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[TheYanger]

Remember how Hulk Hogan called his daughter's lover a racial slur on camera? Because I'm not sure everyone does.

.

Remember how none of us had any right to even see or hear that piece of information? I'm not sure you do.

People say terrible shit sometimes, if he does it all the time he's a racist, if he did it once he's probably got some fucking pent up racism that he may not even realize, yet at the end of the day none of that matters: It isn't our right as the public to know what someone says behind their own closed doors and Gawker is getting rightly fucked for forgetting that.

And no, I don't care about anything else he might've said, cause I'm not interested in debating that point. I'm just saying almost everyone has said some shit in their lives, the only difference is nobody gives a shit about you or me and we can privately reflect and become better without it ruining our careers and lives.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Thiel tried to take GM down for 10 years. The idea that this was simply a case of a rich dude killing a company out of malice is bizarre. The wealthy have been crushing opposition media outlets since forever; the important distinction in this case is that Thiel wasn't able to do it until GM opened the door. It's hardly setting a dangerous precedent.

No, he's been planning out cases for 10 years. In the interview he stated he had a legal team hand picking cases to bring to trial.

One of them is being brought up by the guy who lied about inventing email. Gawker called him on his bullshit and proved that he was in fact lying about. Theil is backing the guys lawsuit on this one.

 

[213372bu]

The idea that an organization like Gawker can write thousands of stories, then screw one up and get driven into bankruptcy is absolutely a dangerous precedent. This is going to encourage other websites to avoid making enemies like Thiel because they don't want to risk a similar vendetta.

You act like this was a slip-up lol.

Gawker, an entity known for continually posting malicious and questionable articles in the name of self-righteousness, was told to pull a stolen sex tape off their site.

Said entity ignores court order and posts an article on why they are going to ignore the ruling.

They got what was coming to them.

 

[Roland_Gunner]

If you consider outing a gay man for no reason and posting a sex tape that was filmed without the participant's consent a simple "screw up" then sure.

So you're against the wealthy and powerful bullying the media into silence if they report on stuff you don't like? I don't support outing someone against their will but if the person was a church or government official it may be justified. The current news media environment is already overly deferential to the elite and you want to make this even worse.

 

[BronsonLee]

So you're against the wealthy and powerful bullying the media into silence if they report on stuff you don't like? I don't support outing someone against their will but if the person was a church or government official it may be justified. The current news media environment is already overly deferential to the elite and you want to make this even worse.

Gawker never really went after church/government people like that tho, it was always just private business execs or celebs

Also I still can't believe that after Hogan won, Thiel literally went 'IT WAS ME, GAWKER, THE AUTHOR OF ALL OF YOUR PAIN' like he's a fucking Bond villain

 

[Ninja Scooter]

So you're against the wealthy and powerful bullying the media into silence if they report on stuff you don't like? I don't support outing someone against their will but if the person was a church or government official it may be justified. The current news media environment is already overly deferential to the elite and you want to make this even worse.

No, I'm for there being consequences for people's and company's actions. Theil may in fact be an overly vindictive heel, but gawker opened themselves up to his wrath with their stupidity. I don't feel sorry for them at all.

 

[213372bu]

So you're against the wealthy and powerful bullying the media into silence if they report on stuff you don't like? I don't support outing someone against their will but if the person was a church or government official it may be justified. The current news media environment is already overly deferential to the elite and you want to make this even worse.

1. You don't know the situation others are mentioning, not sure why you would bring it up.
2.If by "silence" you mean ignoring court order and being a straight-up dick by holding illegal content on your site in the name of self-righteousness (read:clicks)
3. Gawker and their subsidiaries don't trudge on the "elite" though. They're dickbags with no discrimination, not crusaders against the elite.

 

[God Dayumm]

So you're against the wealthy and powerful bullying the media into silence if they report on stuff you don't like? I don't support outing someone against their will but if the person was a church or government official it may be justified. The current news media environment is already overly deferential to the elite and you want to make this even worse.

Nick Denton is the elite don't play coy. That poor privileged white bully and harasser tho :'(

 

[Acorn]

Fuck Hulk, Thiel and Gawker. Nobody is good in this saga, they are all varieties of shit.

