CNN’s KFILE, the leading investigation team for the social, mobile generation, know the name of the author of the Trump wrestling GIF who goes by the name “HanA$$holeSolo” on Reddit. But the story is much deeper than knowing the name.
According to CNN, after finding the GIF author, they attempted to contact him on Monday by email and phone. He did not respond. However, he posted a lengthy apology Tuesday on Reddit that has subsequently been taken down.
“First of all, I would like to apologize to the members of the reddit community for getting this site and this sub embroiled in a controversy that should never have happened,” the GIF author wrote. “I would also like to apologize for the posts made that were racist, bigoted, and anti-semitic. I am in no way this kind of person, I love and accept people of all walks of life and have done so for my entire life. I am not the person that the media portrays me to be in real life, I was trolling and posting things to get a reaction from the subs on reddit and never meant any of the hateful things I said in those posts. I would never support any kind of violence or actions against others simply for what they believe in, their religion, or the lifestyle they choose to have. Nor would I carry out any violence against anyone based upon that or support anyone who did.”
He continued apologizing for his advocacy of violence against the media.
“The meme was created purely as satire, it was not meant to be a call to violence against CNN or any other news affiliation,” he wrote. “I had no idea anyone would take it and put sound to it and then have it put up on the President’s Twitter feed. It was a prank, nothing more. What the President’s feed showed was not the original post that was posted here, but loaded up somewhere else and sound added to it then sent out on Twitter. I thought it was the original post that was made and that is why I took credit for it. I have the highest respect for the journalist community, and they put their lives on the line every day with the jobs that they do in reporting the news.”
The GIF author subsequently called CNN’s KFILE, apologized and asked them not to release his name. He feared for his personal safety and public embarrassment that it would bring to his family. CNN, unfortunately, decided to oblige.
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.
This is foolhardy on the part of CNN. Trolls like this person are only concerned that he got caught. When our infantile and destructive president used the meme, the GIF’s author wrote in two Reddit messages.
Wow!! I never expected my meme to be retweeted by the God Emperor himself.
and
Holy. I wake up and have my morning coffee and who retweets my post but the MAGA EMPORER himself!!!
I am honored.!!!
Does that sound like someone who is not in line with the president’s racism, misogyny, and xenophobia? CNN’s job is to report, and they should have identified the GIF’s author.
Unfortunately, Mediate’s Jon Levine does not concur as he characterizes CNN decision to reserve the right to out the troll if he misbehaves as Caesarian. He wrote,
The whole seedy business also reflects CNN’s strangely solipsistic desire to play the victim and punish anyone involved in a tweet that makes them look bad. Network management would do well to remember the ultimate J-School basic: “You are not the story.”
The callous disregard for the safety of a powerless Internet rando would be bad enough by itself, but it’s worse still because CNN’s warning to HanA**holeSolo was really not directed to him at all, but to all of us.
I completely disagree. HanA**holeSolo made CNN the story. More importantly, it is clear that HanA**holeSolo is neither innocent nor powerless. Keyboard warriors have had a dramatic effect on our body politic, and the ascension of Trump is evidence.