by Gawker is shutting down for a second time.
After first shutting down following a lawsuit from wrestler Hulk Hogan, the popular culture and satire web site was acquired by Bustle Digital Group CEO Bryan Goldberg in the summertime of 2018 for $1.35 million. Bustle relaunched the location in July 2021, with editor in chief Leah Finnegan on the helm.
Finnegan tweeted that the location is now shuttering once more.
“Well, after an unbelievable 1.5 years, BDG has determined it’s completed with Gawker 2.0. Can’t say sufficient about how proud I’m of the location and all of the good individuals who labored to create it, and what a staggering disgrace that is. I had an absolute blast, and I really like you,” Finnegan said in her tweet Wednesday.
The Writers Guild of America, East, which characterize Gawker staffers, mentioned the shutdown of Gawker resulted within the layoff of about 40 staffers, largely impacting part-time staff. The union additionally issued a requirement to discount with BDG over the choice.
“The WGAE is appalled by BDG’s resolution to put off practically 40 of our unit members. This is the third spherical of layoffs over the past six months which have successfully led to halving the unique unit from 200 staff to simply above 100 staff. Today’s newest spherical of layoffs, and the closure of Gawker, got here after greater than two years of making an attempt to discount a primary contract with BDG, and on the heels of more moderen bargaining dates being outright canceled by the Company.
“The selections BDG made as we speak include real-world penalties for the employees who misplaced their livelihood. The majority of those layoffs decimate the roles of Part-Time staff within the unit – staff who have been already paid beneath business requirements and obtained no different advantages from the Company besides the accrued sick time that’s compulsory below most state legal guidelines. Tough financial instances and rising inflation are already creating better hardships for our members, and we anticipate the Company to be extra beneficiant in its severance than it has been in earlier rounds of layoffs.
“WGAE calls for to discount with BDG over this resolution, and over the results of the layoffs – one thing the corporate is obligated to do below federal labor regulation,” the union mentioned in an announcement.
A spokesperson for BDG didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. However, after a spree of acquisitions of as soon as high-flying digital publications — Mic, Elite Daily — in addition to legacy manufacturers like Nylon and W, the Bryan Goldberg-led BDG is paring down its bets. Gawker’s re-shuttering arrives after BDG closed down tech website Input final September.
Gawker Media, based by Nick Denton in 2003, filed for Chapter 11 chapter in 2016 after a choose in Florida issued a $140 million closing judgment in favor of Hulk Hogan. Hogan had gone after the location after it posted a intercourse tape of the wrestler. Billionaire Peter Thiel was later found to have backed that lawsuit and different litigation towards the corporate.
As a part of the chapter course of, the corporate auctioned its different belongings, together with blogs Gizmodo, Jezebel and Deadspin, for $135 million to Univision, which then offered these manufacturers in 2019 to personal fairness agency Great Hill Partners.
