CNN has earned a reputation for its questionable news coverage and disorganized staffing… but this new stunt might surprise you.
On “New Year’s Eve Live,” CNN aired several pranks live on-air.
What’s more, the pranks were painfully obvious… if anyone was paying attention.
The tweets came from accounts named “Ben Dover,” “Dixie Normus,” “Anita Blackman,” and others… with even cruder names.
The prank gained media attention after going viral on Tik Tok, a video-sharing application.
The Daily Beast then performed a “quick review,” and it found a “shared infrastructure.”
The prank accounts tended to follow each other, and they tended to have very few other followers. Six of the seven accounts had started tweeting just that night, and they tweeted only about CNN.
Obvious… if anyone at CNN was paying attention to what they were broadcasting.
The seventh account, “Mike Oxlong,” appeared to act as the ring leader. That account joined Twitter in February.
According to The Daily Beast, that account tweeted more frequently, about more varied topics. The account has been deleted as of Monday.
— Dixie Normus (@DixieNormussss) January 1, 2022
Regina King is slaying the game looking better than ever! #CNNNYE
— Ben Dover (@BenDover837) January 1, 2022
Regina is wonderful! Love her as well as Andy and Anderson of course #CNNNYE
— Anita Blackman (@Shun86LGM) January 1, 2022
Your intern working on NYE deserves a raise @cnn pic.twitter.com/JOAGDgJEPV
— TTI (@TikTokInvestors) January 1, 2022
CNN faced criticism for a lack of oversight, but CNN hosts Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper each seemed oblivious.
Critics said Cohen even appeared drunk.
Cohen was ostensibly covering the inauguration of New York Mayor Eric Adams, and he ranted against former Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Cohen shouted, “The only thing that Democrats and Republicans can agree on is what a horrible mayor he has been!” Cohen shouted.
He went even more viral than the Twitter trolls. Take a look —
Andy Cohen just dragged Bill DeBlasio up and down 7th Avenue #CNNNYE pic.twitter.com/5m1DEVvZwx
— Wes Reynolds (@WesReynolds1) January 1, 2022
🌧 good morning! 🌧. Um, I was a bit overserved last night…. 🥴
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) January 1, 2022
This chaos comes at a time of scandal for CNN.
Last month, a senior producer was charged with unlawful sex with a minor. Before that, star Chris Cuomo was fired for his role in the sexual harassment accusations against his brother, New York’s former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Plus, the network has been losing viewers throughout the Biden presidency and often has the worst ratings of the major cable news broadcasters.
CNN did not respond to The Daily Beast‘s request for comment.
More importantly, neither did “Mike Oxlong.”
The Horn editorial team