David Geithner in gay escort scandal - and Gawker nailed? (1 Viewer)

[Tom Servo]

Tommy Craggs and Max Read rage quit Gawker

 

[Capella]

Hope this doesn't mess with deadspin or their staff. Big fan.

 

[Quez]

I think my objection is more about the outing of a bi/gay man that hadn't done anything to deserve it. I'm not even for outing public figures for infidelity or LGB , unless they are hypocrites that actively advocate family values crap or anti-gay stances. Can that be a grey area, sure. But this one was clearly past the line. And facilitating an extortion was pretty crappy.

I still laugh when the "Larry Craig Memorial Bathroom" shows up for a check-in when I walk by it in the MSP airport.

I read the term "gay shaming" regarding this story. That is absolutely ridiculous. Gawker is ran by a gay guy. They likely would have ran with the story if he was cheating with a woman as well.

Being confused about ones sexuality & cheating still makes you a cheater.

 

[Fennis]

I like that the OP is complaining about the "liberal press", but the only place I have heard this story is on FBG, where he outed the guy in the title.

 

[General Tso]

I like that the OP is complaining about the "liberal press", but the only place I have heard this story is on FBG, where he outed the guy in the title.

Not sure what that means exactly. Theirs story was covered pretty extensively on the Internet. My questioning about a double standard in the press was fair I think. Not sure if it was born out, but thought it was worth discussing.It does seem like Gawker is a sinking ship. I think Hulk is going to give them the coup de grace.

 

[Tom Servo]

Sounds like things are imploding over there with the senior editors quitting over this.

I don't get it. They put up a stupid post they shouldn't have. Advertisers threaten to walk unless it's pulled. So the business execs pull it. Editorial whines. What, the company should lose potentially enough money to go broke instead? Editorial doesn't get the last say in company decisions anywhere. That's life.

News people are funny like that. They think their operation should be proud to be a money loser.

 

[GibbyGarcia]

I think my objection is more about the outing of a bi/gay man that hadn't done anything to deserve it. I'm not even for outing public figures for infidelity or LGB , unless they are hypocrites that actively advocate family values crap or anti-gay stances. Can that be a grey area, sure. But this one was clearly past the line. And facilitating an extortion was pretty crappy.

I still laugh when the "Larry Craig Memorial Bathroom" shows up for a check-in when I walk by it in the MSP airport.

I read the term "gay shaming" regarding this story. That is absolutely ridiculous. Gawker is ran by a gay guy. They likely would have ran with the story if he was cheating with a woman as well.

Being confused about ones sexuality & cheating still makes you a cheater.

Sure it does, but I think there is a greater level of review required when you combine the cheating angle with the fact that you are also exposing the sexual orientation of a person that clearly intended to keep it a secret. And are doing so with information that exclusively comes from a paid escort that is attempting to extort said person.

My threshold is pretty high, I don't think Hogan deserves a dime, but this one just crosses my "wtf, not cool" threshold.

 

[Quez]

I think my objection is more about the outing of a bi/gay man that hadn't done anything to deserve it. I'm not even for outing public figures for infidelity or LGB , unless they are hypocrites that actively advocate family values crap or anti-gay stances. Can that be a grey area, sure. But this one was clearly past the line. And facilitating an extortion was pretty crappy.

I still laugh when the "Larry Craig Memorial Bathroom" shows up for a check-in when I walk by it in the MSP airport.

I read the term "gay shaming" regarding this story. That is absolutely ridiculous. Gawker is ran by a gay guy. They likely would have ran with the story if he was cheating with a woman as well.Being confused about ones sexuality & cheating still makes you a cheater.

Sure it does, but I think there is a greater level of review required when you combine the cheating angle with the fact that you are also exposing the sexual orientation of a person that clearly intended to keep it a secret. And are doing so with information that exclusively comes from a paid escort that is attempting to extort said person.My threshold is pretty high, I don't think Hogan deserves a dime, but this one just crosses my "wtf, not cool" threshold.

I don't think Hogan deserves 100 million, but I that was bs of Gawker to post that. The tape was stolen & neither Hogan or the girl were the ones that sold it. If the parties were aware of the taping & one sold it, then it would be a different story. Hogan was definitely a victim.

 

[jonessed]

I think my objection is more about the outing of a bi/gay man that hadn't done anything to deserve it. I'm not even for outing public figures for infidelity or LGB , unless they are hypocrites that actively advocate family values crap or anti-gay stances. Can that be a grey area, sure. But this one was clearly past the line. And facilitating an extortion was pretty crappy.

I still laugh when the "Larry Craig Memorial Bathroom" shows up for a check-in when I walk by it in the MSP airport.

I read the term "gay shaming" regarding this story. That is absolutely ridiculous. Gawker is ran by a gay guy. They likely would have ran with the story if he was cheating with a woman as well.Being confused about ones sexuality & cheating still makes you a cheater.

Sure it does, but I think there is a greater level of review required when you combine the cheating angle with the fact that you are also exposing the sexual orientation of a person that clearly intended to keep it a secret. And are doing so with information that exclusively comes from a paid escort that is attempting to extort said person.My threshold is pretty high, I don't think Hogan deserves a dime, but this one just crosses my "wtf, not cool" threshold.

