Roger Ebert offers explanation for "jackasses" tweet

(CBS) Roger Ebert came under fire from some and has been supported by others for a tweet he wrote in the aftermath of "Jackass" star Ryan Dunn's death. In a recent blog post, Ebert attempts to clear the air by explaining why he tweeted "Friends don't let jackasses drink and drive."

Pictures: Ryan Dunn of "Jackass," 1977-2011

Ebert writes,

"To begin with, I offer my sympathy to Ryan Dunn's family and friends, and to those of Zachary Hartwell, who also died in the crash. I mean that sincerely. It is tragic to lose a loved one. I also regret that my tweet about the event was considered cruel. It was not intended as cruel. It was intended as true."

Later, he writes,

"What did I mean by that? I meant exactly what I wrote. I wasn't calling Ryan Dunn a jackass. In Twitter shorthand, I was referring to his association with 'Jackass.' I thought that was clear. I note that Bam Margera uses the word 'jackass' in the same way in his tweet.

Margera had responded to Ebert's tweet angrily in a tweet of his own.

Ebert tweeted Tuesday morning that Facebook removed his page from its site. (He thinks it's related to the Dunn tweet.) The Facebook page has since been reinstated.

Read Ebert's full blog post here.