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After severe backlash, Gawker takes down post outing media executive
Gawker has taken down a controversial article that outed a magazine executive and accused him of attempting to hire a gay porn star for sex.
The website, whose founder and managing editor Nick Denton is an openly gay man, was widely attacked for posting the article which involves a Condé Nast executive who is married to a woman and has children.
‘It is a decision I regret,’ Denton wrote in a post Friday (17 July).
Gay Star News has chosen to keep anonymous of the executive whose only connection to the public eye is having a brother who was a former official in the Obama administration.
Denton acknowledged the criticism of the piece from readers has been intense and some of the site’s own writers ‘are equally appalled.’
‘Gawker is no longer the insolent blog that began in 2003,’ he writes. ‘It does important and interesting journalism about politicians, celebrities and other major public figures. This story … does not rise to the level that our flagship site should be publishing.’
Jordan Sargent, who wrote the story, posted screenshots of text messages and photos of the two agreeing to meet for sex until the porn star realized the man’s brother could help him out with a discrimination lawsuit against his landlord. Realizing what could happen, the executive then backed out of the deal. The porn star then went to Gawker and was given anonymity.
Writes Denton: ‘It is the first time we have removed a significant news story for any reason other than factual error or legal settlement.
‘Every story is a judgment call. As we go forward, we will hew to our mission of reporting and publishing important stories that our competitors are too timid, or self-consciously upright, to pursue. There will always be stories that critics attack as inappropriate or unjustified; and we will no doubt again offend the sensibilities of some industries or interest groups.’
The post After severe backlash, Gawker takes down post outing media executive appeared first on Gay Star News.
Greg Hernandez
www.gaystarnews.com/article/after-severe-backlash-gawker-takes-down-post-outing-media-executive/
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