Gawker

File:Gawker.svg

File:Gawker-office.ogg newsroom at 210 Elizabeth Street in New York on July 13, 2010]]

Gawker was founded by journalist Nick Denton in 2002, after he left the Financial Times. It was originally edited by Elizabeth Spiers.{{cite news |url= http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/12/13/former-gawker-editor-sews-up-fashion-site/?8dpc |title= Former Gawker Editor Sews Up Fashion Site, and More |work= The New York Times |date= December 13, 2006 |department= DealBook |access-date= September 27, 2013 |archive-date= February 12, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220212050226/https://www.nytimes.com/section/business/dealbook?8dpc |url-status= live }} Gawker's official launch was in December 2002.{{cite magazine|url=https://nplusonemag.com/issue-6/reviews/gawker-2002-2007/|title=Gawker: 2002–2007|last=Blumenkranz|first=Carla|date=January 1, 2008|magazine=n+1|access-date=July 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722042015/https://nplusonemag.com/issue-6/reviews/gawker-2002-2007/|archive-date=July 22, 2015|url-status=live}} When Spiers left Gawker, she was replaced by Choire Sicha, a former art dealer. Sicha was employed in this position until August 2004, at which point he was replaced by Jessica Coen, and she became editorial director of Gawker Media. Sicha left for the New York Observer six months after his promotion.

Later, in 2005, the editor position was split between two co-editors, and Coen was joined by guest editors from a variety of New York City-based blogs; Matt Haber was engaged as co-editor for several months, and Jesse Oxfeld joined for longer. In July 2006, Oxfeld's contract was not renewed, and Alex Balk was installed. Chris Mohney, formerly of Gridskipper, Gawker Media's travel blog, was hired for the newly created position of managing editor.

On September 28, 2006, Coen announced in a post on Gawker that she would be leaving the site to become deputy online editor at Vanity Fair. Balk shared responsibility for the Gawker site with co-editor Emily Gould. Associate editor Maggie Shnayerson also began writing for the site; she replaced Doree Shafrir, who left in September 2007 for the New York Observer.

In February 2007, Sicha returned from his position at the New York Observer, and replaced Mohney as the managing editor. On September 21, 2007, Gawker announced Balk's departure to edit Radar Magazine's website; he was replaced by Alex Pareene of Wonkette.

The literary journal n+1 published a long piece on the history and future of Gawker, concluding that, "You could say that as Gawker Media grew, from Gawker's success, Gawker outlived the conditions for its existence".{{cite magazine

|url=http://www.nplusonemag.com/gawker-2002-2007

|title=Gawker: 2002-2007

|last=Blumenkranz

|first=Carla

|magazine=n+1

|date=December 3, 2007

|access-date=May 1, 2010

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100503130337/http://www.nplusonemag.com/gawker-2002-2007

|archive-date=May 3, 2010

|url-status=live

}}

In 2008, weekend editor Ian Spiegelman quit Gawker because Denton fired his friend Sheila McClear without cause. He made that clear in several comments on the site at the time, also denouncing what he said was its practice of hiring full-time employees as independent contractors in order to avoid paying taxes and employment benefits.

{{cite news

|url=http://gawker.com/5257522/times-hamptons-just-like-us-cutely-conserving-for-thrifty-summer

|title=Comment on article Times: 'Hamptons Just Like Us, Cutely Conserving for "Thrifty" Summer'

|last=Spiegelman

|first=Ian

|publisher=Gawker.com

|date=May 16, 2009

|url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131215138/http://gawker.com/5257522/times-hamptons-just-like-us-cutely-conserving-for-thrifty-summer

|archive-date=January 31, 2010

}}

On October 3, 2008, Gawker announced that 19 staff members were being laid off in response to the impact of the 2008 financial crisis. Most came from sites with low ad revenue.{{cite news |last=Hansell |first=Saul |url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/gawker-cutbacks-an-early-indicator-of-ad-slowdown/ |title=Gawker Cutbacks an Early Indicator of Ad Slowdown |publisher=Bits.blogs.nytimes.com |date=October 3, 2008 |access-date=April 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100126121604/http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/gawker-cutbacks-an-early-indicator-of-ad-slowdown/ |archive-date=January 26, 2010 |url-status=live }}

On November 12, 2008, the company announced selling the popular blog site Consumerist and the folding of Valleywag, with managing editor Owen Thomas being demoted to a columnist on Gawker, and the rest of the staff being laid off. Some members and staff writers complained that owner Nick Denton was looking to sell out all of the Gawker sites while they were still profitable.{{cite web |url=http://valleywag.com/5084842/extremely-literal-boss-demotes-editor-to-columnist |title=Extremely literal boss demotes editor to columnist – self-referential – Gawker |publisher=Valleywag.com |date=November 12, 2008 |access-date=April 2, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218054303/http://valleywag.com/5084842/extremely-literal-boss-demotes-editor-to-columnist |archive-date=December 18, 2008 }}{{cite web |last=Popken |first=Ben |url=http://consumerist.com/5084569/consumerist-is-for-sale |title=Consumerist Is For Sale |publisher=The Consumerist |date=November 12, 2008 |access-date=April 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608134422/http://consumerist.com/5084569/consumerist-is-for-sale |archive-date=June 8, 2009 |url-status=live }}

In December 2009, Denton was nominated for "Media Entrepreneur of the Decade" by Adweek, and Gawker was named "Blog of the Decade" by the advertising trade. Brian Morrissey of Adweek said "Gawker remains the epitome of blogging: provocative, brash, and wildly entertaining".{{cite web |url=http://www.bestofthe2000s.com/blog-of-the-decade.html |title=AdweekMedia: Best of the 2000s – Blog of the Decade |publisher=Best of the 2000s |access-date=April 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100127182036/http://www.bestofthe2000s.com/blog-of-the-decade.html |archive-date=January 27, 2010 |url-status=dead }}

In February 2010, Denton announced that Gawker was acquiring the "people directory" site CityFile.com, and was hiring that site's editor and publisher, Remy Stern, as the new editor-in-chief of Gawker. Gabriel Snyder, who had been editor-in-chief for the previous 18 months and had greatly increased the site's readership, released a memo saying he was being let go from the job.{{cite news

|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/business/media/16bizbriefs-GAWKERACQUIR_BRF.html

|title=Gawker Acquires a Guide to Big Names in the City

|last=Stelter

|first=Brian

|work=The New York Times

|date=February 15, 2010

|access-date=February 24, 2017

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822093741/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/business/media/16bizbriefs-GAWKERACQUIR_BRF.html

|archive-date=August 22, 2017

|url-status=live

}}

In December 2011, A. J. Daulerio, former editor-in-chief of Gawker Media sports site Deadspin, replaced Remy Stern as editor-in-chief at Gawker. The company replaced several other editors, contributing editors, and authors; others left. Richard Lawson went to the Atlantic Wire, a blog of the magazine, The Atlantic Monthly.

