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ORIGINAL: Wayward5oul

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ORIGINAL: DesideriScuri

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ORIGINAL: Wayward5oul
Redditor dude was a dumbass. You put something like that out there, you never know how it might be used nor how it can come back and bite you in the ass.

Free speech still can have consequences. CNN employees claiming it endangered their lives is bullshit. It would have been different had the guy used a CNN employee's actual face. I mean, seriously? Trump "fighting" CNN (not any personality specifically) during a scripted fighting-as-entertainment production is threatening CNN (or any of it's employees) how?

Agreed that free speech has consequences. Despite what people like to believe, it it not a get out of jail free card for everything that comes out of your mouth. And while you may not be legally punished for something that falls under the free speech umbrella, it does not protect you from resulting situations nor from other people's opinions, which they are free to voice as well.
As far as CNN employees claiming it endangers their lives, for the most part that's absurd. But the fact is that we are living in increasingly violent times, and with the daily battle between Trump and the media, I can easily see extremists viewing the gif as an invitation to attack. It wouldn't be the first time that we've seen extremist actions initiated by Trump's words/actions.

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ORIGINAL: DesideriScuri

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ORIGINAL: Wayward5oul
But the average Joe shouldn't have to contend with the media giant that is CNN standing over your shoulder, holding you and your family's safety in their hands.

This is very true.
Do you think law enforcement should investigate?
Imo, the guy should come forward, "out" himself, and explain it was done as a jest. After that, CNN has zero leverage. Anyone coming after the guy or his family would be breaking the law in some form or fashion.

I think an investigation would be a waste of time. CNN's explanations now (however lame they are) would provide enough wiggle room to avoid meeting any legal definition of crime. If they were to carry through with the threat, that would be different, but I think they can talk their way out of this one, legally. But just as free speech is not free of consequence, neither is this dumbass move by CNN going to be free of consequence either. I know of several people who are looking at them with new eyes now. They credibility has taken a real hit.
They really don't have any leverage against him now, because if they carry the threat out, then that would be illegal and actionable. And now everyone is standing over their shoulder watching to see that they don't.
As far as the redditor guy goes, he is screwed. Again, the times we live in won't let him off scott free. Even if he comes forward himself, apology and all, he and probably his family will be affected somehow. Which is doubly sad now that there is evidence that he wasn't solely responsible for creating the gif. The one the president tweeted out was edited, and was not taken directly from the redittor that CNN has found. The only reason CNN tracked him down was because he bragged and took credit for it online when Trump tweeted it out. But it isn't exactly like the one that he made.

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