Want to know why A.J. Daulerio exposed the personal lives of two inconsequential ESPN staffers this week? Here’s why.
Snippet:
At some media organizations you might get rapped for running a premature story. At Gawker Media, you’ll lose way more points for being scooped on a story you had in your hands.
Nick
Nick is Nick Denton, head of Gawker Media - Deadspin’s corporate parent. Read the entire memo. It’s short, and to the point, and will illuminate you on why things happened at Deadspin the way they did this week.
Enough of the high-minded, journalistic analysis. What Daulerio did Wednesday was about one thing: employment.
20 years ago, my first year in the mainstream media biz, I learned that the sole job of a pr person is to keep you away from the story, not facilitate it.
You don’t think Daulerio knows that? Of course he does.
But he duped readers and media into thinking that ESPN pr guy Josh Krulewitz’s obligatory rebuff of his Phillips inquiry was the reason to launch a (rather underwhelming) attack on Bristol.
Daulerio goes to work every day with his head in a guillotine. All around him, Gawker blogs are getting axed. Defamer, Valleywag, Consumerist, Wonkette, etc. All acclaimed blogs with seemingly strong followings - now gone. He previously started his own Gawker blog, Oddjack, which failed because of lack of traffic.
So now think about Denton’s memo, and the cannibal-like atmosphere that prevails at Gawker and put yourself in Daulerio’s shoes. If he wants to keep his job, he has to always be in a desperate drive for more traffic and buzz. Day after day, month after month. It’s a tough gig. Believe me, if anyone knows, it’s me.
So how do you do that? By doing what he did this week. Never mind that he posted ridiculously overhyped stories about ESPN staffers nobody knows. He accomplished what he set out to do: he got you visiting, the media covering and even ESPN responding. (A hollow, non-response I might add.)
Wednesday morning, Daulerio sidled up to his laptop thinking ‘how in the hell am I going to keep increasing my traffic?’ He knew he was sitting on moldy, non-sequitur posts about the regrettable behavior of two ESPNers, so in order to create buzz/traffic he made the clumsy connection between getting scooped on the Phillips story to offering up office behavior from ESPNers that is no different than anything we’ve all experienced in the workplace.
But again, to his credit, people came. And they talked. And the lights stay on another day. Bless his heart.
The other big part of all of this is legal. Gawker knows full well where it stands legally with what Daulerio is doing, and for all Denton cares, he’d prefer ESPN sue his company and give his charges even more publicity. Not to mention possibly exposing more damaging information about ESPN personnel.
3:15 pm on October 23rd, 2009
Consumerist is still around, it was bought out by Consumer Reports.
3:26 pm on October 23rd, 2009
In no way did anything in this post or Denton’s pathetic email justify Deadspin’s childish actions, especially in regards to Katie Lacey.
Yeah, we’ll fuck with her life, perhaps even ruin it, without provocation just because ESPN didn’t pander to our questions. You’re right, that isn’t reporting, nor is it blogging.
It’s the same as spreading rumors about the girl who didn’t want to sleep with you.
It was a childish, jealous reaction of a bunch of frat boys who couldn’t handle getting scooped. But hey, as long as they get traffic — thanks to completely unsubstantiated emails — that justifies their pathetic witch hunt, right?
3:28 pm on October 23rd, 2009
The other side of the legal coin is something that isn’t talked about much. Sure, ESPN can hire a ton of counsel, but it’s not like Deadspin is just some blog. it’s backed by a guy worth almost $300 million.
3:33 pm on October 23rd, 2009
Deadspin seems to be out to ruin or slander people in order for them to make money. I used to enjoyu that site but I have found that is has become so negative I just dont visit anymore.
Sex in the workplacve is as common as sex at home. Get over it. He got pissed and reported like a 10 year old.
3:35 pm on October 23rd, 2009
Personally, I wish ya’ll would focus on Sports and not who is f***ing who at ESPN.
3:35 pm on October 23rd, 2009
IFChris,
Not justifying anything Deadspin did. Of course.
3:40 pm on October 23rd, 2009
Joshua, how many of the writers from Gawker’s Consumerist are employed with Consumer Report’s Consumerist? I don’t know the answer but my guess is not many or none. I think that’s Brooks’ point here.
3:42 pm on October 23rd, 2009
James C.,
Correct. Same thing with Wonkette. And others.
3:56 pm on October 23rd, 2009
Yeah, no apologies. We put energy behind our most successful websites. And AJ has drawn a much wider readership to Deadspin.
As for the unsubstantiated story about Katie Lacey, I think ESPN has now confirmed it. On the record, this time.
4:28 pm on October 23rd, 2009
A millionaire technology mogul can’t take the time to make an avatar?
4:31 pm on October 23rd, 2009
James C.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply you were. You simply pointed out the whys involved.
4:32 pm on October 23rd, 2009
“As for the unsubstantiated story about Katie Lacey, I think ESPN has now confirmed it. On the record, this time.”
And that somehow makes it right? Who the hell is Deadspin to out other people’s personal lives? All so they can make some point about being jilted?
Pathetic.
11:40 am on October 24th, 2009
What Deadspin may have temporarily gained in website hits, it sacrificed in reputation. Readers know a pile of steaming dogsh/t when they see it.
Backlash is a real deal.
11:57 am on October 24th, 2009
Deadspin was on spot on for exposing cheating infidels at ESPN, and for the World Wide Leader in Smut, the chickens came home to roost. ESPN has embarrassed, humilated and ruined countless athletes, coaches and programs with it’s investigative journalism and rumor mongering. This country has a sickening double-standard when it comes to media, and it is deeply rooted in hypocrisy. Though public figures may be fair game when they fuck up, private individuals like Lacey, Drake, and the rest of the philandering ESPN execs should be outed as well. It is egregious and offensive to think that somehow journalists and media execs are immune from judgment or public persecution, especially when they perpetuate and seek out the stories when Athletes or Celebs do the same thing. Every last one of ESPN’s cheating, inappropriate, philandering, gallivanting employee’s should be exposed for their wrong doing, and ESPN should not cast so many stones, while living in a glass house.
12:00 pm on October 24th, 2009
As others have already said, Deadspin can continue their TMZ actions but their rep has already taken hit across the internet.
It is almost comical to see them reaching for stories….and it is even worse when they try to justify their own actions when called out for it, ala Erin Andrews….them deleting/banning all of their users (many loyal ones, btw) who questioned Deadspin was so idiotic I am not sure where to begin
Good for this site for calling them out. Many applaud you
1:29 pm on October 24th, 2009
Valleywag got axed because Gawker Media was losing money on that turd.
It became very clear that the writers knew nothing about Silicon Valley and wrote about stuff that people who worked in Silicon Valley didn’t care about, like tech writers or the traffic flow around Marissa Mayer’s condominium complex. It was the same 10-15 people making 90% of the comments.
The writers were only writing to themselves and the dwindling pageviews reflected it.
12:30 pm on October 25th, 2009
WHO CARES.