Gawker | The New York Observer

'Who Tweets?'

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:41:09 -0400

This week, the Magazine Publishers of America held its first Magazine Innovation Summit. The Observer's Chloe Malle attended the "Decline and Rise of Magazine Journalism" panel, which was moderated by Slate's Jacob Weisberg and included The New Yorker's Susan Morrison and Gawker's Nick Denton.

Denton obligingly played the destroyer of received wisdom. Weisberg asked about how Gawker fact-checks:

“We don’t,” Mr. Denton replied flatly. “We aim to get the truth over time. The verification model is...

The Future of Something: Nick Denton, Bonnie Fuller, and Others Hold Forth at I Want Media Panel

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:10:01 -0400

All that inky meat "shaken loose" from magazine and newspaper layoffs might seem like tasty bait for blog companies, according to Gawker chief Nick Denton. But he doesn't want 'em. "It's very, very tempting right now to say, 'Ok, let's go out and let's hire 50 of the best people from newspapers and magazines," he told the crowd gathered this afternoon, June 3, at NYU's Arther L. Carter Journalism Institute in Cooper Square. But,...

The Times is Mad as Hell and ... Well?

Tue, 05 May 2009 20:26:50 -0400

The New York Times has a public-relations problem.

Every day there seem to be articles, and endless Web and television chatter, about The Times: The Times might shut down The Globe! The Times lost $75 million in the first quarter!

There’s only $34 million left in cash! The Times will stop printing in May! The Times should stop printing in May!

At the Times Center last week, at a meeting hosted by CEO Janet Robinson, Metro reporter...

Gawker Alumni Launch Web Site for 'Resonant, Weird, Important, Frightening' News

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:37:39 -0400

“People kept telling me that they were bored with the Internet,” said Choire Sicha, an “ancestor of ephemeral Gawker” and soon-to-be published book author (not to mention a former Observer editor and columnist), who was calling into The Observer from his “home office” in the East Village this afternoon.

“It’s sort of like, it’s so compartmentalized and pushed into little categories into what can be covered and...

Inside Baseball: Mark Bowden's Shot Heard 'Round The World (Wide Web)

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:08:00 -0400

On Monday, the editors of Vanity Fair posted Mark Bowden's May 2009 write-around on Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. on the Web. The story, which was Mr. Bowden's first for the magazine, made quite an impression on the small—and ever-shrinking—community of media reporters and pundits who obsess about The New York Times, not to mention the bloggers, tumblrers and twittererers who do whatever it is they do ("aggregate"? "reblog"? "tweet"? help us out with the correct...

Abrams Research To Launch Media Blog: Writers From Gawker, New York, and Others Approached

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:44:15 -0400

Dan Abrams wants in on the media blogging and aggregation business.

For the past several months, Mr. Abrams—the chief legal analyst for NBC News and head of the nascent media strategy firm Abrams Research—has been meeting with various New York-based media reporters, editors, and bloggers about the potential editorial venture.

To date, nobody has signed on for the job.

"I think it’s very possible that I will pursue an on-line Web property that will...

Choire Sicha, An Ancestor of Ephemeral Gawker, Writes a Book

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 07:06:37 -0400

Choire Sicha is finally writing a book. He has never wanted to before, but now he does. It's going to be about being young in recession-era New York, and it will be published through the HarperStudio imprint of HarperCollins when he finishes his reporting about a year from now.

In an interview yesterday, Mr. Sicha said the as-yet-untitled book will follow a group of 20-somethings as they try to make their lives...

Gawker Hires John Cook

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:12:40 -0500

John Cook, the longtime Radar contributor and the crackerjack TV reporter for the Chicago Tribune, is heading to Gawker. His first day is Monday.

He'll be covering covering a variety of things: his old beat in television; he'll respond to the day's news when he's got something to say; and he'll be digging through FOIAs and courthouse documents for topics "that align with the stuff Gawker does," something the Web site has long been after...

Is Bill Keller Leaving The Times Anytime Soon? 'Bullshit,' He Says

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:42:18 -0500

That's what Bill Keller told Gabriel Snyder after Gawker's managing editor called to ask about a rumor that Mr. Keller might be stepping down at the end of the year.

Mr. Keller is 60, which technically gives him five more years until he has to hang it up, but some edtors and a few reporters at 620 Eighth Avenue have been quietly wondering if he'd leave sooner.

Also, Mr. Keller said this: "I think 2009...

Gawker Writers Have to Work Weekends Now Too

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:06:20 -0500

And starting this week, Gawker writers will have to start weekends.

Gawker.com's managing editor Gabriel Snyder wrote in a note to his staff that each writer would be required to edit the Web site on Saturdays and Sundays , on a rotational basis. "This person will be responsible for posting beginning at 10am and doing at least six posts on Saturday and then at least four on Sunday, also starting at 10am," he wrote. "These...

More Cuts at Gawker as Sheila McClear Gets Pink-Slipped

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:47:47 -0500

Sheila McClear, one of Gawker.com's three writers, has been fired.