{{cite journal |journal=Gawker |title=Goodbyes: A Tribute to Richard Lawson On His Second Last Day |url=http://gawker.com/5853561/a-tribute-to-richard-lawson-on-his-second-last-day |date=October 26, 2011 |author=Gawker Staff |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120807044347/http://gawker.com/5853561/a-tribute-to-richard-lawson-on-his-second-last-day |archive-date=August 7, 2012 }}{{cite news|author=Joe Pompeo|date=October 25, 2011|title=Richard Lawson leaves Gawker to work for old Gawker boss, at Atlantic Monthly|url=http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2011/10/3881181/richard-lawson-leaves-gawker-work-old-gawker-boss-atlantic-wire|journal=Capital New York|access-date=September 30, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024053756/http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2011/10/3881181/richard-lawson-leaves-gawker-work-old-gawker-boss-atlantic-wire|archive-date=October 24, 2012|url-status=dead}}

In 2012, the website changed its focus away from editorial content and toward what its new editor-in-chief A. J. Daulerio called "traffic whoring" and "SEO bomb throws".[http://gawker.com/5878065/gawker-will-be-conducting-an-experiment-please-enjoy-your-free-cute-cats-singing-and-sideboobs Gawker Will Be Conducting An Experiment, Please Enjoy Your Free Cute Cats Singing And Sideboobs] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617221053/http://gawker.com/5878065/gawker-will-be-conducting-an-experiment-please-enjoy-your-free-cute-cats-singing-and-sideboobs |date=June 17, 2012 }}, A.J. Daulerio, Gawker, January 23, 2012[https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/post/four-truths-about-gawker-brian-williams-e-mail-thing/2012/01/17/gIQAUktt5P_blog.html Four truths about Gawker-Brian Williams e-mail thing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814143539/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/post/four-truths-about-gawker-brian-williams-e-mail-thing/2012/01/17/gIQAUktt5P_blog.html |date=August 14, 2017 }}, Erik Wemple, The Washington Post, January 17, 2012; Retrieved June 20, 2012. In January 2013 Daulerio reportedly asked for more responsibility over other Gawker Media properties, but after a short time was pushed out by publisher Denton.[http://observer.com/2013/01/a-j-daulerio-is-leaving-gawker-for-who-the-fk-knows/ A.J. Daulerio Is Leaving Gawker for 'Who the F#@K Knows'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130111161159/http://observer.com/2013/01/a-j-daulerio-is-leaving-gawker-for-who-the-fk-knows/ |date=January 11, 2013 }}, Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke and Hunter Walker, New York Observer, January 10, 2013; Retrieved January 11, 2013.[http://www.adweek.com/news/press/aj-daulerio-out-gawker-editor-chief-146450 A.J. Daulerio Out as Gawker Editor in Chief] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113030414/http://www.adweek.com/news/press/aj-daulerio-out-gawker-editor-chief-146450 |date=January 13, 2013 }}, Charlie Warzel, AdWeek, January 10, 2013; Retrieved January 11, 2013. Daulerio was replaced as editor-in-chief by longtime Gawker writer John Cook.[http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/01/aj-daulerio-out-as-gawker-editor.html A.J. Daulerio Out As Gawker Editor; John Cook to Step Up] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130112144428/http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/01/aj-daulerio-out-as-gawker-editor.html |date=January 12, 2013 }}, Joe Coscarelli, New York, January 10, 2013; Retrieved January 11, 2013.

In March 2014, Max Read became the Gawker's editor-in-chief.{{cite news|first1=Cision|last1=Staff|url=http://www.cision.com/us/2014/03/max-read-takes-reins-at-gawker/|title=Max Read Takes Reins at Gawker|work=Cision|date=March 20, 2014|access-date=January 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429233811/http://www.cision.com/us/2014/03/max-read-takes-reins-at-gawker/|archive-date=April 29, 2014|url-status=live}} In April 2014, using internet slang was banned per new writing style guidelines.{{cite news|first1=Andrew|last1=Beaujon|url=http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/246113/gawker-bans-internet-slang/|title=Gawker bans 'Internet slang'|work=Poynter Institute|date=April 3, 2014|access-date=January 4, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128120629/http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/246113/gawker-bans-internet-slang/|archive-date=November 28, 2014}}{{cite news|first1=James|last1=Crugnale|url=http://www.thewrap.com/gawker-rips-buzzfeed-ban-internet-slang/|title=Gawker Rips Buzzfeed in Ban on 'WTF,' 'Epic' and Other Internet Slang From Its Website|work=TheWrap|date=April 3, 2014|access-date=January 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405234754/http://www.thewrap.com/gawker-rips-buzzfeed-ban-internet-slang|archive-date=April 5, 2014|url-status=live}}{{cite news|first1=Matthew|last1=Kassel|url=http://observer.com/2014/04/massive-attack-gawker-goes-after-whopping-word/|title='Massive' Attack: Gawker Goes After Whopping Word|work=The New York Observer|date=April 3, 2014|access-date=January 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405232311/http://observer.com/2014/04/massive-attack-gawker-goes-after-whopping-word/|archive-date=April 5, 2014|url-status=live}}{{cite news|first1=Alex|last1=Weaver|url=http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2014/04/03/gawker-editor-bans-internet-slang/|title=Gawker Editor Bans 'Internet Slang,' Challenges Staff to 'Sound Like Regular Human Beings'|work=BostInno|date=April 3, 2014|access-date=January 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105033937/http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2014/04/03/gawker-editor-bans-internet-slang/|archive-date=January 5, 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite news |first1=Steven |last1=Poole |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/apr/10/ban-internet-slang-steven-poole-derp-amazeballs-lulz-wtf |title=A ban on internet slang? That's derp |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=April 10, 2014 |access-date=January 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410175857/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/apr/10/ban-internet-slang-steven-poole-derp-amazeballs-lulz-wtf |archive-date=April 10, 2014 |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine|first1=John|last1=McWhorter|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/117289/gawker-language-memo-encourages-use-adult-language|title=Gawker is Trying to Use 'Adult' Language. Good Luck to Them.|magazine=The New Republic|date=April 7, 2014|access-date=January 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715111125/http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117289/gawker-language-memo-encourages-use-adult-language|archive-date=July 15, 2014|url-status=live}}

In June 2015, Gawker editorial staff voted to unionize.{{cite news |url=http://observer.com/2015/06/gawker-votes-to-form-union/ |title=Gawker Votes to Form Union |last=Bloomgarden-Smoke |first=Kara |date=June 4, 2015 |work=Observer |location=New York |access-date=July 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722021057/http://observer.com/2015/06/gawker-votes-to-form-union/ |archive-date=July 22, 2015 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/04/412042028/in-a-first-for-online-media-gawker-writers-join-union|title=In A First For Online Media, Gawker Writers Join Union|last=Naylor|first=Brian|date=June 4, 2015|publisher=NPR|access-date=July 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723095048/http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/04/412042028/in-a-first-for-online-media-gawker-writers-join-union|archive-date=July 23, 2015|url-status=live}} Employees joined the Writers Guild of America. Approximately three-fourths of employees eligible to vote voted in favor of the decision. Gawker staff announced the vote on May 28, 2015.{{cite web |url=http://gawker.com/how-were-voting-on-the-union-and-why-1707427120 |title=How We're Voting on the Union, and Why |last=Gawker Media Staff |date=May 28, 2015 |publisher=Gawker |access-date=July 19, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721121035/http://gawker.com/how-were-voting-on-the-union-and-why-1707427120 |archive-date=July 21, 2015 }}

Following the decision to delete a controversial story in July 2015 {{See below|{{section link||Condé Nast executive prostitution claims}}, below}}, Read and Gawker Media executive editor Tommy Craggs resigned in protest. Leah Beckmann, the site's then deputy editor, took over as interim editor in chief.{{cite news |last=Steigrad |first=Alexandra |url=http://wwd.com/media-news/digital/gawker-nick-denton-tries-to-calm-staff-as-fallout-continues-10190742 |title=Gawker's Nick Denton Tries to Calm Staff as Fallout Continues |work=Women's Wear Daily |date=July 21, 2015 |access-date=July 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722083621/http://wwd.com/media-news/digital/gawker-nick-denton-tries-to-calm-staff-as-fallout-continues-10190742/ |archive-date=July 22, 2015 |url-status=live }} She was replaced in October 2015 by Alex Pareene.

