It doesn't matter that Nick Denton largely kept Gawker independent, without outside funding until the legal threat of the Bollea lawsuit. Gawker's media legacy is now being written by the same content farms that use similar strategies to keep the hits coming and the ad dollars pouring in. Now, Gawker is on trial for the clickbaiting sins of the era when content farms were still called blogs, and blogs doubled as illegal hosting sites for video, mp3s, and photos. It's a medium where the limits of free speech and media rights can be tested, even if that meant the next realm of content would blur the lines between pornography and clickbait. To Gawker, online media is a place where the pressure of outside investor expectations can blur a philosophical mission, or the ability to leave one behind. We care too much about our reputation among other writers, and too little about the concerns of venture capital and corporate investors." In a 2015 memo, Gawker CEO Nick Denton wrote, "…maybe it is also a recognition that we can never play the viral traffic game as shamelessly as Buzzfeed. It paved the way for many future media company strategies, while Gawker largely stayed true to its desire to remain independent from the constraints of outside investors. Gawker has made its name by curating the most relevant news and non-news, applying an editorial tone of snark that was widely accepted as normalcy during the days of the formative blogosphere. These were long before the days of reposting Instagram content and inferring subtext in tweets to fuel celebrity beef. Perez Hilton, TMZ, and The Dirty seemed to exist for the sake of kicking up dirt. Before themes of tolerance and acceptance became a built-in part of internet vernacular, the internet was for lifting the veil on celebrity and feeling like an insider for getting 'scoops' beyond what could be said on television or print. It's a bit disorienting to watch a media company stand trial for posting the type of content that began to feel somewhat regular and ubiquitous. It has generated headlines every day, generating more uniques and pageviews off the excerpts of a celebrity sex tape that Gawker originally posted in 2012. Gawker Media civil suit, in which the wrestler Hulk Hogan is seeking $100 million in damages from Gawker, began on March 7. The repercussions can range from lack of profitability, to audience ceiling, to $100 million civil lawsuit. This may be a sign that your media brand has gone from being revered to disregarded as fodder. Gawker has become the trending content, covering itself like a celebrity or a trending meme.
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