Ms. McClear told us her layoff was characterized to her as part of a budget cut at the Web site, and was told that her page-views were lacking. She learned the news after she heard rumors that there would be further cuts at the company (19 people were let go back in October, and a few more last month) and asked her bosses directly if...

Denton Puts Consumerist on the Block; Noah Robischon Leaving for Fast Company

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:25:31 -0500

Nick Denton published a screed today that warned media bosses, small and large, that the worst has yet to come. "From conglomerates to internet ventures, executives should be planning now on a decline of up to 40% in advertising spending during this cycle," he wrote. "Instead they're sleepwalking into economic extinction—even those lean online ventures which were supposed to take up the mantle and preserve New York's position as a media capital."

And Mr. Denton...

Cheers: Time Out New York Tells You Where Laid-Off Media People Are Drinking

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:59:44 -0500

In what is perhaps one of the most dissonant press releases Media Mob has gotten in a while, a press representative from Time Out New York is touting the magazine's Where Laid-Off Workers Go To Drink spread.

Asks the flack:

What happens when you show up at your gig at Radar only to find the magazine's folded? Or if Nick Denton unexpectedly boots you from your blogging duties? What would you do if...

Radar Attracts Media's Living Dead to Posthumous Party at Citrine

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 08:02:05 -0400

"I basically started Radar because I didn't want to work at any other magazine," said Maer Roshan, the editor of the recently folded magazine. "And after six years, all of it came down to this."

Mr. Roshan was surveying his party, the night before Halloween, which had become a kind of Night of the Living Dead for journalism. "PRINT IS DEAD! LONG LIVE RADAR!" read the invitation, which was retooled after a recent development at...

Keller Says No Further Job Cuts at the Times

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:10:14 -0400

New York Times executive editor Bill Keller denied that there will be any further newsroom job cuts at the Times this morning at his State of the Newsroom meeting, "Throw Stuff at Bill." [Update, October 28th: The Times sessions are actually called "Throw Stuff at Bill."]

"The answer is no," said Mr. Keller, according to an attendee. "No, I do not see another round of newsroom staff reductions on the horizon."

He said that hiring will...

Gawker to Writers: Send Us Your Sloppy Seconds

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:17:59 -0400

Nick Denton, out-going managing editor of Gawker, has just introduced a new feature to his Web site called The Unspiked Files.

According to Mr. Denton:

[M]agazine articles are often dropped not because they're bad but because they're good. Or—more often—simply because they've been overtaken by events or clash with some other article or because an insecure editor has over-commissioned... Anyway, here's an alternative for journalists who've spent weeks slaving on an article only to...

Denton Shuffles Deck: Hires Snyder as M.E. of Gawker; Moe Tkacik Let Go

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:47:47 -0400

And here's the news that'll boomerang all over the Web logs today.

As has been speculated, Gabriel Snyder, most recently of W and formerly of The Observer, will be replacing Nick Denton as Gawker's managing editor.

Gawker is also letting go 19 employees. We also hear that Moe Tkacik, who was brought to Gawker from Jezebel after she nearly left for Radar, is among those being let go.

Mr. Denton's memo:

I have some bad news. Here's...

Times Web Team Has Soft Spot for Gawker

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:20:06 -0400

Last night, nytimes.com played live video of the Biden-Palin debate on its home page, and Jon Landman is quite impressed that the Times pulled this off—he's also quite pleased that Gawker liked it, too. From his weekly memo:

Live, streaming video at the top of the homepage! If you doubt this is a significant achievement, we invite you to survey the Web sites of broadcast news organizations like CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, the BBC (and...

With Help of Monster, Denton's Gawker Thumps Stanton's LATimes.com

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:21:31 -0400

Since The Los Angeles Times decided to lay off 135 people—100+ people for the second time this year—its PR brass has been trying to distract the media with other, happier news. Yesterday, with a nice link from Romenesko, the Times announced that it had its biggest Web-traffic month ever with 127 million page views in July.

Every piece of publicity that comes out of the paper is issued from Russ Stanton, the paper's editor of...

Moe Tkacik Off the Radar

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:22:32 -0400

That news about Moe Tkacik joining Radar? Never mind.

Apparently, Ms. Tkacik has changed her mind and rejected the offer from Radar. She'll leave Jezebel and begin writing for her company's flagship site, Gawker.com.

Reached by Media Mob, Radar editor Maer Roshan, who is currently not in the office, told us that the memo he sent out to the Radar staff announcing she was hired—writing that she will "bring her unique style and voice to a...

Writer Puts the 'I!' in Russia!

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:30:05 -0400

Media Mob just received the Summer 2008 issue of Russia!, the premier glossy for hip, young people of Russian descent. The cover features a striking drawing of newly installed Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, whose eyes seem to follow you across the room. Russia! editor Michael Idov penned the accompanying story, Meet the New Boss.

For the subset of people still fascinated by the personal life of former Gawker editor Emily Gould, her story...

The Times Magazine Dapples Sunlight On Its Memoirist

Tue, 27 May 2008 20:05:45 -0400

This past winter, Paul Tough, a story editor at The New York Times Magazine, brought Emily Gould, a recently retired editor of Gawker.com, to the sixth floor of the paper’s skyscraper on Eighth Avenue. Sometimes, writers meet with the magazine’s editor in chief, Gerry Marzorati, and this was one of those times.