On August 18, 2016, Gawker announced that it would be shutting down after Univision Communications acquired Gawker Media's six other websites.{{Cite web |last=Trotter |first=J.K. |title=Gawker.com to End Operations Next Week |url=http://gawker.com/gawker-com-to-end-operations-next-week-1785455712 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818145641/http://gawker.com/gawker-com-to-end-operations-next-week-1785455712 |archive-date=August 18, 2016 |access-date=August 18, 2016}} These websites continued to operate under Univision{{cite web|last1=Calderone|first1=Michael|title=Gawker.com Ending Operations Next Week|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gawker-closing_us_57b5e870e4b0fd5a2f41cbb5|website=The Huffington Post|date=August 18, 2016|access-date=August 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228104548/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gawker-closing_us_57b5e870e4b0fd5a2f41cbb5|archive-date=February 28, 2017|url-status=live}} which named the unit Gizmodo Media Group in an effort to distance itself from the Gawker name.{{Cite news |last=Villafañe |first=Veronica |title=Univision Rebrands Gawker Media As Gizmodo Media Group; Starts Translating Content For Univision.com |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/veronicavillafane/2016/09/22/univision-rebrands-gawker-media-as-gizmodo-media-group-starts-translating-content-for-univision-com/#4b64345e44ad |access-date=2017-01-12 |newspaper=Forbes |archive-date=January 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118071719/http://www.forbes.com/sites/veronicavillafane/2016/09/22/univision-rebrands-gawker-media-as-gizmodo-media-group-starts-translating-content-for-univision-com/#4b64345e44ad |url-status=live }} Gawker's employees were transferred to the other six websites or elsewhere in Univision.{{cite web|last1=Rife|first1=Katie|title=Hulk Hogan further vindicated as Univision shuts down Gawker|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/hulk-hogan-further-vindicated-univision-shuts-down-241350|website=The A.V. Club|access-date=August 19, 2016|date=August 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819031735/http://www.avclub.com/article/hulk-hogan-further-vindicated-univision-shuts-down-241350|archive-date=August 19, 2016|url-status=live}} While Univision initially acquired the Gawker website when it purchased the other websites,{{Cite news |last=Trotter |first=J.K. |date=August 17, 2016 |title=Fate of Gawker.com Remains Unclear After Univision Acquisition of Gawker Media |url=http://gawker.com/fate-of-gawker-com-remains-unclear-after-univision-acqu-1785392239 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818215743/http://gawker.com/fate-of-gawker-com-remains-unclear-after-univision-acqu-1785392239 |archive-date=August 18, 2016 |access-date=February 26, 2024 |work=Gawker}} "Univision deemed the Gawker.com brand too toxic, and transferred it back to the bankruptcy estate". The Gawker website remained online after it ceased publication.

On July 12, 2018, Bryan Goldberg, owner of Bustle and Elite Daily, purchased Gawker.com in a bankruptcy auction for less than $1.5 million.

On January 16, 2019, it was announced Carson Griffith, Ben Barna, Maya Kosoff and Anna Breslaw were joining the staff of the new Gawker.{{cite web | last=Wagner | first=Laura | title=Here Are the Media Chuds Joining Fake Gawker | website=Splinter | date=January 16, 2019 | url=https://splinternews.com/here-are-the-media-chuds-joining-fake-gawker-1831782448 | access-date=January 23, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190124012055/https://splinternews.com/here-are-the-media-chuds-joining-fake-gawker-1831782448 | archive-date=January 24, 2019 | url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2019-10-21 |first=Kate |last=Storey|title='One Grotesque Irony After Another': Inside the Rise and Fall of Gawker 2.0 |url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a29501602/gawker-bryan-goldberg-bustle-digital-group/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=Esquire |language=en-US}} However, on January 23, 2019, Kosoff and Breslaw announced they were quitting the site over offensive workplace comments made by Griffith. "We're disappointed it ended this way, but we can't continue to work under someone who is antithetical to our sensibility and journalistic ethics, or for an employer [CEO Bryan Goldberg] who refuses to listen to the women who work for him when it's inconvenient," Kosoff and Breslaw said in a statement.{{cite web | title=Gawker 2.0 Implodes as Its Only Reporters Quit | website=The Daily Beast | date=January 23, 2019 | url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/gawker-writers-quit-over-editorial-director-carson-griffiths-offensive-tweets-workplace-comments |first1=Maxwell |last1=Tani | access-date=January 23, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190123195554/https://www.thedailybeast.com/gawker-writers-quit-over-editorial-director-carson-griffiths-offensive-tweets-workplace-comments | archive-date=January 23, 2019 | url-status=live }}

In March 2019, Dan Peres was announced as the site's editor-in-chief.{{cite news | title=Gawker Names Dan Peres as Editor in Chief, Hoping to Breathe Life Back Into Site | newspaper=The New York Times|first=Julia |last=Jacobs | date=March 21, 2019 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/21/business/media/gawker-editor-dan-peres.html | access-date=March 21, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190825104902/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/21/business/media/gawker-editor-dan-peres.html/ | archive-date=August 25, 2019 | url-status=live }} However, in August 2019, Peres, Griffith and the rest of the staff tasked with relaunching the site were laid off. "We are postponing the Gawker relaunch," a BDG spokesperson said. "For now, we are focusing company resources and efforts on our most recent acquisitions, Mic, The Outline, Nylon and Inverse."{{cite news | title=Gawker, the Reboot, Is Once Again in Limbo | newspaper=The New York Times|first=Marc|last=Tracy | date=July 30, 2019 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/30/business/gawker-bustle-reboot-canceled.html | access-date=August 1, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801154700/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/30/business/gawker-bustle-reboot-canceled.html | archive-date=August 1, 2019 | url-status=live }} Kate Storey of Esquire outlined the leading theory on the failed relaunch was that it aimed to turn Gawker into "the prestigious, journalistic gem of BDG, kept afloat by the profits of other sites like Bustle and Elite Daily", however, "the BDG board and Goldberg soon lost interest in a site that was proving difficult to staff, a lightning rod for controversy, and, ultimately, expensive to operate (reporting is expensive) while not generating commensurate revenue".

In 2020, Griffith sued The Daily Beast, the site's editor-in-chief Noah Shachtman, and writer Maxwell Tani for defamation over an article about Kosoff and Breslaw's resignation over Griffith's comments.{{Cite web|last=Flood|first=Brian|date=March 5, 2020|title=Journalist sues Daily Beast over 'defamatory and untruthful statements'|url=https://www.foxnews.com/media/daily-beast-carson-griffith-lawsuit|access-date=December 18, 2020|website=Fox News|language=en-US|archive-date=December 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205064640/https://www.foxnews.com/media/daily-beast-carson-griffith-lawsuit|url-status=live}} On March 24, 2021, a New York judge denied a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.{{Cite web|last=Wulfsohn|first=Joseph|date=March 25, 2021|title=New York judge denies Daily Beast motion to dismiss former Gawker editor's defamation lawsuit|url=https://www.foxnews.com/media/carson-griffith-gawker-defamation-case-daily-beast|access-date=March 27, 2021|website=Fox News|language=en-US|archive-date=March 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328052434/https://www.foxnews.com/media/carson-griffith-gawker-defamation-case-daily-beast|url-status=live}} On May 16, 2023, a New York appeals court dismissed the lawsuit.{{Cite web|last=Shamsian|first=Jacob|date=May 17, 2023|title=Court tosses defamation lawsuit against the Daily Beast over an article that destroyed Gawker 2.0|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/daily-beast-defamation-lawsuit-gawker-implosion-dismissed-2023-5|access-date=May 17, 2023|website=Insider|archive-date=May 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518005948/https://www.businessinsider.com/daily-beast-defamation-lawsuit-gawker-implosion-dismissed-2023-5|url-status=live}}

In April 2021, it was reported that Gawker would relaunch with former Gawker writer Leah Finnegan tapped as editor-in-chief.{{cite web | last=Ellefson | first=Lindsey | title=Gawker Is Set for Relaunch at Bustle Media Group -- Again | website=TheWrap | date=April 12, 2021 | url=https://www.thewrap.com/gawker-is-set-for-relaunch-again/ | access-date=April 12, 2021 | archive-date=April 12, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412152233/https://www.thewrap.com/gawker-is-set-for-relaunch-again/ | url-status=live }} Finnegan has said, of the tone of the relaunched site, that "[...] current laws of civility mean that no, it can't be exactly what it once was."{{cite news |last1=Robertson |first1=Katie |title=Gawker: The Return |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/28/business/media/gawker-return.html |access-date=January 7, 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=July 28, 2021 |archive-date=January 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107211734/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/28/business/media/gawker-return.html |url-status=live }} The site relaunched on July 28, 2021.{{cite news |last1=Spangler |first1=Todd |title=Gawker Is Back From the Dead: Site Relaunches Under Bustle Digital Group |url=https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/gawker-relaunch-bustle-digital-group-1235029633/ |access-date=January 7, 2022 |work=Variety |date=July 28, 2021 |archive-date=January 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107211734/https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/gawker-relaunch-bustle-digital-group-1235029633/ |url-status=live }}

