I read Gawker every day on the shuttle to and from work. I used to think they were a great source for Odds ‘n’ Ends news. Lately, however, I’m getting a growing feeling that they’ve turned into not much more than a tabloid, much like the New York Post. They outed Toronto mayor Rob Ford on his alleged smoking of crack, but the whole thing to me smelled like, “Let’s ridicule this guy and destroy his career because we found a guy who knows a guy who may have some video evidence.” Regardless of Ford’s guilt, the evidence early on was quite dubious.
Maybe Gawker was always about the tabloid appeal (hence the name “Gawker”) and I’m just noticing now. How do you feel about them?
Gawker always reminds me of a high school or bad college paper desperately trying to be taken seriously by grownups. They sometimes do stories that are genuinely newsworthy and important, but there’s always this core of juvenile immaturity hiding just beneath the surface that often bubbles through. They get into silly internet slapfights with reddit, or they write ridiculous sour grapes stories about how horrible events are that they don’t get invited to, or they do these point-and-laugh stories, or post terribly “brave” stories with lots of graphic sex and drug use just for the sake of shocking the poor unenlightened masses who aren’t sophisticated enough to handle what they’re saying. It’s hard to pin down, but that vibe comes through SO strongly I can’t help but notice.