AbsolutSurgen Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 Does anyone know details? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_MH Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 This is a ripple from what's going on over at Deadspin. I should probably expand that a little more... The guys that bought the remnants of Gawker from Univision don't seem to have any pans to keep the sites up and running and were, instead, trying to see how much money they could get out of the sites before the closed up for good. Deadspin's Deputy Editor had a history of telling readers to keep complaining about the ridiculous ads until something was done about it. That something, was getting fired and Deadspin being told to stick to sports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted October 29, 2019 Author Share Posted October 29, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPDunks4 Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 The new investment firm owners want Deadspin to focus on sports, they refused, and the editor got fired. Also, the new investment firm also started running autoplay ads on all their sites. All their sites posted an article instructing readers to email their bosses complaining, including Kotaku. The articles were all removed. That was the short version I got from briefly following on Twitter and Barstools coverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSoxFan9 Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 GMG is screwed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoberChef Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 If something happens to Kotaku where they're not around anymore, I sincerely hope that Jason lands on his feet as his reporting is some of the best in the industry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XxEvil AshxX Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 32 minutes ago, SoberChef said: If something happens to Kotaku where they're not around anymore, I sincerely hope that Jason lands on his feet as his reporting is some of the best in the industry. At this point i think kotaku needs him more than he needs kotaku. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSoxFan9 Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal-El814 Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Holy shit I forgot about Jason Whitlock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperclyp Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Yeah this shit sucks. Also Jason Whitlock suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 I am so thankful for Fox Sports. Whitlock, Cowherd, and Bayless are all contained in channel I never turn on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 How else can the CEO get more money if they don't fire everyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewhyteboar Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CayceG Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 If this is the death knell for Deadspin, I will be very disappointed. Venture capital investment is a fucking scourge. Ownership meddling in editorial decisions of publications is a travesty. Deadspin is like the only major media blog that is still one I visit every single day without fail. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperSpreader Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Someone will pick those guys up, there's an opportunity here for some rich asshole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 Based on their tweets, I had interpreted that there was more going on. From what I can tell: 1) Deadspin editor-in-chief wasn't aligned with the future direction of the site with senior management, so was fired for insubordination 2) Numerous sites posted articles requesting former Gawker media sites posted articles asking readers to complain to management about the ads If I had done what he (apparently) had, I would expect to be fired. Fighting with the CEO (or ownership group) when you are working at a company usually doesn't end well for you -- particularly when you take it public. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSoxFan9 Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 24 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said: Based on their tweets, I had interpreted that there was more going on. From what I can tell: 1) Deadspin editor-in-chief wasn't aligned with the future direction of the site with senior management, so was fired for insubordination 2) Numerous sites posted articles requesting former Gawker media sites posted articles asking readers to complain to management about the ads If I had done what he (apparently) had, I would expect to be fired. Fighting with the CEO (or ownership group) when you are working at a company usually doesn't end well for you -- particularly when you take it public. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperclyp Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 37 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said: Fighting with the CEO (or ownership group) when you are working at a company usually doesn't end well for you -- particularly when you take it public. The people getting fired aren’t surprised. They are having the essence of their job taken from them and they’re making sure the public knows why they’re leaving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodporne Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Wasn't the Kotaku thing about a Kotaku writer penning an article bashing Kotaku's shitty ads and publishing it as a Kotaku article? The powers that be inevitably removed it, shockingly enough, and drama ensued from what I read, no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 1 minute ago, Bloodporne said: Wasn't the Kotaku thing about a Kotaku writer penning an article bashing Kotaku's shitty ads and publishing it as a Kotaku article? The powers that be inevitably removed it, shockingly enough, and drama ensued from what I read, no? That article was apparently posted on all of the sites in the group. My interpretation was that they were mostly upset about Barry Petchesky's firing. The CEO gave direction for Deadspin to focus on sports (and no longer post off-topic articles, which the editorial team disagreed with), they responded by flooding the site with all non-sport articles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperclyp Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 18 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said: The CEO gave direction for Deadspin to focus on sports (and no longer post off-topic articles, which the editorial team disagreed with), they responded by flooding the site with all non-sport articles. This is true, but it seems like you don’t see what all the fuss is about? Also “off topic” isn’t the word I’d use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_MH Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 23 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said: That article was apparently posted on all of the sites in the group. My interpretation was that they were mostly upset about Barry Petchesky's firing. The CEO gave direction for Deadspin to focus on sports (and no longer post off-topic articles, which the editorial team disagreed with), they responded by flooding the site with all non-sport articles. Those "stick to sports" edicts were a result of their complaints about the crazy ad policy they've been shoving onto their sites. The issue with popup ads and auto-play video ads have been pissing off readers for months. After months of readers and writers complaining, the CEO told them to stick to sports and started deleting a bunch of their not-purely sports articles. This lead to a writers protest which lead to Petchesky's firing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSoxFan9 Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 They shutdown Splinter and now are telling to Deadspin to stick sports. Some of deadspin’s best articles weren’t sports related. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 1 hour ago, Paperclyp said: This is true, but it seems like you don’t see what all the fuss is about? Also “off topic” isn’t the word I’d use. What word would you use for the politics/media/pop culture articles that were often featured on Deadspin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CayceG Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 32 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said: What word would you use for the politics/media/pop culture articles that were often featured on Deadspin? Sports are never just about sports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_MH Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 35 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said: What word would you use for the politics/media/pop culture articles that were often featured on Deadspin? It wasn't off topic for the subjects covered by Deadspin. That's like complaining about how tacos, anime, and cosplay shouldn't be covered in Kotaku. Either way, the issue wasn't the edict. The only reason the edict came down was because readers were justifiably upset about the new ad policy on these sites and the writers agreed with their readers. Even then, the union's bargaining agreement allows them to write about whatever they want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skillzdadirecta Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 14 minutes ago, CayceG said: Sports are never just about sports. Shut up and dribble. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris- Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 51 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said: What word would you use for the politics/media/pop culture articles that were often featured on Deadspin? I wouldn't use any word, because Deadspin was always upfront about the fact it did not limit itself solely to sports. You can't be 'off-topic' if those things are already a part of your editorial territory. Besides, it's been widely reported and acknowledged that some of Deadspin's best performing content was *not* sports related. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSoxFan9 Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSoxFan9 Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 I am hoping we get fewer cosplay stories on Kotaku. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbsolutSurgen Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CayceG Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Mass resignations just happened. https://www.thedailybeast.com/deadspin-staff-resigns-en-masse-amid-revolt-over-sports-only-policy?via=twitter_page This is Tom Ley: This fucking sucks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperclyp Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 4 hours ago, AbsolutSurgen said: What word would you use for the politics/media/pop culture articles that were often featured on Deadspin? Deadspin was never solely a sports website, so they’re not off topic. Not to mention sports overlap all the time with bigger issues. It seems you’re finding no problem with the CEO, which is odd to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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