Reddit Declares Meme War Against CNN After #CNNBlackmail Controversy

Redditors are waging war against CNN following their threat to dox a user over a GIF featuring the President and the news network. The GIF is an edited clip from Donald Trump's 2007 Wrestlemania appearance in which he gives WWE Vince McMahon a pretty serious beat down. In the GIF, the CNN logo has been superimposed over McMahon's face - and features the title "Trump takes down fake news (Colorized, 2017)." The animation, a jab at the cable news network, was later tweeted in video form by President Trump.

On July 4th, user HanAssholeSolo issued an apology to the r/The_Donald subreddit, in which he apologized for the controversy and any bigoted posts he made in the past. This is where the fun begins. The very same day, CNN senior editor Andrew Kaczynski claimed to have tracked down the user in question, and threatened to reveal his identity (dox, if you will) if he continued to "repeat this ugly behavior on social media again."

Reddit does not take kindly to blackmail. While the HanAssholeSolo was rumored to be a 15 year old boy, Kaczynski claims he is an adult. Either way, the response from subreddits r/dankmemes, r/cnnmemes, and r/memeeconomy has been swift. The users have taken to calling #CNN the Great Meme War - and have been creating a wealth of anti-CNN memes in response.

Posted by Ada Elder