Reddit moderators are forced to quit and issue an apology after a series of awards in the Gabby Petito forum were met with fiery criticisms.
In Reddit, a Gabby Petito forum which is dedicated to the YouTube star became the center of controversy because of the awards that moderators issued to Reddit users.
Newsweek reported that a group of moderators of the r/GabbyPetito thread was forced to quit.
Now, the remaining moderators issued a statement and apologized, labeling the awards as ‘tasteless’ and ‘inappropriate’.
“We apologize to the memory of Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Petito as well as to the Petito & Schmidt families.
We extend our humble apologies to the r/gabbypetito community for failing to exercise appropriate judgment and for our failure to offer concise and transparent information when responding to questions, confusion, and rightful criticism.
We would never wish to make light of a situation like this. We realize that a beloved person was murdered and many people now have a hole in their lives. Although we did not intend to exacerbate grief or trauma, we did, and we are deeply sorry for not realizing that in any stage that came before posting it for you.
It was not, nor has it ever been the intention of the moderators to make light of the senseless and tragic death.
Under no circumstances have we had any intention or interest in using Gabby’s name, memory, or perceived likeness for financial gain.
It is important to us that we are crystal clear when we say we have not made any money whatsoever from the moderation of this sub-Reddit, nor from the community awards.”
The r/GabbyPetito thread on Reddit was made to allow people to talk about the heavily publicized case. While it’s normal for conspiracies to be discussed on the forum, the awards seemingly crossed the line.
Reddit uses the awards system to give credit to users who made significant contributions to a thread.
The awards that were issued by the former moderators included a variety of designs related to the late Youtuber and several things she was interested in, which people claim to be insensitive in nature.