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Gawker Files for Bankruptcy, Will Be Put Up for Auction

wsj.com

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Re: Gawker Files for Bankruptcy, Will Be Put Up for Auction

#51

Post by x0x0 »

cm2187 wrote: post #23
nostromo wrote: post #18

Gawker may have been terrible, but we should all be a bit concerned at the precedent this sets. It's sort of like defending the free speech of terrible groups like the KKK. We do it because we treasure free speech, not because we support the KKK. I generally have positive feelings about Thiel, but his actions here make me very uneasy. I worry that the aristocracy will now use this method to try and close down unfavor…

Are you suggesting the Hogan suit was groundless?

Yeah, pretty much.

There is no way Hogan wasn't a public figure. viz him talking to Howard Stern about his sex life.

Gawker had, under previous First Amendment jurisprudence, the right to post that tape. Most free speech lawyers assume it will be reversed on appeal.

This is completely separate from whether they should have posted that tape.

Re: Gawker Files for Bankruptcy, Will Be Put Up for Auction

#52

Post by draker »

badloginagain wrote: post #32

Cant read because of paywall, but I have been following along with this "dramady." I wonder what form of invasive media will fill the void in Gawkers wake. If anyone thinks this is the end of Gawkers distasteful form of journalism they are very wrong. Gawker worked. It was nasty, but it worked. Companies will form and fill the gap; but they'll be more resilient because they'll remember how Gawker fell.

Search the title, click the result. If the referer is a search engine it won't paywall you.

Re: Gawker Files for Bankruptcy, Will Be Put Up for Auction

#54

Post by whack »

Libel and slander have no place in a functioning democracy. By building an entire business model around such practices, Gawker is not only spreading disinformation, it is also crowding out more reputable news sources that could have better helped inform the public.

The only criticism I can give in this entire tale, is that it shouldn't take a billionaire to sue and win judgement against slanderous publishers. Such recourse should be made available to every common man, regardless of wealth.

But still, progress is only ever made, one step at a time. Good riddance to Gawker.

Re: Gawker Files for Bankruptcy, Will Be Put Up for Auction

#55

Post by GVIrish »

mhurron wrote: post #45
cm2187 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you suggesting the Hogan suit was groundless?

The issue I have with it is that money from an external source that had nothing to do with the suit was funnelled in to use it as a weapon. Thiel had an issue with Gawker, Thiel should have taken it to Gawker.

Why have a problem with that? If Gawker was not in the wrong that would've been money wasted. It's not like Hogan/Thiel wore Gawker out by whittling them down with frivolous lawsuits until they couldn't defend themselves anymore.

Re: Gawker Files for Bankruptcy, Will Be Put Up for Auction

#57

Post by kryptiskt »

baldfat wrote: post #5

Messed up lawsuit and I actually don't know what to think. 1) Gawker was garbage dwelling story makers. I am glad they aren't going to do stories anymore. 2) Who will it be the next time something happens like this will it be a actual journalist and good content producer that gets sued to death? Scared for journalist???? Also would be nice to see LifeHacker survive this.

1) Why do you think that Gawker will shut down? Someone will buy it at the auction and they have all reasons to continue to publish, maybe with better legal advice. It's still a valuable media property.

Re: Gawker Files for Bankruptcy, Will Be Put Up for Auction

#60

Post by GVIrish »

ebbv wrote: post #46
nostromo wrote: post #18

Gawker may have been terrible, but we should all be a bit concerned at the precedent this sets. It's sort of like defending the free speech of terrible groups like the KKK. We do it because we treasure free speech, not because we support the KKK. I generally have positive feelings about Thiel, but his actions here make me very uneasy. I worry that the aristocracy will now use this method to try and close down unfavor…

I agree. I never read Gawker or any of its sites, they were all garbage. And the Hulk Hogan sex tape was scummy garbage that I never had any interest in. But it also isn't that different from lots of other celebrity leaks that have been published before which have not resulted in damages that ruined the publishers. Peter Thiel funding a lawsuit against a company he has a personal grudge against is a scary thing. What…

> What if the Koch Brothers decide to start funding lawsuits against Nature or Science magazines that publisher articles about global warming? Even if none of the lawsuits win, they could shut down these publications because of the legal bills involved in the court cases.

That would be scary but nothing was stopping them from doing that before.

In the case of Gawker they lost in court because they were wrong, they didn't run out of money due to attrition.

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