 

[Roland_Gunner]

1. You don't know the situation others are mentioning, not sure why you would bring it up.
2.If by "silence" you mean ignoring court order and being a straight-up dick by holding illegal content on your site in the name of self-righteousness (read:clicks)
3. Gawker and their subsidiaries don't trudge on the "elite" though. They're dickbags with no discrimination, not crusaders against the elite.

Look at how deadspin, a gawker subsidiary, reports on topics like the NFL concussion story or the sexual assault case at Baylor vs ESPN. ESPN, a Disney subsidiary, has a vested interest in burying this stuff to preserve their relationship with professional and college athletic programs. Without "extreme" organizations like Gawker being willing to challenge them, that information doesn't get out. Saying, "well they deserve it" empowers the corporate media to continue downplaying real stories that aren't profitable for them.

 

[Roland_Gunner]

Nick Denton is the elite don't play coy. That poor privileged white bully and harasser tho :'(

Anyone who owns a media company worth hating is going to be wealthy. Denton is nothing compared to multi-national organizations like Disney and GE that control most of the media. That's why groups like his need protection.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Look at how deadspin, a gawker subsidiary, reports on topics like the NFL concussion story or the sexual assault case at Baylor vs ESPN. ESPN, a Disney subsidiary, has a vested interest in burying this stuff to preserve their relationship with professional and college athletic programs. Without "extreme" organizations like Gawker being willing to challenge them, that information doesn't get out. Saying, "well they deserve it" empowers the corporate media to continue downplaying real stories that aren't profitable for them.

You are turning this specific case into a precedent when it isn't one. Look at your own example. Despite two huge companies like ESPN and the NFL having an interest in killing a story about concussions, they are unable to. This ruling doesn't magically make that any easier for them, so long as those stories don't break any laws or become unethical smear pieces. The kind of shit articles like the Hogan sex tape one don't deserve to be defended or preserved.

 

[Tall4Life]

Hopefully the Kotaku guys end up alright. Minus some questionable articles, they were decent.

 

[213372bu]

Look at how deadspin, a gawker subsidiary, reports on topics like the NFL concussion story or the sexual assault case at Baylor vs ESPN. ESPN, a Disney subsidiary, has a vested interest in burying this stuff to preserve their relationship with professional and college athletic programs. Without "extreme" organizations like Gawker being willing to challenge them, that information doesn't get out. Saying, "well they deserve it" empowers the corporate media to continue downplaying real stories that aren't profitable for them.

You act like this is some movie where there's "the media" on one hand and "corporate america" on the other.

Matter of the fact is many people are challenging those opinions on other sites, and ABC, which is owned by Disney, has done 20/20s on such controversial issues.
--
The thing is that this one instance is a direct part of causality.

Gawker was explicitly told not to publish a certain trivial sex tape or suffer the consequences.

But being the egomaniacs they are, Gawker left it up and made an article flaunting such disobedience.

As a result they are in the position they are today, and jeopardized the jobs of all those under them.

It's really elementary

 

[ApharmdX]

I get that people didnt like them, and I get that a lot of people are happy to see them gone....

But gawker did have a few damn huge stories break. And even if you want to discount that, its still real fucked up to me that a billionaire can just silence people he doesnt like

It's not just that Thiel disliked Gawker. They fucking outed him. He has a right to privacy in his personal life.

There is this pervasive and troubling cognitive dissonance in threads about Gawker, Hogan, etc. Hogan is a racist POS, by all accounts. Thiel is a libertarian asshole, is my understanding. But these people, assholes or not, have some right to privacy. Furthermore, Gawker was ordered to take the Hogan video down by a judge. They refused. At that point what outcome did they expect?

Civil liberties aren't just for people we like, and agree with.

He can be a total shitbag racist and also be in the right when it came to this trial. Those things can co-exist. Somebody doesn't lose their right to privacy because they are racists or because you don't like them.

Yep.

 

[Einchy]

But without Gawker, how are we supposed to keep the elite in check by showing everyone their sextapes? At least we still have TMZ.

