Age of the Geek

Gawker on the ropes
     I can’t say I haven’t gotten a measure of joy from the announcement that Gawker Media has filed for bankruptcy in the aftermath of losing the lawsuit brought against them by Hulk Hogan for releasing a sex tape of the former wrestling star.
     It’s a just punishment for a company that has for too long been a toxic presence in the world, preying on the base desires of the masses by selling voyeurism under the guise of news.
     Gawker’s editorial philosophy, to tell the stories that real journalists would only tell each other over drinks, is an affront to the profession. It belies the standards that make up the foundation of our industry.
     There is a reason the stories journalists tell each other don’t end up on the page. It’s because our job, our responsibility, is to sift through the information we receive and weigh it for newsworthiness. Not everything reporters learn in the course of an investigation or interview is a matter of public interest. Over the course of my career I’ve had people tell me a great many things not meant for the public. It may seem paradoxical to tell secrets to somebody whose job it is to share stories, but to get to the details that matter, sometimes you need to get through sensitive areas. Be it a veteran with a war story, a family that just lost their home, or a businessman in the middle of a deal, people trust me with the stories of their lives.
     Which is not to say I’ve never printed anything that somebody might not want in the paper. I’ve gotten my share of angry phone calls and text messages, but there are things the public does need to know and if that means somebody gets mad at me about it, that’s just the name of the game.
     For Gawker, their editorial code, if that’s what you want to call it, is “If it’s interesting, it’s news.” Which is great if all you’re looking for are attention grabbing headlines and give no consideration to the consequences of your actions.
     Gawker owner and founder Nick Denton is the real-life embodiment of every sleazy, morally bankrupt, scoop obsessed news reporter that you ever hated in an action movie. His flagrant disregard for ethical journalism is only exuberated by his recent self-aggrandizing statements portraying himself as some kind of champion of free speech. Since discovering that billionaire Peter Thiel had financed the lawsuit that bankrupted his company, he’s spinning his current situation as though he’s an intrepid reporter being bullied by a vindictive businessman abusing the court system.
     That’s one way to look at it, I suppose.
     On the other hand, why did it take a billionaire to finance a lawsuit to finally hold Gawker accountable for their actions?
     Thiel may have financed the lawsuit, but it wasn’t Thiel that decided to share Hulk Hogan’s sex tape with the world nor was he on the jury that decided Gawker’s actions earned Hogan a $115 million compensation, with an additional $25 million in punitive damages just for being so awful.
     This is also why you don’t report “what you share at the bar” as news. It gets you sued.
     Sadly, Gawker Media’s bankruptcy may not be the deathblow it deserves. Publishing company ZiffDavis has put up a $90 million bid to buy Gawker and its various spinoffs, which is $89,999,980 more than I’d pay for the lot of them. (Well, Lifehacker isn’t bad. Maybe I’d shell out another $20 for its sake) As much as I’d like to see these sites burnt to the ground, it looks like the best I can hope for is that the new management will shape them into something that resembles real news and not gossipy trash.
     Travis Fischer is a news writer for Mid-America Publishing and hopes the Gawker/Hogan trial ends with a leg drop off the ropes.
     I can’t say I haven’t gotten a measure of joy from the announcement that Gawker Media has filed for bankruptcy in the aftermath of losing the lawsuit brought against them by Hulk Hogan for releasing a sex tape of the former wrestling star.
     It’s a just punishment for a company that has for too long been a toxic presence in the world, preying on the base desires of the masses by selling voyeurism under the guise of news.
     Gawker’s editorial philosophy, to tell the stories that real journalists would only tell each other over drinks, is an affront to the profession. It belies the standards that make up the foundation of our industry.
     There is a reason the stories journalists tell each other don’t end up on the page. It’s because our job, our responsibility, is to sift through the information we receive and weigh it for newsworthiness. Not everything reporters learn in the course of an investigation or interview is a matter of public interest. Over the course of my career I’ve had people tell me a great many things not meant for the public. It may seem paradoxical to tell secrets to somebody whose job it is to share stories, but to get to the details that matter, sometimes you need to get through sensitive areas. Be it a veteran with a war story, a family that just lost their home, or a businessman in the middle of a deal, people trust me with the stories of their lives.
     Which is not to say I’ve never printed anything that somebody might not want in the paper. I’ve gotten my share of angry phone calls and text messages, but there are things the public does need to know and if that means somebody gets mad at me about it, that’s just the name of the game.
     For Gawker, their editorial code, if that’s what you want to call it, is “If it’s interesting, it’s news.” Which is great if all you’re looking for are attention grabbing headlines and give no consideration to the consequences of your actions.
     Gawker owner and founder Nick Denton is the real-life embodiment of every sleazy, morally bankrupt, scoop obsessed news reporter that you ever hated in an action movie. His flagrant disregard for ethical journalism is only exuberated by his recent self-aggrandizing statements portraying himself as some kind of champion of free speech. Since discovering that billionaire Peter Thiel had financed the lawsuit that bankrupted his company, he’s spinning his current situation as though he’s an intrepid reporter being bullied by a vindictive businessman abusing the court system.
     That’s one way to look at it, I suppose.
     On the other hand, why did it take a billionaire to finance a lawsuit to finally hold Gawker accountable for their actions?
     Thiel may have financed the lawsuit, but it wasn’t Thiel that decided to share Hulk Hogan’s sex tape with the world nor was he on the jury that decided Gawker’s actions earned Hogan a $115 million compensation, with an additional $25 million in punitive damages just for being so awful.
     This is also why you don’t report “what you share at the bar” as news. It gets you sued.
     Sadly, Gawker Media’s bankruptcy may not be the deathblow it deserves. Publishing company ZiffDavis has put up a $90 million bid to buy Gawker and its various spinoffs, which is $89,999,980 more than I’d pay for the lot of them. (Well, Lifehacker isn’t bad. Maybe I’d shell out another $20 for its sake) As much as I’d like to see these sites burnt to the ground, it looks like the best I can hope for is that the new management will shape them into something that resembles real news and not gossipy trash.
 
     Travis Fischer is a news writer for Mid-America Publishing and hopes the Gawker/Hogan trial ends with a leg drop off the ropes.