Mr. Marzorati had never before heard of Ms. Gould, he told Off the Record. They talked for around an hour...

New York Times Magazine Blog Article Tears Media Blogosphere Asunder

Fri, 23 May 2008 16:04:24 -0400

Emily Gould's New York Times Magazine cover story hasn't even landed with a thud on front porches and newsstands yet, but it's already garnering a ton of criticism online.

Some of the critical outlets weren't surprising.

Like Gawker, for example, since Ms. Gould's article is in many ways a rebuke of the site.

Gawker's first post officially linked to Ms. Gould's Times Magazine story received 9,133 views and 170 comments.

A follow-up...

Gawker's New Elizabeth Street Home

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:48:56 -0400

Gawker has a new home at 210 Elizabeth Street, and it's on the fourth floor! Sheila McClear is a big fan of the new place, which includes a telephone booth—Gawker's very own crying...

Maggie Shnayerson Out at Gawker

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:38:23 -0500

Gawker media reporter Maggie Shnayerson was laid off last night. Nick Denton, managing editor of the site and owner of parent company Gawker Media, confirmed the break-up.

"He basically said page views were not meeting his expectations for the site," Shnayerson later said, when we contacted her about the split.

She said she was told about the firing via an email that arrived last night; Shnayerson was as of today the longest-serving editor presently appearing on...

Gawker's Sheila McClear Shopping Peep Show Memoirs to Agents

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 16:11:26 -0500

Sheila McClear, who covers the publishing industry for Gawker.com, is shopping a memoir about her time spent working in Times Square as a peep show girl.

The 26-year-old, who started as a reporter at Gawker in September, said she worked as a peep show girl for a brief period when she first moved to New York a little less than two years ago.

"I got interested in it -- obviously, it's a fascinating and weird...

Interview Denies that Editor Ingrid Sischy Quit

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:54:28 -0500

A spokeswoman for Interview is denying that longtime editor Ingrid Sischy quit the magazine, which Gawker reported this afternoon.

"The Gawker item is absolutely not true," said Rachna Shah, a spokeswoman. "She is on her annual holiday in South Africa with Elton John. She has been working on the magazine while on holiday and is due back on Monday."

Two other sources at the magazine agreed, though they would not be named or quoted, saying they...

New Gawker Reporter Quits, Rips Site

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:36:55 -0500

One day after being announced as a "media reporter" for Gawker, Richard Morgan has quit—and dished to New York magazine's Daily Intel about the experience. Choice quote: "Jesus spent three days in Hell. I could only handle one."

And of course, Nick Denton has responded, in similarly unconciliatory terms. ...

Gawk, Huff, Google: We’re New Mediapolis

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 01:00:37 -0500

...

N+1 on the 5th Anniversary of Gawker

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:14:11 -0500

The n+1 essay referred to on Gawker this past Friday when managing editor Choire Sicha and editor Emily Gould abruptly announced their simultaneous resignation from the site has been posted online.

The essay puts forth a history of Gawker since its founding in 2002 and argues that it has since "outlived the conditions for its existence." ...

Gawker Seeks New Managing Editor

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:09:15 -0500

We don't really know what to say about this rapid-response Gawker post looking for a new managing editor in the wake of Choire Sicha's departure. Except that it's interesting to see the site subject to the same personnel issues, growing pains, internal disagreements, and existential crises that it so skilfully highlights in the rest of...

Choire Sicha and Emily Gould to Leave Gawker

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:24:18 -0500

So, buried at the end of this long post that's nominally about Keith Gessen's forthcoming book comes the news that Choire Sicha and Emily Gould are leaving Gawker.

Choire just confirmed the news to Media...

Fear and Loathing at the n+1 Party

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:19:46 -0400

The office was tiny and everyone at the party was sweating. Keith Gessen, one of the hosts, was pouring wine and opening beer behind a table while the n+1 extended family—mostly editors, journalists, and novelists who have supported the literary magazine since its birth in 2004—piled in and tried not to touch each other. Taken together they looked like a posse; most everyone had been to an n+1 party...

Maggie Shnayerson Out at Village Voice, Will Cover Media at Gawker

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:31:34 -0400

Maggie Shnayerson is leaving her post as publicity director of the Village Voice for a reporting job at Gawker.com, crossing back over onto this side of the game for the first time since just after college.

Replacing Doree Shafrir (who starts at the Observer Monday!), Ms. Shnayerson will start at Gawker at the end of the month as an associate editor covering media.

Gawker editor Choire Sicha posted an item announcing the new hire...

Tehran's Taste in Web Sites

Tue, 15 May 2007 15:49:17 -0400

Observer contributor Niall Stanage, who is currently on assignment in Iran, sends an email for our "general amusement" to say that it is possible where he is to access the sites of the New York Times, Washington Post, the Guardian and the Times of London, but that attempts to get to the New York Post, the Sun, Gawker or Wonkette are met with "a disappointingly literal 'Access to this Site is Denied' together with...