 

[Roland_Gunner]

You are turning this specific case into a precedent when it isn't one. Look at your own example. Despite two huge companies like ESPN and the NFL having an interest in killing a story about concussions, they are unable to. This ruling doesn't magically make that any easier for them, so long as those stories don't break any laws or become unethical smear pieces. The kind of shit articles like the Hogan sex tape one don't deserve to be defended or preserved.

I'm not saying this is a precedent for chilling media coverage, dozens of commentators and journalists are. Here are four I found in literally three minutes of searching twitter:

Jamelle Bouie:
Gawker might be undeserving, but eventually the billionaires will come for "deserving" publications too.

Spencer Ackerman:
So many wealthy people must be looking at what Thiel did to Gawker & wondering how they can sue media companies they dislike into bankruptcy

Adam Serwer:
The potential chilling effect on speech from billionaires bankrupting news outlets they don't like is terrifying

Wesley Lowery:
[This is] A real threat to the free press

If people who spend their lives reporting and covering the news are worried about this precedent then why shouldn't we be?

 

[andythinkpad]

But without Gawker, how are we supposed to keep the elite in check by showing everyone their sextapes? At least we still have TMZ.

You do it like every body else, you put it on a torrent and don't make money from it.

 

[-COOLIO-]

The idea that an organization like Gawker can write thousands of stories, then screw one up and get driven into bankruptcy is absolutely a dangerous precedent. This is going to encourage other websites to avoid making enemies like Thiel because they don't want to risk a similar vendetta.

well, a murderer goes to jail just after one murder. and that's fine by me.

 

[BronsonLee]

Looking like Ziff is going to buy all of Gawker after all, it's moving fast

 

[Anfang]

I'm not saying this is a precedent for chilling media coverage, dozens of commentators and journalists are. Here are four I found in literally three minutes of searching twitter:

Jamelle Bouie:
Gawker might be undeserving, but eventually the billionaires will come for "deserving" publications too.

Spencer Ackerman:
So many wealthy people must be looking at what Thiel did to Gawker & wondering how they can sue media companies they dislike into bankruptcy

Adam Serwer:
The potential chilling effect on speech from billionaires bankrupting news outlets they don't like is terrifying

Wesley Lowery:
[This is] A real threat to the free press

If people who spend their lives reporting and covering the news are worried about this precedent then why shouldn't we be?

Here let me help you and them. Dont post the sex video of someone that was taken in secret and without their consent and youll be ok!

 

[Foggy]

Is this anything particularly new? Haven't massively wealthy entities always wielded this kind of power? I can certainly not like how wealth can always win wars of attrition in the legal system, but not lose any sleep because Gawker got fucked.

 

[Dennis]

Here let me help you and them. Dont post the sex video of someone that was taken in secret and without their knowledge and youll be ok!

Yup. You would think people would rejoice at this victory for privacy but I guess journalist are mostly paranoid and self absorbed. "But what will this meeeean for my organization and my job!"

Pro-tip. Don't break the law.

 

[excelsiorlef]

Looking like Ziff is going to buy all of Gawker after all, it's moving fast

Ziff kills originality, unless they let it be run more like 1up.com originally was but Ugh. No love for gawker but Deadspin, io9 and Kotaku and even Jez are gonna become incredibly vanilla

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Is this anything particularly new? Haven't massively wealthy entities always wielded this kind of power? I can certainly not like how wealth can always win wars of attrition in the legal system, but not lose any sleep because Gawker got fucked.

Yes and no. Typically you'll hear about the company/person suing for the story on them, not funding the trials of others.

Also it's a little weird when Thiel waited 10 years, building up a cache of cases and then launching an attack.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

What I don't really get with this is people have done nothing but complain about the 1% and the power their wealth provides them. Yet they're a-ok with a single financier backing a handful of litigation cases in an effort to shut down a media outlet.

 

[Acorn]

Ziff kills originality, unless they let it be run more like 1up.com originally was but Ugh. No love for gawker but Deadspin, io9 and Kotaku and even Jez are gonna become incredibly vanilla

Will they even keep kotaku open? They've got ign whom I'd imagine dwarf kotaku on readership.

