Wednesday, the hashtag had become one of Twitter's top trending terms. The NYPD issued a statement in response to the activity: "The NYPD is creating new ways to communicate effectively with the community. Twitter provides an open forum for an uncensored exchange and this is an open dialogue good for our city."
Other Twitter interactions that have backfired include US Airways posting an explicit photo in response to a customer's tweet, and McDonald's using a hashtag to highlight its farmers, that quickly got taken over by people sharing their bad experiences of the burger chain.

Rico says the word 'twits' is so appropriate here...