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> No one was lynched by redditors (or in danger of being lynched)

Anyone who thinks that Salah Barhoun's life wasn't in danger for a few hours there just hasn't thought things through. This country is littered with small people with guns who would love to assassinate the newest boogeyman.

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This is absolutely true. But he was only put in danger once the Fox News affiliate broadcast the image (purportedly from the FBI) of Salah and his friend.

Fox (and, indeed, at least one other Rupert Murdock property: the New York Post) didn't help, but if I were in Salah's place I'd be most concerned about the ar15.com nutjobs who were trolling him: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5573281

In any case, no number of intermediaries would absolve "the subreddit" of responsibility if something went tragically wrong as result of their actions. Mob psychology and the diffusion of responsibility certainly makes people feel like it would.

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