What does his sexual orientation have to do with the ethical decision around releasing the information?

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Hope this doesn't mess with deadspin or their staff. Big fan.

Think the Hulkster has a better chance of causing problems on that front.

 

[General Tso]

I think my objection is more about the outing of a bi/gay man that hadn't done anything to deserve it. I'm not even for outing public figures for infidelity or LGB , unless they are hypocrites that actively advocate family values crap or anti-gay stances. Can that be a grey area, sure. But this one was clearly past the line. And facilitating an extortion was pretty crappy.

I still laugh when the "Larry Craig Memorial Bathroom" shows up for a check-in when I walk by it in the MSP airport.

I read the term "gay shaming" regarding this story. That is absolutely ridiculous. Gawker is ran by a gay guy. They likely would have ran with the story if he was cheating with a woman as well.Being confused about ones sexuality & cheating still makes you a cheater.

Sure it does, but I think there is a greater level of review required when you combine the cheating angle with the fact that you are also exposing the sexual orientation of a person that clearly intended to keep it a secret. And are doing so with information that exclusively comes from a paid escort that is attempting to extort said person.My threshold is pretty high, I don't think Hogan deserves a dime, but this one just crosses my "wtf, not cool" threshold.

What does his sexual orientation have to do with the ethical decision around releasing the information?

Yeah, that's the trouble I had with this story initially. But to be fair, other than a couple of opinion pieces I saw with this angle, I think the prevailing objection expressed in most editorials on the case is that Geither wasn't a public figure.

 

[chauncey]

USA Today version of the story

Breitbart piece on the shadiness of Gawker

From Breitbart article:

Worse, it seems the story may not even be true. According to at least one source, the male escort used by Gawker is a conspiracy theorist who delights in leading journalist and politicians astray with bogus stories.

Geithner, for his part, denies that any text messages between the “escort” and himself took place: “I don’t know who this individual is. This is a shakedown,” he told Gawker. They went ahead with the story anyway.

And Gawker knew it was a shakedown from the very beginning. The “escort” specifically told the blogging network that Geithner promised to take one of the escort’s conspiracy theories to President Obama if he got Gawker to kill the story.

Let that sink in for a second: the conspiracy theorist’s plan was to use Gawker as leverage over Geithner. And Gawker acted as a willing participant in gay extortion. A man’s reputation was held hostage at blogpoint and an editor went ahead and pulled the trigger, perhaps even knowing the story was shaky.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Seems pretty shady to me. What was the point exactly? He's not even a public figure.

 

[Rick James]

Pretty lame of GAWKER to get so pissed about the leaked pics of all those female celebs, then turn around and post (and mock) the hogan sex tape, and out this non-public CFO.

hypocrites

 

[Capella]

Hope this doesn't mess with deadspin or their staff. Big fan.

Think the Hulkster has a better chance of causing problems on that front.

I think the public figure who has put his sex life in the public domain angle is going to be enough to have them wiggle off.

 

[Capella]

They should probably tighten up though.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Hope this doesn't mess with deadspin or their staff. Big fan.

Think the Hulkster has a better chance of causing problems on that front.

I think the public figure who has put his sex life in the public domain angle is going to be enough to have them wiggle off.

Gawker has to at least be a little worried that Hogan has money, and won't necessarily just settle out. He might go for the jugular out of (righteous) vindictiveness.

I think Gawker's actually become somewhat of a bastion of social conservatism and sexual repression. That pictures of a famous person's penis is somewhat newsworthy or interesting is juvenile. A right-thinking person would assume that Brett Favre, indeed, has a ####.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Observer gives them a good ethering: http://observer.com/2015/07/gawker/

 

[urbanhack]

http://www.vox.com/2015/7/21/9011045/gawker-outing-resignations

 

[Slapdash]

Gawker is a giant piece of ####. Couldn't happen to a nicer "news" organization.

 

[Quez]

Isn't Gawker primarily just a re-blog? If they go away something similar will replace them.

Just like Napster.

Ftr, I like the gawker sites, but don't support their scandalous ways of getting clicks.

 

[Good Posting Judge]

Isn't Gawker primarily just a re-blog? If they go away something similar will replace them.

Just like Napster.

Ftr, I like the gawker sites, but don't support their scandalous ways of getting clicks.

Yes and no. They have some original content that, at times, is pretty good. But they also re-post a lot of stuff with a hyperbolic headline and rake in the clicks, yeah.

 

[rockaction]

Hope this doesn't mess with deadspin or their staff. Big fan.

Think the Hulkster has a better chance of causing problems on that front.

I think the public figure who has put his sex life in the public domain angle is going to be enough to have them wiggle off.

Gawker has to at least be a little worried that Hogan has money, and won't necessarily just settle out. He might go for the jugular out of (righteous) vindictiveness.

I think Gawker's actually become somewhat of a bastion of social conservatism and sexual repression. That pictures of a famous person's penis is somewhat newsworthy or interesting is juvenile. A right-thinking person would assume that Brett Favre, indeed, has a ####.

Judging from their politics, I'd go with mere salaciousness.