On February 1, 2023, Bustle Digital Group announced that it would shut down Gawker as part of company-wide cuts.{{cite web |last1=Darcy |first1=Oliver |title=BDG shuts down Gawker and lays off 8% of staff, CEO announces |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/01/media/gawker-shuts-down/index.html |website=CNN |date=February 2023 |access-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201161227/https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/01/media/gawker-shuts-down/index.html |url-status=live }} The company e-mailed employees, "facing a surprisingly difficult first quarter of 2023, [it] had made the decision to reprioritize some of its investments that better position the company for the direction we see the industry moving." Finnegan announced the company's decision on Twitter that same morning.{{cite web |last1=Finnegan |first1=Leah |title=Well, after an incredible 1.5 years, BDG has decided... |url=https://twitter.com/leahfinnegan/status/1620785743139590144 |website=Twitter |access-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201165438/https://twitter.com/leahfinnegan/status/1620785743139590144 |url-status=live }}

In November 2023, the Gawker brand and domain were purchased by Meng Ru Kuok, the founder of Singapore-based venture capital firm Caldecott Music Group. Kuok stated a need for Gawker's reinvention and that "whatever plans materialize, what's for sure is that it won't be the same as it was before".{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Raquel 'Rocky' |date=2023-11-15 |title=Gawker Acquired by Founder of Singapore-Based Caldecott Music Group, With Plans for 'Reinvention' |url=https://www.thewrap.com/gawker-acquired-caldecott-music-group-bustle-media-bmg/ |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=TheWrap |language=en-US |archive-date=November 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118183947/https://www.thewrap.com/gawker-acquired-caldecott-music-group-bustle-media-bmg/ |url-status=live }} However, the digital archive was not included in this purchase and all articles have been removed from the Gawker website.{{Cite news |last=Nover |first=Scott |date=2024-02-23 |title=When Media Outlets Shutter, Why Are the Websites Wiped, Too? |url=https://slate.com/business/2024/02/messenger-gawker-vice-media-layoffs-sites-deleted-why.html |access-date=2024-02-26 |work=Slate |language=en-US |issn=1091-2339 |archive-date=February 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226040747/https://slate.com/business/2024/02/messenger-gawker-vice-media-layoffs-sites-deleted-why.html |url-status=live }}

File:Alex Pareene 2012 Shankbone 2.JPG, Gawker's editor-in-chief from 2015 to 2016]]

Gawker usually published more than 20 posts daily during the week, sometimes reaching 30 posts a day, with limited publishing on the weekends. The site also published content from its sister sites. Gawker's content consisted of celebrity and media industry gossip, critiques of mainstream news outlets, and New York-centric stories. The stories generally came from anonymous tips from media employees, found mistakes and faux pas in news stories caught by readers and other blogs, and original reporting.

On July 3, 2006, when publisher Nick Denton replaced Jesse Oxfeld with Alex Balk, Oxfeld claimed it was an attempt to make the blog more mainstream and less media-focused, ending a tradition of heavy media coverage at Gawker.

{{cite news

|url = http://www.gawker.com/news/jesse-oxfeld/letter-from-the-exeditor-its-a-long-way-to-tipperary-its-a-long-way-to-go-184928.php

|title = Letter From the Ex-Editor: It's a Long Way to Tipperary, It's a Long Way to Go

|last = Oxfeld

|first = Jesse

|publisher = Gawker.com

|date = July 3, 2006

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060705103252/http://www.gawker.com/news/jesse-oxfeld/letter-from-the-exeditor-its-a-long-way-to-tipperary-its-a-long-way-to-go-184928.php

|archive-date = July 5, 2006

}}

Denton announced in a staff memo in November 2015 that the site was switching from covering New York and the media world to focus primarily on politics.{{cite news |last=Somaiya |first=Ravi |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/18/business/media/gawker-politics-media.html |title=Gawker to Retool as Politics Site |work=The New York Times |date=November 17, 2016 |access-date=March 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409233015/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/18/business/media/gawker-politics-media.html |archive-date=April 9, 2016 |url-status=live }}

Gawker's website with its content initially remained online following its shutdown in 2016. This archive contained "over 200,000 articles".{{Cite web |last=Bustillos |first=Maria |date=February 15, 2018 |title=Erasing history |url=https://www.cjr.org/special_report/microfilm-newspapers-media-digital.php/ |access-date=February 26, 2024 |website=Columbia Journalism Review |language=en |archive-date=January 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119101731/https://www.cjr.org/special_report/microfilm-newspapers-media-digital.php |url-status=live }} Christopher Bonanos of New York argued in 2016 that the Gawker archive was worth preservation – "the early content of Gawker, in particular, is of real significance in the history of journalism. [...] But whether you like it or not, or mimic it or not, what they did changed the way things are done. For that alone, it is (and will be) worth study, and is thus worth preserving".{{Cite web |last=Bonanos |first=Christopher |date=August 19, 2016 |title=Save the Trash! Why the Gawker Archive Is Important |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/08/save-the-trash-why-the-gawker-archive-is-important.html |access-date=February 26, 2024 |department=Intelligencer |work=New York |language=en |archive-date=September 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925143215/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/08/save-the-trash-why-the-gawker-archive-is-important.html |url-status=live }} In 2017, academics Katherine Boss and Meredith Broussard commented that "the archives included, crucially, not just the articles but also the comments and the dialogue that readers had with the authors. Yet no advance plans had been made for Gawker's archives, and the abruptness of the bankruptcy and the sale, compounded by the controversial nature of the site and its implosion, made it even more difficult to save at the last minute".{{Cite web |last1=Broussard |first1=Meredith |last2=Boss |first2=Katherine |date=2017-10-30 |title=Describing dynamic data journalism: developing a survey of news applications |url=https://slub.qucosa.de/landing-page/?tx_dlf[id]=https%3A%2F%2Fslub.qucosa.de%2Fapi%2Fqucosa%253A16654%2Fmets |publisher=IFLA World Library and Information Congress}} Their review of the independent archive status in July 2017 "showed that archive.org had more than 16,000 snapshots of www.gawker.com dating back to 2003, with substantial gaps in coverage [...]. Quality assurance of each post was hit or miss, and comments were also archived only intermittently". Maria Bustillos, for the Columbia Journalism Review in 2018, highlighted "what would be missing if the Gawker archive were to disappear" which includes the "roots" of public accusations on the misconduct of Louis C.K., Bill Cosby, and Harvey Weinstein. Bustillos opined that "in the absence of journalists willing to take such risks, it's not at all clear whether such stories would ever have come to light in the mainstream press".

In 2018, the Freedom of the Press Foundation independently archived the Gawker website and its articles via Archive-It.{{Cite web |last=Shu |first=Catherine |date=2018-02-01 |title=Freedom of the Press Foundation will preserve Gawker's archives |url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/01/freedom-of-the-press-foundation-will-preserve-gawkers-archives/ |access-date=2024-02-26 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US |archive-date=February 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226070706/https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/01/freedom-of-the-press-foundation-will-preserve-gawkers-archives/ |url-status=live }} Parker Higgins, the Freedom of the Press Foundation's director of special projects, said they wanted to "reduce the 'upside' for wealthy individuals and organizations who would eliminate embarrassing or unflattering coverage by purchasing outlets outright. In other words, we hope that sites that can't simply be made to disappear will show some immunity to the billionaire problem". On the independent archive, The New York Times commented:

For readers, finding past coverage would be similar to using the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. For journalists, the archives represent a line of defense against what some fear is an increasingly potent weapon. Readers and former employees of Gawker have fretted that its domain and archive could be bought by someone with little regard for the company’s onetime mission. [...] Mr. Higgins said the threat of an owner who would remove or change articles could have a chilling effect on the press, either by directly shutting publications or by encouraging self-censorship.

