Today God decided to give us a gift to help us get over on this horrible political season by shuttering the website that has offended sensible and decent people since its inception – Gawker is going DOWN!!!
BREAKING: Gawker to shut down next week after nearly 14 years less than 3 months after declaring bankruptcy.
— The Associated Press (@AP) August 18, 2016
They made the announcement today:
After nearly fourteen years of operation, Gawker.com will be shutting down next week. The decision to close Gawker comes days after Univision successfully bid $135 million for Gawker Media’s six other websites, and four months after the Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel revealed his clandestine legal campaign against the company.
Nick Denton, the company’s outgoing CEO, informed current staffers of the site’s fate on Thursday afternoon, just hours before a bankruptcy court in Manhattan will decide whether to approve Univision’s bid for Gawker Media’s other assets. Staffers will soon be assigned to other editorial roles, either at one of the other six sites or elsewhere within Univision. Near-term plans for Gawker.com’s coverage, as well as the site’s archives, have not yet been finalized.
There are a lot of whiners about it:
What you think of #Gawker isn't the point. A billionaire targeting and destroying a news outlet he doesn't like is. Fuck you, @peterthiel.
— Chez Pazienza (@chezpazienza) August 18, 2016
I marvel at the arrogance it takes to dance on Gawker's grave, as if your personal sense of propriety will always prevail with Thiel types.
— Emmett Rensin (@emmettrensin) August 18, 2016
Gawker was worth more to society than anything any of its enemies had ever done or will ever do combined. https://t.co/ERZxFzR0Hu
— Sean T. Collins (@theseantcollins) August 18, 2016
That is seriously such a Trump-like statement. And I can verify that what I left in the toilet this morning contributed more to society than Gawker. That’s been fact-checked.
What they’re whining about is that Peter Thiel funded the lawsuit that took them down in revenge for their outing him as gay. Apparently there is something horrible and terrible about Gawker being sued out of revenge – but they LOST the lawsuit. So the issue is idiotic. They don’t want to talk about whether Gawker did anything wrong, because they DID. Had they not been scumbags, they would still be around.
The Gawker defense brigade seems to ignore that they lost a trial. Plaintiff motives are irrelevant. THEY. LOST. THE. TRIAL.
— neontaster (@neontaster) August 18, 2016
The idea that Gawker has a First Amendment right to victimize people is preposterous, and, deep down, even journalists know this.
— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) August 18, 2016
The annihilation of Gawker sets a really bad precedent. What if other immoral, law-breaking media institutions are ALSO destroyed?
— Nathan Duffy ≠ (@TheIllegit) August 18, 2016
These people get it. And Gawker can go to straight to H-E-double-hockeysticks.