Re: 2 Gawker Editors Resign Over Article’s Removal
Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 1:13 am
What Everyone Thinks of Gawker’s Gay Escort Story
Website under fire for outing media executive's alleged attempt to set up tryst with male porn star
By Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke
07/17/15
NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT
Gawker boss Nick Denton, that time he let Patrick McMullan take his picture in 2008. (photo: Patrick McMullan)
Gawker is facing harsh criticism for posting a story alleging that a highly placed executive at a media company attempted to solicit sex from a gay porn star. The piece by writer Jordan Sargent includes screenshots of text messages and photos that allegedly identify the man, who is married to a woman and has three kids.
The media exec is the brother of a former high-ranking Obama administration official. According to the story, he was prepared to meet the male escort in Chicago and pay $2,500 for the encounter. He paid half that, but then canceled the encounter when the escort figured out the media exec’s identity and tried to get him to use his brother’s influence to resolve some sort of housing dispute.
The media executive backed out of the encounter, so the two never actually met in person. When contacted by Gawker, the media exec denied the story and called it a “shakedown.”
The post, which was published last night as Gawker founder Nick Denton hosted a party at his apartment to celebrate the delay in the Hulk Hogan trial, was met with swift criticism online. Prominent media figures tweeted their disapproval for what many contend was the outing of a private person.
This widespread criticism of Gawker comes as the company was enjoying goodwill as defenders of the First Amendment for the Hulk Hogan court case, in which the wrestler sued Gawker for publishing a sex tape.
There were a few people who tweeted their support for the story, but those were mostly people who work at Gawker.
“Given the chance gawker will always report on married c-suite executives of major media companies f**cking around on their wives,” Gawker editor in chief Max Read tweeted last night.
Website under fire for outing media executive's alleged attempt to set up tryst with male porn star
By Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke
07/17/15
NOTICE: THIS WORK MAY BE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT
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Gawker boss Nick Denton, that time he let Patrick McMullan take his picture in 2008. (photo: Patrick McMullan)
Gawker is facing harsh criticism for posting a story alleging that a highly placed executive at a media company attempted to solicit sex from a gay porn star. The piece by writer Jordan Sargent includes screenshots of text messages and photos that allegedly identify the man, who is married to a woman and has three kids.
The media exec is the brother of a former high-ranking Obama administration official. According to the story, he was prepared to meet the male escort in Chicago and pay $2,500 for the encounter. He paid half that, but then canceled the encounter when the escort figured out the media exec’s identity and tried to get him to use his brother’s influence to resolve some sort of housing dispute.
The media executive backed out of the encounter, so the two never actually met in person. When contacted by Gawker, the media exec denied the story and called it a “shakedown.”
The post, which was published last night as Gawker founder Nick Denton hosted a party at his apartment to celebrate the delay in the Hulk Hogan trial, was met with swift criticism online. Prominent media figures tweeted their disapproval for what many contend was the outing of a private person.
Glenn Greenwald@ggreenwald: I'm a fan of Gawker & several of its journalists, but that article is reprehensible beyond belief: it's deranged to publish that.
7:46 PM 16 Jul 2015
Kara Swisher @karaswisher: An appalling act of gay shaming disguised as a story -- thought we were way past this crap.
7:40 PM 16 Jul 2015
Gawker. This post has been removed. Against the objections of Gawker Media's editorial leadership, this post was removed on July 17, 2015. More details about the decision can be found here. CEO Nick Denton's statement can be found ...
Gabriel Sherman @gabrielsherman: That piece is just sick, mean and creepy. I just don't understand why'd they publish.
7:55 PM 16 Jul 2015
Kevin Roose @kevinroose: I think I just read a blog post that ruined a guy's life for no good reason and I don't feel great about it.
5:50 PM 16 Jul 2015
Michael Barbaro @mikiebarb: I dont say this lightly: This is repugnant, shameful journalism.
Been a long time since I've seen such universal media revulsion for a media company's editorial decision:
7:26 PM 16 Jul 2015
Michael Wolff@MichaelWolffNYC: @Gawker's David Geithner story more evidence that kids are in charge and @nicknotned gone or stoned. Where is the public interest here?????
4:46 AM 17 Jul 2015
Jeet Heer @HeerJeet: 1. One interesting thing about the Gawker debacle is that it's uniting people from all across the political & cultural spectrum.
8:08 PM 16 Jul 2015
Michael C. Moynihan @mcmoynihan: So let's hear your defense of outing Geithner and potentially ruining his life.
6:10 PM 16 Jul 2015
Jake Fogelnest@jakefolgelnest: Everyone relax about Gawker. Hulk Hogan will own it soon and it will become the number one web destination for energy drinks and cuckolding.
12:09 AM 17 Jul 2015
Scott Bixby@scottbix: Is it too late to express outrage over the Gawker thing?
6:13 AM 17 Jul 2015
This widespread criticism of Gawker comes as the company was enjoying goodwill as defenders of the First Amendment for the Hulk Hogan court case, in which the wrestler sued Gawker for publishing a sex tape.
There were a few people who tweeted their support for the story, but those were mostly people who work at Gawker.
“Given the chance gawker will always report on married c-suite executives of major media companies f**cking around on their wives,” Gawker editor in chief Max Read tweeted last night.