Obama Takes an Official Stance on GIF vs. JIF

President Barack Obama has reopened a battle almost as old as the Internet — the pronunciation of GIF.

The White House hosted its first-ever Tumblr Q&A between Obama and Tumblr founder and CEO David Karp on Tuesday. The president discussed student debt and also addressed issues like gun violence.

In a behind-the-scenes video from the event posted to the White House's YouTube page on Thursday, Obama gave his two cents to the oft-debated GIF pronunciation. The leader of the free world pronounces it with a hard G (GIF, not JIF).

Steve Wilhite, who created the format in 1987, disagrees. The pronunciation has always been hotly contested, but when Wilhite's five-word acceptance speech for his lifetime achievement award at the Webby Awards in May 2013 was "It's pronounced JIF, not GIF," a firestorm broke out. Even Jeopardy has weighed in on the topic. Read more...