 

[-COOLIO-]

What I don't really get with this is people have done nothing but complain about the 1% and the power their wealth provides them. Yet they're a-ok with a single financier backing a handful of litigation cases in an effort to shut down a media outlet.

so what your saying is thiel is like a batman. using his money to make sure justice gets done.

i'm okay with that.

 

[Anfang]

What I don't really get with this is people have done nothing but complain about the 1% and the power their wealth provides them. Yet they're a-ok with a single financier backing a handful of litigation cases in an effort to shut down a media outlet.

Whats not to get. Its wealthy A fucking wealthy B, after wealthy B fucked wealthy A.

 

[Kinyou]

What I don't really get with this is people have done nothing but complain about the 1% and the power their wealth provides them. Yet they're a-ok with a single financier backing a handful of litigation cases in an effort to shut down a media outlet.

Probably because Gawker deserves it and also because I don't see evidence that the trial was bought

 

[RockTurtle]

Yup. You would think people would rejoice at this victory for privacy but I guess journalist are mostly paranoid and self absorbed. "But what will this meeeean for my organization and my job!"

Pro-tip. Don't break the law.

that slippery slope though...

oh not the ones i disregard constantly, i mean the ones that directly affects me.

 

[excelsiorlef]

Will they even keep kotaku open? They've got ign whom I'd imagine dwarf kotaku on readership.

Touche

Fuck IGN is so lame.

 

[TomWaitsForNoMan]

Remember how none of us had any right to even see or hear that piece of information? I'm not sure you do.

People say terrible shit sometimes, if he does it all the time he's a racist, if he did it once he's probably got some fucking pent up racism that he may not even realize, yet at the end of the day none of that matters: It isn't our right as the public to know what someone says behind their own closed doors and Gawker is getting rightly fucked for forgetting that.

And no, I don't care about anything else he might've said, cause I'm not interested in debating that point. I'm just saying almost everyone has said some shit in their lives, the only difference is nobody gives a shit about you or me and we can privately reflect and become better without it ruining our careers and lives.

He literally said "I am a racist". Despite this people still try to make excuses.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Probably because Gawker deserves it and also because I don't see evidence that the trial was bought

I don't think anyone is saying the trial is bought or that Hogan didn't have a right to this. It's the fact that Thiel financed it as a means of revenge because he didn't like Denton and the Gawker Network. If Theil did this when they first posted the article on him then sure, by all means go for it. It's the fact he waited 10 years, built up a cache of cases and is providing guidance in a way that does not allow Gawker to use insurance to cover the fees.

 

[Foggy]

Yes and no. Typically you'll hear about the company/person suing for the story on them, not funding the trials of others.

Also it's a little weird when Thiel waited 10 years, building up a cache of cases and then launching an attack.

I mean, when you're that wealthy and that angry then I don't think it's particularly weird. As for funding the trials of others, is this really some watershed moment for wealthy elites? Besides I can imagine this going the other direction as well. I can't see anyone, even many media types, shedding a tear if someone like George Soros devoted a legal war chest to Joe Random if someone like the Drudge Report invaded their privacy or something.

 

[BronsonLee]

It's worth pointing out that the only reason we know about Thiel is basically because he rolled in after the fact with that newspaper article, specifically to let Gawker know that the person who fucked them was him

If you thought it couldn't get any more pro wrestling than Hulk Hogan dropping the big leg on Gawker, here comes Thiel with the goddamn chair to the back

 

[excelsiorlef]

It's worth pointing out that the only reason we know about Thiel is basically because he rolled in after the fact with that newspaper article, specifically to let Gawker know that the person who fucked them was him

If you thought it couldn't get any more pro wrestling than Hulk Hogan dropping the big leg on Gawker, here comes Thiel with the goddamn chair to the back

It was me Gawker
It was me all along

Also right or wrong. It's kinda fucked that through Thiel Hogan was able to sue and win in such a way that Gawker literally can't afford to appeal.

That's kinda scary.

 

[outunderthestars]

I know no one cares about freedom of speech in the real world and that "free speech" is just used as a cudgel against minorities getting mad at you, but this thread still seems like a weird thread. Gawker is a terrible site and I'm fine with Thiel getting revenge, but laws should probably be enacted to stop billionaires from funding lawsuits with the sole purpose of financially ruining a media outlet.

