Gawker founder Nick Denton told staffers on Thursday that he will not be joining Univision now that it has purchased Gawker Media and will “move on to other projects, working to make the web a forum for the open exchange of ideas and information, but out of the news and gossip business.”
Denton addressed his staff in a memo soon after Univision announced that it would shut down Gawker.com next week. “I am proud of what we have achieved at Gawker Media Group, both in our work and our business, never more so than in these last few months,” Denton wrote.
Despite the demise of the 14-year-old gossip and media site, Denton said he was “relieved” that he “found the best possible harbor for Gizmodo, Lifehacker, Kotaku, Jalopnik, Jezebel and Deadspin, and our talented writers and other staff. They will be joining The Onion, ClickHole and other beloved web properties in Fusion Media Group, the digital operation of Univision.”
Also Read: Gawker.com to Go Dark Next Week
Univision won an auction earlier this week for Gawker Media and will retain the digital media conglomerate’s other assets while shutting down operations for the namesake website. Denton informed staffers this afternoon of the often-controversial site’s fate, according to a message posted on Gawker.com.
However, Denton left the door open a tiny crack for an eventual re-launch of Gawker.com, saying it, “May, like Spy Magazine in its day, have a second act. For the moment, however, it will be mothballed, until the smoke clears and a new owner can be found.
TheWrap has obtained the entire letter that he sent to staffers:
I am relieved that, with the approval today of the agreement with Univision, that we have found the best possible harbor for Gizmodo, Lifehacker, Kotaku, Jalopnik, Jezebel and Deadspin, and our talented writers and other staff. They will be joining The Onion, ClickHole and other beloved web properties in Fusion Media Group, the digital operation of Univision. Isaac Lee and the team at Fusion are fellow spirits, as committed to real journalism and an open future as they are to digital media expansion.
Sadly, neither I nor Gawker.com, the buccaneering flagship of the group I built with my colleagues, are coming along for this next stage. Desirable though the other properties are, we have not been able to find a single media company or investor willing also to take on Gawker.com. The campaign being mounted against its editorial ethos and former writers has made it too risky. I can understand the caution.
Even if the appeals court overturns this spring’s Florida jury verdict, Peter Thiel has already achieved many of his objectives.
I will move on to other projects, working to make the web a forum for the open exchange of ideas and information, but out of the news and gossip business.
Gawker.com may, like Spy Magazine in its day, have a second act. For the moment, however, it will be mothballed, until the smoke clears and a new owner can be found. The archives will remain, but Monday’s posts will be the last of this iteration.
I am proud of what we have achieved at Gawker Media Group, both in our work and our business, never more so than in these last few months.
Our bloggers — and the alumni now dispersed through the media from the New Yorker to the New York Times — have introduced a new style of journalism, sometimes enthusiastic, sometimes snarky, but always authentic. We connect with a skeptical and media-savvy generation by giving them the real story, the version that journalists used to keep to themselves.
Without outside capital, we bootstrapped a profitable digital media operation. With only the talent and energy of our writers and other staff, we have drawn one of the most influential audiences in digital media: our stories connect with 100m people a month around the world. In 2016’s dance of media consolidation, the company has found a partner that understands our appeal and character; not all will have that luck.
As for Gawker.com, founded in 2003 and mothballed in 2016, it will live on in legend. As the short-lived killer android is told in Blade Runner: “The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and you have burned so very very brightly.”
12 Roger Ailes Accusers and Their Allegations Against Former Fox News Boss (Photos)
Former Fox News Channel CEO and chairman Roger Ailes resigned in disgrace last month after numerous women accused the TV exec of sexual harassment. (Fox News named new leadership Friday.) Here are some of the women who have come forward.
Gretchen Carlson brought the allegations to light when she filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ailes. Ailes has denied all the allegations included in this gallery.
Also Read: Chelsea Handler on Gretchen Carlson’s Lawsuit: ‘Did It Take Courage? I Don’t Think So’ (Exclusive)
Fox News
Megyn Kelly told internal investigators that she was harassed by Ailes a decade ago, according to New York Magazine.
Also Read: Chelsea Handler on Gretchen Carlson’s Lawsuit: ‘Did It Take Courage? I Don’t Think So’ (Exclusive)
CBS
Former Fox News correspondent Rudi Bakhtiar told the magazine she was fired from Fox News after complaining about sexual harassment.
Also Read: Anita Hill: Fox News Should Take Back Roger Ailes’ $40 Million
CNN
Fox News commentator Andrea Tantaros told New York that she complained several times that Ailes had acted inappropriately. (New Fox News co-president Bill Shine denies she complained about Ailes to him.)
Also Read: Inside Andrea Tantaros’ Disappearance from Fox News
Twitter
An attorney for former Fox News anchor Laurie Dhue says Ailes asked if she was wearing underwear while she jumped on a trampoline with Ailes’ then 6-year-old son, the Daily Beast reported.
Also Read: Roger Ailes Sought ‘Sexual Alliance,’ Says Female TV Exec
LinkedIn
Fox News booker Laurie Luhn told lawyers that Ailes sexually harassed and "psychological tortured" her for more than 20 years, according to New York mag.
Also Read: Former Fox News Booker Says Roger Ailes Caused 20 Years of ‘Psychological Torture’
Former Republic National Committee field adviser Kellie Boyle told New York that Ailes once told her she “might have to give a blow job every once in a while.”
Also Read: Roger Ailes Sought ‘Sexual Alliance,’ Says Female TV Exec
Former model Marsha Callahan told New York that Ailes requested she wear “a garter belt and stockings” and asked for sex in exchange for a TV appearance.
Also Read: Fox News Staff Had ‘Widespread Fear’ Roger Ailes Monitored Calls, Emails
Former models named Susan and Jane, a media consultant named Diane and a former TV producer named Pat also told New York that Ailes harassed them but didn't want their full names used.
Also Read: Chelsea Handler on Gretchen Carlson’s Lawsuit: ‘Did It Take Courage? I Don’t Think So’ (Exclusive)
Getty Images
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Former Fox News CEO resigned in disgrace after numerous women accused him of sexual harassment
Former Fox News Channel CEO and chairman Roger Ailes resigned in disgrace last month after numerous women accused the TV exec of sexual harassment. (Fox News named new leadership Friday.) Here are some of the women who have come forward.
View In Gallery
Related stories from TheWrap:
Gawker.com to Go Dark Next Week
Gawker Sale: What's Next for Founder Nick Denton?
Univision Wins Auction to Buy Gawker Media