Expecting to sit back and enjoy an Anthony Bourdain’s travel/food show “Parts Unknown” marathon, reports claimed Boston got a different kind of eyeful. Hardcore porn.
However, all media reports seem to stem from just one tweet.
On Thursday night, Twitter user @SoLikeARose tweeted,“@universalhub did anyone else with @RCNconnects in Boston see the hardcore porn that was broadcast on @CNN by mistake?” CNN initially released a statement saying it asked RCN, which handles CNN’s East Coast broadcasting, for an explanation – only to backtrack later in the day.
“Despite media reports to the contrary, RCN assures us that there was no interruption of CNN’s programming in the Boston area last night,” a CNN representative said, according to The Wrap. RCN denied any record of the alleged porn, saying if it happened, it only happened to @SoLikeARose.
“Regarding the reported incident involving CNN in Boston, RCN has no evidence this occurrence took place on the CNN feed,” the company said in a Facebook post. “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 has reported.
“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.” RCN reached out to @SoLikeARose, whose account has 78 followers, to address the concern, but the Twitter account has since been made private.
@solikearose Hello Rose! Our Twitter team had left yesterday at 6pm EST. Should you need immediate assistance, agents are here 24/7 at— RCN (@RCNconnects) November 25, 2016
@solikearose 800-746-4726. We have not had any reports of the programming issue you mentioned on CNN in Boston. If you’re still having an— RCN (@RCNconnects) November 25, 2016
@solikearose issue with that channel, please DM us your address so we can troubleshoot when you’re home. Thanks, Melissa— RCN (@RCNconnects) November 25, 2016 “I initially posted because I wanted to see if anyone else in Boston had been affected,” the Twitter user identified only as Rose,told BuzzFeed News. “I think it was a broadcasting error that affected only my house.”
A second Twitter account, @MrHayter, also claimed the “broadcasting error”occurred.
Watched #partsunknown last night. Looks like they’ve taken the Parts Unknown theme in a very new direction! I like it! ??????— Mr. Hayter (@MrHayter) November 25, 2016 Metro reached out to @MrHayter, but no reply was given by press time.
And the person claiming to be the original tweeterpopped up on Reddit. “Hi! I’m the person who tweeted about this. Posting from a throwaway.
“So far it looks like I am the only person who saw the half hour of porn. RCN has said everything was working perfectly on their end and that they have had no other reports of the ‘programming issue.’ They cannot tell whether or not multiple households saw the porn. CNN is still blacked out on both of my TVs.” The post has a few comments which refute the poster’s story, such as this less-than-delicate suggestion: “You are a liar. I have RCN and watched parts unknown last night. No porn. Stop lying you f–k.” Riley Quinn, the former transsexual porn star featured in the alleged “programming issue,” tweeted, “Hey @CNN thanks for the free airtime.”
Hey @CNN thanks for the free airtime.— Riley Quinn (@TSRileyQuinn) November 25, 2016 Maintaining that the story is real, @SoLikeARose apparently didn’t care for all the attention.
“People [accused] me of faking the story and creepy men sending me dick pics and sexual messages,” she said, according to BuzzFeed.
For the record,Snopeshas deemed the claim “FALSE.”
Porn instead of ‘Parts Unknown’: Fake news strikes again
#BourdainPorn was born and, waking up from its turkey-induced coma, social mediawent wild.