Welcome to the internet, mainstream media!

(NNC) - When CNN and YouTube decided to pair up and merge the mediums of television and internet, neither companies quite expected to get all the baggage that comes with user-submitted, online-oriented content. This time, that baggage came in the form of a hidden online secret image, lovingly labeled “GOATSE,” based on the original website “goatse.cx.”

“GOATSE” refers to an image that began circulating the internet and infiltrating innocent users’ internet explorer windows as early as January 2000. But what makes this image so unique is its inherently offensive nature - portraying a man distending his anal lining with his two hands while providing a very clear image of his erect penis

And despite an extensive screening and thorough analyzation of the videos submitted on behalf of YouTube and CNN alike, the image still made it under the radar and into tonight’s debate

The incident in question came during a question about our nation’s healthcare system. The user who submitted the video was speaking innocuously into the camera when the image of “goatse” was flashed for the briefest moment in 1/24th of a second, ranging just above the framerate treshhold with which television broadcasts.

I’m sure most of you have interest in seeing the evidence, but here’s a video still for you skeptics

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