The #CNNBlackmail hashtag exploded in July 2017 after CNN published an article about a Reddit user who created a GIF of Donald Trump tackling a personified CNN logo. The controversy centered on a specific line in the report suggesting that CNN reserved the right to reveal the user's identity if his behavior changed. The internet community quickly labeled this as blackmail, sparking a massive wave of retaliatory memes aimed at the news network. These memes typically depict CNN as an antagonist to free speech or an overbearing corporate entity, serving as a landmark event in the ongoing tension between mainstream media and online subcultures.