Research on the "archiving practices and policies" of various types of journalistic production by the Columbia Journalism Review in 2019 highlighted that interviewed news workers "frequently cited the case of Gawker [...] as a cautionary tale illustrating the precarity of digital news" and that "the Gawker and Gothamist cases both scared reporters who don't personally archive their own work, just as it demonstrated the role of news archives in democratic societies and the need for preservation policies that ensure the public with a faithful account of history".{{Cite journal |last1=Ringel |first1=Sharon |last2=Woodall |first2=Angela |date=March 28, 2019 |title=A Public Record at Risk: The Dire State of News Archiving in the Digital Age |url=https://www.cjr.org/tow_center_reports/the-dire-state-of-news-archiving-in-the-digital-age.php/ |journal=Columbia Journalism Review |access-date=February 26, 2024 |language=en}}

{{As of|2023|November}}, the Gawker website no longer displays its articles following the purchase of the Gawker brand without the purchase of the archive.

On March 14, 2006, Gawker launched Gawker Stalker Maps, a mashup of the site's Gawker Stalker feature and Google Maps.

{{cite news

|url = http://www.gawker.com/news/stalker/introducing-gawker-stalker-maps-160338.php

|title = Introducing Gawker Stalker Maps

|publisher = Gawker.com

|date = March 14, 2006

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060411054843/http://www.gawker.com/news/stalker/introducing-gawker-stalker-maps-160338.php

|archive-date = April 11, 2006

}}

After this, Gawker Stalker—originally a weekly roundup of celebrity sightings in New York City submitted by Gawker readers—was frequently updated, and the sightings are displayed on a map. The feature sparked criticism from celebrities and publicists for encouraging stalking. George Clooney's representative Stan Rosenfeld described Gawker Stalker as "a dangerous thing". Jessica Coen said that the map is harmless, that Gawker readers are "for the most part, a very educated, well-meaning bunch", and that "if there is someone really intending to do a celebrity harm, there are much better ways to go about doing that than looking at the Gawker Stalker".{{ref|msnbc_stalker}}{{cite news

|url=http://www.today.com/id/11945454

|title=Gawker.com launches 'stalker' map

|publisher=Today.com

|date=March 21, 2006

|access-date=November 13, 2019

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909172513/http://www.today.com/id/11945454

|archive-date=September 9, 2017

|url-status=live

}}

On April 6, 2007, Emily Gould appeared on an edition of Larry King Live hosted by talk show host Jimmy Kimmel during a panel discussion titled "Paparazzi: Do They Go Too Far?" and was asked about the Gawker Stalker. Kimmel accused the site of potentially assisting real stalkers, adding that Gould and her website could ultimately be responsible for someone's death. Kimmel continued to claim a lack of veracity in Gawker{{'s}} published stories, and the potential for libel it presents. At the end of the exchange Gould said that she didn't "think it was OK" for websites to publish false information, after which Kimmel said she should "check your website then."{{cite episode |title=Paparazzi: Do They Go Too Far? |url=http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0704/06/lkl.01.html |access-date=September 7, 2021 |series=Larry King Live |series-link=Larry King Live |first=Jimmy |last=Kimmel |network=CNN |date=April 6, 2007 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722010429/http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0704/06/lkl.01.html |archive-date=July 22, 2015 |url-status=live}}

In 2007, Gawker published an article by Owen Thomas allegedly outing Silicon Valley venture capitalist Peter Thiel as gay, although Thomas contends the article did not constitute outing since Thiel's sexuality had been "known to a wide circle" in the Bay Area. This, together with a series of articles about his friends and others that he said "ruined people's lives for no reason", motivated Thiel to fund lawsuits against Gawker by people complaining their privacy had been invaded, including Hulk Hogan.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/26/business/dealbook/peter-thiel-tech-billionaire-reveals-secret-war-with-gawker.html |title=Peter Thiel, Tech Billionaire, Reveals Secret War With Gawker |last=Sorkin |first=Andrew |date=May 25, 2016 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=February 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223185042/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/26/business/dealbook/peter-thiel-tech-billionaire-reveals-secret-war-with-gawker.html |archive-date=February 23, 2017 |url-status=live }}

On January 15, 2008, Gawker mirrored the Scientology video featuring Tom Cruise from the recently removed posting on YouTube.{{cite web |url=http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/Tom-Cruise-Scientology,news-27215.html |title=Scientology video featuring Tom Cruise is leaked to the net |date=January 16, 2008 |access-date=May 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080328075647/http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/Tom-Cruise-Scientology,news-27215.html |archive-date=March 28, 2008 |url-status=live }} They soon posted a copyright infringement notice written by lawyers for Scientology.{{cite web|url=http://gawker.com/5002319/church-of-scientology-claims-copyright-infringement |title=Church of Scientology Claims Copyright Infringement |last=Denton |first=Nick |date=January 16, 2008 |publisher=Gawker |access-date=July 19, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721210837/http://gawker.com/5002319/church-of-scientology-claims-copyright-infringement |archive-date=July 21, 2015 }} By July 2009, the video had not been removed and no lawsuit was filed.{{cite web |url=http://gawker.com/5002269/the-cruise-indoctrination-video-scientology-tried-to-suppress |title=The Cruise Indoctrination Video Scientology Tried To Suppress |last=Denton |first=Nick |date=January 1, 2008 |publisher=Gawker.com |access-date=July 19, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716105455/http://gawker.com/5002269/the-cruise-indoctrination-video-scientology-tried-to-suppress |archive-date=July 16, 2015 }}

On September 17, 2008, in reporting that pranksters associated with 4chan had hacked the personal e-mail account of Alaska Governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, Gawker published screenshots of the emails, photos, and address list obtained by the hackers.{{cite web |url=http://gawker.com/5051193/sarah-palins-personal-emails |title=Sarah Palin's Personal Emails – Exclusive |publisher=Gawker |date=September 17, 2008 |access-date=April 2, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324024222/http://gawker.com/5051193/sarah-palins-personal-emails |archive-date=March 24, 2010 }}{{cite web |url=http://gawker.com/5051334/palin-emails-reveal-press-hate |title=Palin Emails Reveal Press Hate – Close read |publisher=Gawker |access-date=April 2, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100124233736/http://gawker.com/5051334/palin-emails-reveal-press-hate |archive-date=January 24, 2010 }} While accessing personal e-mail accounts without authorization constitutes a federal crime, current DOJ interpretation of this statute following the decision in Theofel v. Farey-Jones is that perpetrators may be prosecuted only for reading "unopened" emails.{{cite news |last=Albanesius |first=Chloe |url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2330802,00.asp |title=Palin Hackers May Dodge Feds via DOJ Loophole – News and Analysis by PC Magazine |publisher=Pcmag.com |date=February 4, 2010 |access-date=April 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026003424/http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2330802,00.asp |archive-date=October 26, 2009 |url-status=live }} FBI Spokesman Eric Gonzalez in Anchorage, Alaska, confirmed that an investigation was underway.{{cite news |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/17/mccain-camp-seeks-investigation-over-reported-e-mail-hack/#more-18989 |title=CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive – McCain camp seeks investigation over reported e-mail hack « – Blogs from CNN.com |publisher=Politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com |date=September 17, 2008 |access-date=April 2, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100312095255/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/17/mccain-camp-seeks-investigation-over-reported-e-mail-hack/#more-18989 |archive-date=March 12, 2010 |url-status=dead }}

