Thiel-Gawker Fight Raises Concerns About Press Freedom (original) (raw)
Advertisement
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
Heather Dietrick, president of Gawker Media, and Nick Denton, the company’s founder and chief executive.Credit...Jesse Dittmar for The New York Times
- May 26, 2016
The story of Gawker versus Hulk Hogan — or, perhaps more accurately, Peter Thiel — has some asking whether press freedom in the United States is in peril if a scorned billionaire can help deliver a crippling blow to a media company.
But since Mr. Thiel spoke to The New York Times on Wednesday about his reasons for funding the lawsuit against Gawker, the debate surrounding the dispute has expanded to encompass ideological battles in media, technology and politics.
A variety of observers, including other billionaires and figures involved in GamerGate, have entered into the fray to address themes like Mr. Thiel’s political motivations, and the wider issue of Silicon Valley power players and their involvement with the news media.
A Dangerous Precedent for the Press?
Several journalists felt that Mr. Thiel’s political views and connection with Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, could be worrisome based on Mr. Trump’s previous comments about changing libel laws to make it easier to sue media outlets.
Jane E. Kirtley, a professor of media ethics and law at the University of Minnesota and the former executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said that the Gawker case may raise the stakes for press freedom.
“It’s often the scrappy, unconventional news outlets that challenge conventional wisdom, and in doing so, they serve an important purpose,” Ms. Kirtley said. “But they are also very vulnerable financially. It’s expensive to defend suits like this.”
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Advertisement