Gawker Media

Gawker Media is a blogging company founded by Nick Denton in 2002. Denton reportedly started the company as a home based business, running the company from his apartment in Soho.http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/18/101018fa_fact_mcgrath The company is based out of New York, and as of October of 2010, Denton staffs an estimated team of one hundred and twenty employees.http://www.crunchbase.com/company/gawker-mediahttp://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/18/101018fa_fact_mcgrath

In December of 2010, Denton paid $12,000 to acquire the voicemails and photos that were allegedly passed between Brett Favre and Jenn Sterger, which were then posted on Deadspin. The photos allegedly showed Favre's genitals.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/03/sports/football/03brfs-football.html?ref=gawkermedia Denton defended his actions, stating, “I love paying for information. In part, because it's a great investment."http://www.businessinsider.com/nick-denton-ignition-favre-2010-12

On December 12, 2010, Gawker Media’s web sites were compromised by hackers, which some suggested was accomplished by users of the rival message board 4chan.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/business/media/13gawker.html?ref=gawkermedia Over one million user accounts were compromised, and passwords were posted through torrent site Pirate Bay.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/business/media/13gawker.html?ref=gawkermediahttp://www.crn.com/slide-shows/security/228800660/5-password-practices-that-could-have-stopped-the-gawker-attack.htm;jsessionid=NTaCKN6Sc94g7Pm3-2QAVw**.ecappj02 Several Gawker users who used the same password for their Twitter accounts were subsequently harassed through the social media site.http://www.crn.com/slide-shows/security/228800660/5-password-practices-that-could-have-stopped-the-gawker-attack.htm;jsessionid=NTaCKN6Sc94g7Pm3-2QAVw**.ecappj02 That same day, all Gawker sites carried the same message: “We’re deeply embarrassed by this breach."http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/business/media/13gawker.html?ref=gawkermedia Several identity theft experts parlayed the incident into an attempt to teach internet users how to be more cautious by choosing unique passwords, as a great deal of users on the Gawker Media website only used the password “password,” to gain access.http://articles.latimes.com/2010/dec/13/business/la-fi-mcdonalds-20101213 http://www.crn.com/slide-shows/security/228800660/5-password-practices-that-could-have-stopped-the-gawker-attack.htm;jsessionid=NTaCKN6Sc94g7Pm3-2QAVw**.ecappj02

• 2002: Founded by Nick Denton
• 2008: The Guardian names Gawker as one of the 50 most powerful blogs in the world on March 9http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/09/blogs
• 2008: Gawker Media sells three sites: Idolator, Gridskipper, and Wonkette on April 14http://gawker.com/379413/gawker-sells-three-sites
• 2009: TIME ranks Gawker as one of the best 25 blogs of 2009http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1879276_1879093_1879087,00.html
• 2010: Makes acquisition of CityFile on February 15http://www.crunchbase.com/company/gawker-media
• 2010: Remy Stern replaces Gabriel Snyder as editor-in-chief at Gawkerhttp://www.businessinsider.com/gawker-acquires-cityfile-2010-2
• 2010: Web sites compromised by hackers, and accounts compromised, on December 12http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/business/media/13gawker.html?ref=gawkermedia

• b5media
• Weblogs
• gdgthttp://www.crunchbase.com/company/gawker-media

• Gawker
• Gizmodo
• Valleywag
• Fleshbot
• Defamer
• Kotaku
• Jalopnik
• Lifehacker
• Deadspin
• Consumerist
• Jezebel
• io9http://www.crunchbase.com/company/gawker-media

Gawker Media was formed in 2002, by founder Nick Denton. Since its inception, the company has owned several blogs, such as Gawker, Gizmodo, and Defamer. In April of 2008, Gawker Media announced that they were selling three of their under performing blogs, which included Gridskipper, Idolator, and Wonkette.http://gawker.com/379413/gawker-sells-three-sites%20Gawker.com In 2010, Gawker Media made its first acquisition when it bought CityFile.http://www.businessinsider.com/gawker-acquires-cityfile-2010-2 As of January 2011, its Gawker blog is ranked 225th in popularity in websites across the U.S., according to Alexa rankings.http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/gawker.com

• "We really weren't sure until 4PM EST on Sunday that the user database had been compromised. We posted a statement and warning within an hour of that. And we've been doing our best since then to communicate in the Lifehacker FAQ and responses in the comments. But I guess we were somewhat in shock earlier on Sunday and didn't acknowledge the worst-case scenario until it was upon us. I'm so very sorry. We're trying to make up now for our earlier failings."—Nick Denton, on Gawker accounts being compromisedhttp://www.businessinsider.com/nick-denton-says-gawker-didnt-respond-to-hack-sooner-because-we-were-somewhat-in-shock-2010-12

• "The ideal Gawker item is something triggered by a quote at a party, or an incident, or a story somewhere else and serves to expose hypocrisy, or turn conventional wisdom on its head. And it’s 100 words long. 200 max. Any good idea can be expressed at that length.”—Nick Dentonhttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/fashion/13gawker.html?_r=1&ref=gawkermedia

• "“Is there Gawker ethics? I mean, I guess there’s Gawker ethics. It’s a dangerous thing to talk about.”—Nick Dentonhttp://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/18/101018fa_fact_mcgrath

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