On October 28, 2010, Gawker posted an anonymous post entitled "I Had a One-Night Stand with Christine O'Donnell". The piece discussed an alleged sexual encounter with O'Donnell, the Republican nominee in the 2010 Senate special election in Delaware. However, according to the writer, O'Donnell only slept naked with the anonymous writer and did not have sex with him.{{cite web|author=Anonymous |url=http://gawker.com/5674353/i-had-a-one+night-stand-with-christine-odonnell?skyline=true&s=i |title=I Had a One-Night Stand With Christine O'Donnell |publisher=Gawker.com |date=October 28, 2010 |access-date=June 28, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829003900/http://gawker.com/5674353/i-had-a-one+night-stand-with-christine-odonnell?skyline=true&s=i |archive-date=August 29, 2013 }} The National Organization for Women condemned the piece as "slut-shaming". NOW's president, Terry O'Neill, stated, "It operates as public sexual harassment. And like all sexual harassment, it targets not only O'Donnell, but all women contemplating stepping into the public sphere."{{cite web|url=http://www.now.org/press/10-10/10-28.html |title=NOW to Media: Stop Reducing Women Candidates to Sex Objects |publisher=Now.org |date=October 28, 2010 |access-date=June 28, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131011095057/http://www.now.org/press/10-10/10-28.html |archive-date=October 11, 2013 }} Salon's Justin Elliott criticized the ad hominem nature of the article, tweeting "Today, we are all Christine O'Donnell."{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/elliottjustin/status/29014215829|title=Twitter / elliottjustin: Today, we are all Christine O'Donnell|publisher=Twitter.com|access-date=June 28, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101104121340/http://twitter.com/elliottjustin/status/29014215829|archive-date=November 4, 2010|url-status=live}} Gawker.com reportedly paid in the "low four figures" for the story. Denton defended it, praising its "brilliant packaging".{{cite web|author=Choire Sicha|url=http://www.theawl.com/2010/10/gawker-honcho-writers-are-successful-to-the-extent-that-they-can-sublimate-their-egotism|title=Gawker Honcho: "Writers are Successful to the Extent That They Can Sublimate Their Egotism"|publisher=The Awl|date=October 28, 2010|access-date=June 28, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630192101/http://www.theawl.com/2010/10/gawker-honcho-writers-are-successful-to-the-extent-that-they-can-sublimate-their-egotism|archive-date=June 30, 2015|url-status=live}}

On December 11, 2010, Gawker and Gizmodo were hacked by a group named Gnosis. The hackers gained root access to the Linux-based servers, access to the source code, access to Gawker's custom CMS, databases (including writer and user passwords), Google Apps, and real-time chat logs from Gawker's Campfire instance, in addition to the Twitter accounts of Nick Denton and Gizmodo.{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/firewall/2010/12/13/the-lessons-of-gawkers-security-mess/|title=The Real Lessons Of Gawker's Security Mess|date=December 13, 2010|work=Forbes|access-date=December 13, 2010|first=Daniel|last=Kennedy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816022012/http://www.forbes.com/sites/firewall/2010/12/13/the-lessons-of-gawkers-security-mess/|archive-date=August 16, 2011|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://techshrimp.com/2010/12/13/gawker-website-hacked-by-gnosis-gnosis-says-they-are-not-4chan-or-anonymous/ |title=Gawker website Hacked by Gnosis; Gnosis says they are not 4chan or Anonymous |publisher=Techshrimp.com |date=December 12, 2010 |access-date=December 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101216021934/http://techshrimp.com/2010/12/13/gawker-website-hacked-by-gnosis-gnosis-says-they-are-not-4chan-or-anonymous/ |archive-date=December 16, 2010 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://www.mediaite.com/online/gawker-medias-entire-commenter-database-appears-to-have-been-hacked/|title=Gawker Hacked|last=Hall|first=Colby|date=December 12, 2010|work=Mediaite|access-date=December 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213141925/http://www.mediaite.com/online/gawker-medias-entire-commenter-database-appears-to-have-been-hacked/|archive-date=December 13, 2010|url-status=live}} The hacker group stated that they went after Gawker for their "outright arrogance" and for a previous feud between Gawker and 4chan.{{cite news|url=https://thenextweb.com/media/2010/12/13/gawker-hackers-release-file-with-ftp-author-reader-usernamespasswords/|title=Gawker hackers release file with FTP, author & reader usernames/passwords|last=Brian|first=Matt|date=December 13, 2010|access-date=December 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213104009/http://thenextweb.com/media/2010/12/13/gawker-hackers-release-file-with-ftp-author-reader-usernamespasswords/|archive-date=December 13, 2010|url-status=live}} Gawker asked all its users to change their passwords{{cite web |url=http://lifehacker.com/5712635/commenting-accounts-compromised-++-change-your-passwords |title=Commenting Accounts Compromised – Change Your Passwords |publisher=Lifehacker.com |date=December 12, 2010 |access-date=December 12, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214102405/http://lifehacker.com/5712635/commenting-accounts-compromised-++-change-your-passwords |archive-date=December 14, 2010 }} and posted an advisory notice as well.{{cite web|url=http://gawker.com/5712646/advisory-notice-no-action-required |title=Advisory Notice (No action required) |publisher=Gawker.com |date=December 12, 2010 |access-date=December 12, 2010 }}{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

The following day, a database dump of user credentials, chat logs, and source code of the Gawker website was made available on The Pirate Bay, among other BitTorrent trackers.

In February 2011, Gawker posted an email exchange between United States Congressman Chris Lee and a woman he had met through a personal ad on Craigslist. The emails included the married Lee describing himself as a divorced lobbyist and a photo of him posing shirtless.{{cite news |title=Rep. Chris Lee resigns after reports of Craigslist flirtation |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/09/AR2011020906977.html?hpid=topnews |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 9, 2011 |author=David A. Fahrenthold and Aaron Blake |access-date=August 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203173804/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/09/AR2011020906977.html?hpid=topnews |archive-date=December 3, 2017 |url-status=live }} Lee resigned his Congressional seat within hours of Gawker's story.

{{Main|Bollea v. Gawker}}

On October 4, 2012, Daulerio posted a short clip of Hulk Hogan and Heather Clem, the estranged wife of radio personality Todd Alan Clem, having sex.{{cite web|url=http://gawker.com/5948770/even-for-a-minute-watching-hulk-hogan-have-sex-in-a-canopy-bed-is-not-safe-for-work-but-watch-it-anyway|title=Even for a Minute, Watching Hulk Hogan Have Sex in a Canopy Bed is Not Safe For Work but Watch it Anyway|last=Daulerio|first=A. J.|date=October 4, 2012|publisher=Gawker|access-date=February 17, 2013|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20150703232454/http://gawker.com/5948770/even-for-a-minute-watching-hulk-hogan-have-sex-in-a-canopy-bed-is-not-safe-for-work-but-watch-it-anyway|archive-date=July 3, 2015}} Hogan sent Gawker a cease-and-desist order to take the video down, but Denton refused. Denton cited the First Amendment and argued that the accompanying commentary had news value. Judge Pamela Campbell issued an injunction ordering Gawker to take down the clip.{{cite news |last=Georgantopulos |first=Mary Ann |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/maryanngeorgantopoulos/the-biggest-mistake-of-my-life-court-records-detail-the-buil |title="The Biggest Mistake Of My Life": Court Records Detail The Buildup To Hulk Hogan's Lawsuit Against Gawker |work=BuzzFeed |date=July 15, 2015 |access-date=July 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716105809/http://www.buzzfeed.com/maryanngeorgantopoulos/the-biggest-mistake-of-my-life-court-records-detail-the-buil |archive-date=July 16, 2015 |url-status=live }} In April 2013, Gawker wrote, "A judge told us to take down our Hulk Hogan sex tape post. We won't." It also stated that "we are refusing to comply" with the order of the circuit court judge.{{cite web|last1=Cook|first1=John|title=A Judge Told Us to Take Down Our Hulk Hogan Sex Tape Post. We Won't.|url=http://gawker.com/a-judge-told-us-to-take-down-our-hulk-hogan-sex-tape-po-481328088|publisher=Gawker|access-date=March 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130428130143/http://gawker.com/a-judge-told-us-to-take-down-our-hulk-hogan-sex-tape-po-481328088|archive-date=April 28, 2013}}{{cite web|title=A judge told us to take down our Hulk Hogan sex tape post. We won't. |url=https://twitter.com/gawker/status/327537977922318337 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319090210/https://twitter.com/Gawker/status/327537977922318337 |archive-date=March 19, 2016 |publisher=Gawker via Twitter |access-date=March 19, 2016 |url-status=dead }}

