| Revision as of 08:31, 6 July 2017 editNorthBySouthBaranof (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers33,494 edits Once again, rewrite to source material: "CNN could have probably avoided any of this simply by ending the article after the words 'private citizen'." Source does ''not'' say "Kaczynski."← Previous edit | Revision as of 08:36, 6 July 2017 edit undoNick Moyes (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators64,880 editsm Randomly fixing recent typos with Lupins spellchecking tool: targetted->targetedNext edit → | ||
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| CNN was accused of blackmailing a ] user when they implied that they might ] of the user if he continued to post inflammatory content. | CNN was accused of blackmailing a ] user when they implied that they might ] of the user if he continued to post inflammatory content. | ||
| The incident was widely criticized across the political spectrum - including ], due to it being seen as blackmail and an attack on his pro-Trump views. It was considered a "cyber jihad" and " |
The incident was widely criticized across the political spectrum - including ], due to it being seen as blackmail and an attack on his pro-Trump views. It was considered a "cyber jihad" and "targeted harassment" by commentators.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.vox.com/platform/amp/policy-and-politics/2017/7/5/15922214/cnnblackmail-reddit-trump-wrestling|title=CNN is being accused of blackmailing a pro-Trump Reddit user for posting things it didn’t like - Vox|website=www.vox.com|language=en|access-date=2017-07-06}}</ref> According to the ], CNN staffers were dox'ed, and protests are planned at their houses. | ||
| ==Background== | ==Background== | ||
Revision as of 08:36, 6 July 2017
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CNN was accused of blackmailing a Reddit user when they implied that they might reveal the identity of the user if he continued to post inflammatory content.
The incident was widely criticized across the political spectrum - including Vox, due to it being seen as blackmail and an attack on his pro-Trump views. It was considered a "cyber jihad" and "targeted harassment" by commentators. According to the Daily Caller, CNN staffers were dox'ed, and protests are planned at their houses.
Background
On July 2, 2017, President Donald Trump posted an animated video of a WWE match that starred Trump and his opponent who had a CNN logo placed over his face. The video shows Trump bodyslamming and repeatedly punching the individual on the ground. On July 4, 2017 CNN published a story titled "How CNN found the Reddit user behind the Trump wrestling GIF", which labeled Reddit user "HanAssholeSolo" as the creator of the viral video. In the article published by CNN, the author Andrew Kaczynski explains the process that allowed the organization to discover the identity of the user. After which the user posted an apology to CNN, including apologies for previous Reddit postings that could be taken as well as containing "racist, Islamophobic, and anti-Semitic language and imagery" on the Reddit group r/The_Donald. Immediately afterwards, his apology was locked and deleted by the subreddit's moderators while the user deleted his Reddit account. After confirming the identity of the Reddit user, HanAssholeSolo expressed his unwillingness for his name to not be released to the public. To which CNN responded with the statement "CNN is not publishing "HanA**holeSolo's" name because he is a private citizen who has issued an extensive statement of apology, showed his remorse by saying he has taken down all his offending posts, and because he said he is not going to repeat this ugly behavior on social media again. In addition, he said his statement could serve as an example to others not to do the same. CNN reserves the right to publish his identity should any of that change."
Reaction
CNN was subsequently accused of blackmailing the user. At the same time the #CNNblackmail hashtag trending on the first place worldwide on Twitter. Meanwhile, Madison Malone Kircher of New York magazine opined that CNN could've avoided the internet vigilantism if the final line hadn't been included. Vox reporter German Lopez tweeted: "I can't emphasize how bad this is on CNNs part. This is basically 'don't post stuff we don't like or we'll dox you.' Extremely unethical." Kaczynski responded by stating that the line was "misinterpreted" and that the user said that he was not threatened prior to his apology. Ben Shapiro, Dave Rubin, Paul Joseph Watson, Brittany Pettibone, and others also gave criticism on the incident.
See also
References
- "CNN is being accused of blackmailing a pro-Trump Reddit user for posting things it didn't like - Vox". www.vox.com. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
- ^ "How CNN found the Reddit user behind the Trump wrestling GIF". CNN Politics. July 4, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- Berke, Jeremy (July 4, 2017). "'I am in no way this kind of person': Reddit user who created Trump's CNN body-slam meme apologizes for his racist and anti-Semitic posts". Business Insider. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- Mack, David (July 4, 2017). "The Reddit User Who Made The Trump/CNN Wrestling Video Has Posted An Apology". BuzzFeed. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- Kostarelis, Stefan (July 5, 2017). "Redditor who created THAT Trump vs CNN video apologises and deletes his account". Techly. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- Ferreras, Jesse (July 5, 2017). "Reddit user who took credit for Trump GIF apologizes, account deleted after CNN finds him". Global News. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- Bell, Chris (July 5, 2017). "CNN accused of 'blackmailing' Trump gif maker". BBC News. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- Kircher, Madison Malone (July 5, 2017). "Did CNN 'Blackmail' a Redditor Over His Trump Wrestling GIF?". Select All. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- Nwanevu, Osita (July 5, 2017). "Reddit User Apologizes for Trump-CNN GIF; CNN Coverage Raises Eyebrows". Slate. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- Irby, Kate (July 5, 2017). "CNN identified the creator of the Trump wrestling gif. Now it's accused of blackmail". Miami Herald. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- "CNN Spends Day Fighting #Blackmail Backlash". The Daily Caller. Retrieved 2017-07-06.