Top News:
Andrew Ross Sorkin / New York Times:
Peter Thiel acknowledges he spent around $10M to fund a team of lawyers to help Gawker “victims” like Hulk Hogan sue the company, in act of “deterrence” — A billionaire Silicon Valley entrepreneur was outed as being gay by a media organization.
Discussion:
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Steven Perlberg / Wall Street Journal:
Source: Gawker Media is exploring strategic options, including potential sale — Digital media company in the middle of costly legal battle with professional wrestler Hulk Hogan — A judge denied Gawker's motion for a new trial and a reduction of the $140 million privacy invasion judgment awarded to wrestler Hulk Hogan in March.
Discussion:
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Felix Salmon / Fusion:
If Peter Thiel's strategy against Gawker works, it may then be emulated by other billionaires against any media organization — Funding Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker? That's not cool. Actively going out to find potential plaintiffs who might have cases against Gawker and then giving them the money to bring those cases?
Discussion:
Techdirt, @mathewi, Fusion, Business Insider, Variety, Talking Points Memo, @rafat, Vox, Salon, bookforum.com, @alansmurray, @jeffbercovici, @anildash, @adamweinstein, @ryanlcooper, @anildash, @asmith83, @politicomag, New York Times, @clarajeffery, @evanish, @kevinroose, @fmanjoo, CNNMoney, @petersterne, Pando, @dangillmor and Daring Fireball
Jack Shafer / Politico:
Questions about Peter Thiel's motives, secrecy, and position on Facebook's board amid lawsuit funding disclosure — Nobody's ever sympathized with Gawker before. — Multibillionaire Peter Thiel's desire for revenge has led him to do a wild but entirely legal thing.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Washington Post, Daring Fireball, @mcarney and Mashable
New York Times:
Gossip, revenge, and the complicated relationship between Silicon Valley and media including Gawker's Valleywag — SAN FRANCISCO — Silicon Valley likes to keep the media on a tight leash. Tech executives expect obedience, if not reverence, from reporters. They dole out information as grudgingly as possible.
Discussion:
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Kara Swisher / Recode:
As Facebook courts publishers, the company and some of its directors decline to comment on board member Peter Thiel's funding of lawsuit against Gawker — And there will also likely be no action, either. — Here's a very good question swirling around Silicon Valley and the media universe today …
Discussion:
Fortune and Fast Company
Callum Borchers / Washington Post:
Thiel's backing of Hogan suit against Gawker shows the heavy price media companies face, heightened by Trump's litigious, anti-media stance
Thiel's backing of Hogan suit against Gawker shows the heavy price media companies face, heightened by Trump's litigious, anti-media stance
Discussion:
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Peter Sterne / Politico:
Florida judge upholds $140.1 M verdict against Gawker, Nick Denton, and AJ Daulerio; Gawker to appeal
Florida judge upholds $140.1 M verdict against Gawker, Nick Denton, and AJ Daulerio; Gawker to appeal
Discussion:
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Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Politico to drop paywall on its media coverage, consolidate under a single hub, and add morning newsletter — Media junkies will soon have a new way to get their fix. Politico, the news outlet devoted to all things politics, is taking much of its media coverage out from behind a paywall …
Discussion:
Media Wire Daily, Newsmax, Politico, FishbowlNY and @joepompeo
Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
Subjects in Under the Gun documentary object to deceptive editing; producer apologizes if anyone was offended, and Katie Couric stands by producer's statement — It looks as though Katie Couric stunned her interviewees. Knocked them out with a bombshell inquiry: “Let me ask you another question …
Financial Times:
Sources: Apple had preliminary discussions about buying Time Warner last year as spending on original content set to increase — A top Apple executive raised the prospect of the iPhone maker buying Time Warner at a meeting with the owner of HBO, CNN and Warner Brothers, according to three people who were briefed on it.
Angelique Chrisafis / Guardian:
French trade union members prevented printing of all but one national newspaper after papers refused to run opinion piece by union leader — Striking CGT members prevented publication of papers that refused to print opinion piece by union leader — France's CGT trade union has been accused of a …
Podtrac Measurement Blog:
Podtrac debuts monthly Podcast Industry Audience Ranking, with US unique monthly audience of top ten publishers — Podtrac's Inaugural Podcast Industry Audience Ranking: April 2016 — Unlike other forms of digital media, podcasting has never had a third-party measure of audience size.
Discussion:
Adweek, @helenzaltzman, Podtrac and AllAccess.com
Leo Barraclough / Variety:
BBC's Neil Breakwell to Head Up Vice's U.K. News Operation — LONDON — Neil Breakwell, deputy editor at the BBC's flagship news analysis show “Newsnight,” has been named London bureau chief for Vice News. — Breakwell will oversee Vice's news gathering across Western Europe as Vice continues …
Discussion:
WWD, Deadline, Politico, Hollywood Reporter, The Drum, Guardian and FishbowlNY
Bloomberg:
A look at the old media companies that own or have invested in new media companies and comparison of traffic cross top digital media sites — Rani Molla is a Bloomberg Gadfly columnist using data visualizations to cover corporations and markets. She previously worked for the Wall Street Journal.