Gawker's actions have been criticized as hypocritical since they heavily criticized other media outlets and websites for publishing hacked nude pictures of celebrities.{{cite web|url=http://observer.com/2014/09/spare-us-the-sanctimony-the-gross-hypocrisy-of-online-media-in-the-nude-photo-leak/|title=Spare Us The Sanctimony: The Gross Hypocrisy of Online Media in the Nude Photo Leak|website=The New York Observer |date=September 2, 2014|access-date=March 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320154854/http://observer.com/2014/09/spare-us-the-sanctimony-the-gross-hypocrisy-of-online-media-in-the-nude-photo-leak/|archive-date=March 20, 2016|url-status=live}}

Hogan filed a lawsuit against Gawker and Denton for violating his privacy, asking for $100 million in damages; the trial was slated for July 2015.{{cite news |last=Mahler |first=Jonathan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/business/media/gawker-nick-denton-moment-of-truth.html |title=Gawker's Moment of Truth |work=The New York Times |date=June 12, 2015 |access-date=July 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725181049/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/business/media/gawker-nick-denton-moment-of-truth.html |archive-date=July 25, 2015 |url-status=live }} The cost of the lawsuit was partly funded by Peter Thiel,{{cite news |title=Behind Peter Thiel's Plan To Destroy Gawker |author=Ryan Mac |date=June 29, 2016 |work=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2016/06/07/behind-peter-thiel-plan-to-destroy-gawker/#357fbad15848 |access-date=June 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609211515/http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2016/06/07/behind-peter-thiel-plan-to-destroy-gawker/#357fbad15848 |archive-date=June 9, 2016 |url-status=live }} whom Gawker had previously outed in 2007.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/26/business/dealbook/peter-thiel-tech-billionaire-reveals-secret-war-with-gawker.html|title=Peter Thiel, Tech Billionaire, Reveals Secret War With Gawker|date=May 26, 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223185042/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/26/business/dealbook/peter-thiel-tech-billionaire-reveals-secret-war-with-gawker.html|archive-date=February 23, 2017|url-status=live}} In January 2016, Gawker Media received its first outside investment by selling a minority stake to Columbus Nova Technology Partners. Denton stated that the deal was reached in part to bolster its financial position in response to the Hogan case.{{cite web |url=http://fortune.com/2016/01/20/gawker-funding/ |title=Gawker Gets its First Outside Investment Ever, From a Russian Oligarch |author=Mathew Ingram |work=Fortune |date=January 20, 2016 |access-date=March 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317130208/http://fortune.com/2016/01/20/gawker-funding/ |archive-date=March 17, 2016 |url-status=live }}

In March 2016, Hulk Hogan was awarded $140 million in damages by a Florida jury in an invasion of privacy case over Gawker's publication of a sex tape: on March 18, Hogan was awarded $55 million for economic harm and $60 million for emotional distress;{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/19/business/media/gawker-hulk-hogan-verdict.html|title=Hulk Hogan Awarded $115 Million in Privacy Suit Against Gawker|last1=Madigan|first1=Nick|date=March 18, 2016|last2=Somaiya|first2=Ravi|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=March 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320221742/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/19/business/media/gawker-hulk-hogan-verdict.html|archive-date=March 20, 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/2016/03/18/media/hulk-hogan-gawker-jury-deliberations/index.html|title=Hulk Hogan awarded $115 million in Gawker sex tape case|first=Tom|last=Kludt|date=March 18, 2016|access-date=March 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318230331/https://money.cnn.com/2016/03/18/media/hulk-hogan-gawker-jury-deliberations/index.html|archive-date=March 18, 2016|url-status=live}} on March 21, 2016, the jury awarded Hogan a further $25 million in punitive damages.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/business/media/hulk-hogan-damages-25-million-gawker-case.html|title=Jury Tacks On $25 Million to Gawker's Bill in Hulk Hogan Case|date=March 22, 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104195934/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/business/media/hulk-hogan-damages-25-million-gawker-case.html|archive-date=January 4, 2017|url-status=live}} On November 2, Gawker reached a $31 million settlement with Hogan.{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/03/business/media/gawker-hulk-hogan-settlement.html?_r=0 |title=Gawker and Hulk Hogan Reach $31 Million Settlement |date=November 2, 2016 |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105235429/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/03/business/media/gawker-hulk-hogan-settlement.html?_r=0 |archive-date=November 5, 2016 |url-status=live }}

On October 12, 2012, Adrian Chen posted an article identifying Reddit moderator Violentacrez as Michael Brutsch.{{cite news |url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/world/michael-brutsch-exposed-as-the-reddits-violentacrez-the-worlds-worst-internet-troll/story-fnddckzi-1226495497037 |title=Michael Brutsch exposed as the Reddit's Violentacrez, the world's worst internet troll |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=Sydney |date=October 14, 2012 |access-date=November 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630052433/http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/world/michael-brutsch-exposed-as-the-reddits-violentacrez-the-worlds-worst-internet-troll/story-fnddckzi-1226495497037 |archive-date=June 30, 2016 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=http://gawker.com/5950981/unmasking-reddits-violentacrez-the-biggest-troll-on-the-web |title=Unmasking Reddit's Violentacrez, The Biggest Troll on the Web |publisher=Gawker.com |date=October 12, 2012 |access-date=November 15, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012213707/http://gawker.com/5950981/unmasking-reddits-violentacrez-the-biggest-troll-on-the-web |archive-date=October 12, 2012 }} In the days prior to publication of the story, Reddit's main politics channel, r/politics, and a number of other forums on the site banned Gawker links from their page;{{cite web |last=Oremus |first=Will |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/10/11/reddit_bans_gawker_links_over_adrian_chen_story_about_porn_purveyor_violentacres.html |title=Reddit bans Gawker links over Adrian Chen story about porn purveyor Violentacres |publisher=Slate.com |date=October 11, 2012 |access-date=November 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114235543/http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/10/11/reddit_bans_gawker_links_over_adrian_chen_story_about_porn_purveyor_violentacres.html |archive-date=November 14, 2012 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |author=The Daily Dot |url=http://www.dailydot.com/news/gawker-reddit-banned-adrian-chen-violentacrez/ |title=Redditors declare war on Gawker Media |work=Daily Dot |date=October 11, 2012 |access-date=November 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025074726/http://www.dailydot.com/news/gawker-reddit-banned-adrian-chen-violentacrez/ |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |url-status=live }} at one point, Gawker was banned from all of Reddit.{{cite web |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/katienotopoulos/leaked-chat-logs-between-reddit-moderators-and-sta |title=Leaked Reddit Chat Logs Reveal Moderators' Real Concern |publisher=Buzzfeed.com |date=October 13, 2012 |access-date=November 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016010050/http://www.buzzfeed.com/katienotopoulos/leaked-chat-logs-between-reddit-moderators-and-sta |archive-date=October 16, 2012 |url-status=live }} Multiple commentators from Wired, CNET and The Next Web questioned the morality behind Brutsch's doxing, and began a debate over whether the exposé encouraged online vigilantism.{{Cite magazine|title=Truth, Lies, and 'Doxxing': The Real Moral of the Gawker/Reddit Story|language=en-us|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/2012/10/truth-lies-doxxing-internet-vigilanteism/|access-date=January 22, 2021|issn=1059-1028|archive-date=January 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119052212/https://www.wired.com/2012/10/truth-lies-doxxing-internet-vigilanteism/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Breeze|first=Mez|date=October 27, 2012|title=Trolls, Anonymity & Accountability in the Digital Age|url=https://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/10/27/the-problems-with-anonymous-trolls-and-accountability-in-the-digital-age/|access-date=January 22, 2021|website=The Next Web|language=en-us|archive-date=March 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210315081725/https://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/10/27/the-problems-with-anonymous-trolls-and-accountability-in-the-digital-age/|url-status=live}}

