Gawker Stalker: Charting the Site’s Media Takeover

1. NICK DENTON

Since promoting his gossip empire to Univision, the enigmatic Gawker Media chief—whose SoHo loft was as soon as a mildly debauched media occasion zone—has cultivated an aura round a potential subsequent act, hinting on Twitter a couple of future “story-making app.”

2. CHOIRE SICHA

His chatty and biting fashion set the tone for early Gawker (and far of the web). After cofounding The Axe, the place he cultivated a brand new technology of wryly observant web writers, he went legit, reshaping the New York Occasions Model part earlier than returning to writing at New York journal.

4. JESSICA COEN

Selecting an training at Gawker over Columbia Journalism Faculty, the early period editor in chief—and later prime Jezebel editor—went on to steer newsrooms at Vocativ and Mashable earlier than becoming a member of e-newsletter juggernaut Morning Brew as chief content material officer.

6. JIA TOLENTINO

Beginning at Axe sister web site The Hairpin and later changing into a Jezebel deputy editor, Tolentino gained a following for sharp-witted cultural commentary. Now a New Yorker workers author, her essay assortment, Trick Mirror, racked up critics’ raves.

7. CAITY WEAVER

From becoming a member of a Paula Deen cruise to gorging at T.G.I. Fridays, the Gawker author took stunt journalism to elegant new heights. Her abilities earned her a gig writing cowl tales for GQ earlier than the NYT Kinds desk and journal scooped her up.

8. HAMILTON NOLAN

One in all Gawker’s longest-serving writers, Nolan chronicled the media enterprise—and, by organizing the location’s workers, helped set off a wave of unionization throughout the trade. Nolan now covers labor for In These Occasions.

9. JOHN COOK

Getting tailed by Roger Ailes didn’t cease Cook dinner from probing Fox Information and different energy facilities for Gawker—a path he’s continued as investigations editor at Insider, working alongside deputy (and ex-Gawker/Gizmodo reporter) J.Ok. Trotter.

12. LEAH FINNEGAN

Even Denton bristled on the former function editor’s scathing posts. Now Finnegan is main a relaunched Gawker beneath new proprietor (and previous Jezebel and Valleywag goal) Bryan Goldberg, whom she’s already mocked to the press.

14. PUJA PATEL

Tackling all the pieces at Deadspin from Taylor Swift feminism to the true property delusions of NYC-based rom-coms, the previous senior editor turned Spin’s prime editor earlier than becoming a member of the Condé Nast steady as editor in chief of indie mainstay Pitchfork.

15. TOM SCOCCA

A famend Gawker and Deadspin editor, Scocca additionally wrote on allegations towards Invoice Cosby (when practically nobody else was) and argued for snark over smarm. He launched Hmm Day by day earlier than changing into Slate’s politics editor.

17. RICHARD LAWSON

Starting his Gawker writing profession as nameless commenter LolCait, Lawson jumped from advert gross sales to editorial and have become one of many web site’s hottest contributors, chronicling modern movie star tradition with absurdist aptitude. And now he’s with us, as Self-importance Truthful’s chief critic.

20. ELIZABETH SPIERS

Gawker’s founding editor in chief went on to helm the New York Observer beneath then proprietor Jared Kushner, whose incompetence—as a media proprietor and White Home adviser—she’s fast to level out. Spiers now heads progressive digital technique firm The Rebel and teaches media and innovation at NYU.

21. EMILY GOULD

From gracing the duvet of the New York Occasions Journal to debating Jimmy Kimmel, Gould moved past simply web well-known. The unique “confessional blogger,” who can be half of an aughts media-world couple (she’s married to n+1 founder Keith Gessen), is the creator of the novels Good Tunes and Friendship—and wrote a column in this issue!

22. DODAI STEWART

A particular Jezebel voice within the early years, Stewart led Splinter, a web site carrying on the Gawker flame till shuttering itself in 2019. The native New Yorker jumped to the Occasions as deputy metro editor and now deputy editor for Narrative Initiatives.

23. ALEX PAREENE

Dropping out of NYU to jot down for D.C.-skewering Wonkette—and serving as Gawker’s editor in chief practically a decade later—the epically acidic Pareene now serves up incisive political evaluation as a workers author on the New Republic.