How would a law like that even work?

 

[BronsonLee]

Also right or wrong. It's kinda fucked that through Thiel Hogan was able to sue and win in such a way that Gawker literally can't afford to appeal.

That's kinda scary.

As the case started going, you could see little bits/glimpses of the endgame that started to form a complete puzzle.

No settlement
In Florida
No insurance companies

Gawker didn't catch on until too late, but they got set the fuck up

 

[excelsiorlef]

As the case started going, you could see little bits/glimpses of the endgame that started to form a complete puzzle.

No settlement
In Florida
No insurance companies

Gawker didn't catch on until too late, but they got set the fuck up

Yep.

It's why this all makes me uncomfortable a bit

 

[BronsonLee]

Yep.

It's why this all makes me uncomfortable a bit

Well, look at it like this.

I didn't know about the Thiel thing, but I picked up on Hogan's case being more about killing Gawker pretty early on. I have to imagine Gawker figured it out too.

The case they presented was so ass-out bad that you knew they were done. Daulerio's stupidity on the stand alone probably fucked them out.

Hogan/Thiel set the trap, but Gawker stepped on the grenade themselves with their hubris.

 

[mattiewheels]

No more Kotaku? Good.

Stuff like this is so obnoxious.

 

[WhiteRabbitEXE]

Ziff Davis still owns IGN? I thought they got spun back out ages ago.

 

[Netherscourge]

He looks older in that gif than he does right now.

Amazing what $140 million will do for your complexion!

 

[TheYanger]

He literally said "I am a racist". Despite this people still try to make excuses.

What part of my post says I'm making an excuse? I'm talking in generalities because that's what's important: Whether he is or not, it's not a public thing, and Gawker made it one. So saying "DONT FORGET HES A RACIST" is fucking vile. We didn't forget, it literally has nothing to do with whether he was wronged or not. The fact that this case gets a thread and we get responses like "Don't forget he's a fucking racist" is EXACTLY why this is so shitty of Gawker and why this happened, his life is irreparably damaged in terms of marketability, social stigma, everything. It might even be good for him as a person that this came out, in the sense that it made him do some soul searching and seeing what was wrong, yet to so many people it's now 'He's a racist don't forget!" no matter what he does or says.

 

[Cagey]

I know no one cares about freedom of speech in the real world and that "free speech" is just used as a cudgel against minorities getting mad at you, but this thread still seems like a weird thread. Gawker is a terrible site and I'm fine with Thiel getting revenge, but laws should probably be enacted to stop billionaires from funding lawsuits with the sole purpose of financially ruining a media outlet.

So "free speech" is now a dog whistle for "white person who wants to silence some upset minorities." Alright.

 

[ShowDog]

Gawker writers, with the exception of Drew Magary and perhaps 1-2 others, are complete trash. I used to enjoy Deadspin and Jalopnik quite a bit but they're mostly awful now.

 

[Cindi Mayweather]

Why are so many people siding with a racist and rooting for the loss of jobs? Why is Gawker so bad exactly? Their sites can sometimes be not to my liking but a lot of people are actively rooting and cheering an open racist because lol Gawker.

Basically, fuck the Internet.

 

[TheYanger]

Why are so many people siding with a racist and rooting for the loss of jobs? Why is Gawker so bad exactly? Their sites can sometimes be not to my liking but a lot of people are actively rooting and cheering an open racist because lol Gawker.

Basically, fuck the Internet.

Why are so many people siding with the law and rooting for the loss of someone's privacy? Why is Hulk Hogan so bad exactly? He might say some stupid shit in confidence with people he has sex with but a lot of people are actively rooting and cheering an illegal breach of privacy because lol Hulk Hogan.

Basically, fuck the internet.

 

[PsychBat!]

Why are so many people siding with a racist and rooting for the loss of jobs? Why is Gawker so bad exactly? Their sites can sometimes be not to my liking but a lot of people are actively rooting and cheering an open racist because lol Gawker.

Basically, fuck the Internet.

so are you just now privy to what is going on with the situation?