Gawker was sued by three former interns in 2013 for failing to pay them for producing revenue-generating content.{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Business/fed-interns-office-grievances-court/story?id=19476629|title=More Fed-Up Interns Take Grievances to Court|date=June 27, 2013|work=ABC News|access-date=March 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327174617/https://abcnews.go.com/Business/fed-interns-office-grievances-court/story?id=19476629|archive-date=March 27, 2016|url-status=live}} In March 2016, the case was dismissed after US District Judge Alison Nathan concluded that the claims were outside the statute of limitations and failed under the 2nd Circuit's "primary beneficiary" test.{{cite web | last=Flood | first=Brian | title=Gawker Beats Former Interns in Legal Battle Over Wages | website=TheWrap | date=2016-03-30 | url=https://www.thewrap.com/gawker-beats-former-interns-in-legal-battle-over-wages/ | access-date=2025-01-02}}

On July 16, 2015, Gawker reporter Jordan Sargent posted a story about a gay porn star's alleged text correspondence with a married executive from a competing media company, Condé Nast. The article claimed Condé Nast CFO David Geithner had planned to go to Chicago to meet a male escort, and pay him $2,500 for sex. The article also claimed that after the escort requested Geithner settle the escort's housing dispute, he cancelled the meetup, and the escort went to Gawker to publicize the alleged incident. The post sparked heavy criticism for outing the executive, both within and outside Gawker.{{cite web|url=http://adamweinstein.tumblr.com/post/124342415120/goodbye-to-all-that-gawking|title=Goodbye to All That Gawking|last=Weinstein|first=Adam|date=July 17, 2015|publisher=Adam Weinstein|access-date=July 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150720133414/http://adamweinstein.tumblr.com/post/124342415120/goodbye-to-all-that-gawking|archive-date=July 20, 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://politburo.gawker.com/a-statement-from-the-gawker-media-editorial-staff-1718649722 |title=A Statement From the Gawker Media Editorial Staff |last=Gawker Media Editorial Staff |date=July 17, 2015 |publisher=Gawker |access-date=July 19, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150719013412/http://politburo.gawker.com/a-statement-from-the-gawker-media-editorial-staff-1718649722 |archive-date=July 19, 2015 }}{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/07/17/gawkers-apparent-outing-cfo-meets-internet-backlash/30280505/ |title=Gawker apologizes, removes article on CFO |work=USA Today |date=July 17, 2015 |access-date=July 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717085905/http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/07/17/gawkers-apparent-outing-cfo-meets-internet-backlash/30280505/ |archive-date=July 17, 2015 |url-status=live }} Denton removed the story the next day, after Gawker Media's managing partnership voted 4–2 to remove the post—marking the first time the website had "removed a significant news story for any reason other than factual error or legal settlement."{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/2015/07/17/media/gawker-removes-post/index.html |title=Gawker retreats and deletes controversial story |publisher=CNN |date=July 17, 2015 |access-date=July 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150718065450/https://money.cnn.com/2015/07/17/media/gawker-removes-post/index.html |archive-date=July 18, 2015 |url-status=live }} On July 20, 2015, Gawker Media executive editor Tommy Craggs and Gawker.com editor-in-chief Max Read posted their resignations from the company, citing the lack of transparency by and independence from the company's management over the post's removal, rather than the concerns over the post's issues and received criticism, as the cause.{{cite web|url=http://gawker.com/tommy-craggs-and-max-read-are-resigning-from-gawker-1719002144 |title=Tommy Craggs and Max Read Are Resigning from Gawker |author=J.K. Trotter |publisher=Gawker Media |work=Gawker |access-date=July 21, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721024215/http://gawker.com/tommy-craggs-and-max-read-are-resigning-from-gawker-1719002144 |archive-date=July 21, 2015 }} Denton offered staff who disagreed with the actions a buyout option, which was accepted by staff including features editor Leah Finnegan and senior editor and writer Caity Weaver.{{cite web|last1=Sterne|first1=Peter|title=Gawker buyout watch|url=http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2015/07/8572873/gawker-buyout-watch|website=Politico|access-date=November 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024001133/http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2015/07/8572873/gawker-buyout-watch|archive-date=October 24, 2015|url-status=dead}} Denton defended the story's writer, Sargent, who remained in his job.

According to The Daily Beast, "a source familiar with the situation said Gawker ultimately paid the subject of the offending article a tidy undisclosed sum in order to avoid another lawsuit." Gawker Media President and General Counsel Heather Dietrick declined to confirm or deny there was a settlement.{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/03/25/gawker-s-season-of-fear-and-loathing.html|title=Gawker's Season of Fear and Loathing|last=Grove|first=Lloyd|date=March 25, 2016|work=The Daily Beast|access-date=June 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160618205628/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/03/25/gawker-s-season-of-fear-and-loathing.html|archive-date=June 18, 2016|url-status=live}}

On June 10, 2016, Gawker Media and its associated subsidiaries Gawker Sales, Gawker Entertainment, Gawker Technology and Blogwire filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Southern District of New York, following the loss of the Hogan lawsuit.{{cite news |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/10/gawker-files-for-bankruptcy-and-says-it-will-sell-the-company-to-ziff-davis-or-someone-else.html|title=Gawker files for bankruptcy and says it will sell the company to Ziff Davis or someone else|work=CNBC |date=June 10, 2016 |access-date=August 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610183214/https://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/10/gawker-media-files-for-ch-11-bankruptcy-protection.html|archive-date=June 10, 2016 |url-status=live }} CNBC also reported that Gawker Media would be put up for auction following the bankruptcy filing.{{cite news |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/10/gawker-media-files-for-ch-11-bankruptcy-protection.html |title=Gawker Media to be put up for auction after bankruptcy filing |work=CNBC |date=June 10, 2016 |access-date=June 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224192005/https://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/10/gawker-media-files-for-ch-11-bankruptcy-protection.html |archive-date=December 24, 2018 |url-status=live }}

On August 18, 2016, Gawker Media announced that its flagship blog, gawker.com, would be ceasing operations the following week. Univision continued to operate Gawker Media's six other websites - Deadspin, Gizmodo, Jalopnik, Jezebel, Kotaku and Lifehacker. On August 22, 2016, Nick Denton wrote the final article for Gawker, titled "How Things Work".

In September 2016, Univision removed multiple articles which were published under Gawker Media: "two Gizmodo posts about Shiva Ayyadurai, who claims to have invented email; two Deadspin posts about former major league baseball player Mitch Williams; a Deadspin post about conservative provocateur Chuck Johnson; and a Jezebel post about Meanith Huon. Ayyadurai, Williams, Johnson and Huon have all sued Gawker Media for defamation over those posts".{{cite news|last1=Sterne|first1=Peter|title=Univision deletes six controversial Gawker Media posts|url=http://www.politico.com/media/story/2016/09/univision-to-delete-six-controversial-gawker-media-posts-004753|access-date=January 9, 2017|publisher=Politico Media|date=September 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325020741/http://www.politico.com/media/story/2016/09/univision-to-delete-six-controversial-gawker-media-posts-004753|archive-date=March 25, 2017|url-status=live}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{official website|http://www.gawker.com/}}
• [https://www.gawkerarchives.com/ Gawker archive] of both the Gawker Media and Bustle Media Group iterations
• [https://archive-it.org/home/freedomofpress?show=Sites&fc=websiteGroup%3AGawker Gawker archive] in the Threatened Outlets collection by the Freedom of the Press Foundation

{{GawkerMedia}}

{{Bustle Digital Group}}

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