It's not an apology, it's a rationalization and a disclosure that Twitter has erected a classic legal fiction -- a Chinese Wall. In this case, Twitter has revealed two distinct groups that are not permitted to interact directly for reasons of decorum and liability. One polices the Twitter zeitgeist for memes that are distasteful to their partners (@nbcuni in this case), and the other reacts to breaches of Twitter's AUP.

Like with most abuses of corporate Chinese Walls, and why they are really just fictional constructs, there is a trampoline available for coordination -- in this case it's the partner itself. "We have encountered something you would find disparaging. Would you like to hellban? If so, please forward the following infringement to our unsuspecting moderation team.."

I find particularly nice that Twitter's own general counsel decided to spell it out in long form for the audience. It's a little like the ring leader explaining the physics supporting the acrobats after a performance.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_wall

* http://blog.twitter.com/2012/07/our-approach-to-trust-safety...