That fake CNN porn story was planted by an alleged Russian troll (Updated)

The truth comes out.
 By 
Damon Beres
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

CORRECTION, Nov. 2, 2017, 9:20 p.m. EST In November 2016 we reported a story planted on Twitter that suggested CNN aired pornography. There was little evidence to back up that assertion, as reported below. Congressional investigators reviewing a Russian influence campaign on Facebook have since confirmed that Jenna Abrams, who initially tweeted the claim, was created by the Internet Research Agency, a Russian troll farm, according to the Daily Beast.

We have updated the headline of this story to more accurately reflect what happened.

Prior post:


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UPDATE: Nov. 25, 2016, 5:58 p.m. EST This article has been updated throughout with new information from RCN and CNN.

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So much for Parts Unknown. 👀

CNN viewers may have gotten an eyeful Thursday night when Anthony Bourdain's show was reportedly replaced by 30 minutes of hardcore pornography. RCN customers in Boston were the only ones affected, according to articles published early Friday, so any mistake would have been on the cable provider's end — not the news network's.

But a representative for RCN told Mashable that the company investigated the reports and determined there was not a widespread problem.

"Regarding the reported incident involving CNN in Boston, RCN has no evidence this occurrence took place on the CNN feed," Jeff Carlson, senior vice president and general manager of RCN Boston, said in an emailed statement. "We have not had any other reports of this incident other than this single customer's tweet."

"Our review of network operations and our call center phone logs during the last evening show no indications that this impacted any other customer than the one single customer," the statement continued. "Only a technical review of the individual’s equipment involved could ascertain how this might have occurred. We’ve confirmed that this one customer’s account is in proper working order."

CNN did not immediately reply to Mashable's request for comment about the famed jet-setter being replaced by a solid half hour of intercourse, but a representative initially seemed to confirm reports to Mediaiate.

"The RCN cable operator in Boston aired inappropriate content for 30 minutes on CNN last night. CNN has asked for an explanation," a CNN representative told the outlet, which is skeptical that the story is legit.

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown typically airs Sunday evenings, but CNN had been showing back-to-back episodes for Thanksgiving.

Nearly 300,000 people subscribe to RCN in Boston, according to Variety.

UPDATE: Nov. 25, 2016, 1:54 p.m. EST This article, which originally included a tweet from RCN denying the reports, has been updated to include an official statement from the cable provider.

UPDATE: Nov. 25, 2016, 3:36 p.m. EST This article has been updated to included additional context.

UPDATE: Nov. 25, 2016, 5:32 p.m. EST This article has been updated with a new statement from RCN.

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Damon Beres

Damon Beres is an Executive Editor at Mashable, overseeing tech and science coverage. Previously, he was Senior Tech Editor at The Huffington Post. His work has appeared in Reader's Digest, Esquire.com, the New York Daily News and other fine outlets.

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