Viral Patient Zero Rumored to Have Died

We’re hearing that the editorial staff of the The Daily What, one of the aggregator sites that pre-figured the current virally contorted media environment, is being laid off and that the site is potentially being shut down. Founded by Neetzan Zimmerman — who left to become Gawker’s viral editor and then Whisper’s editorial director — The Daily What was acquired by Ben Huh’s Cheezburger network, which has raised around forty million dollars of venture capital over the last few years and owns several other sites in addition to its eponymous flagship, like FAIL Blog and Know Your Meme. The Daily What is pointedly not prominently listed on Cheezburger’s advertising page. (We’ve reached out to Cheezburger for comment and will let you know what we hear, obviously lol.)

Earlier today, Pitchfork shut down its film site The Dissolve and computers everywhere revolted.