Gawker article outs a private citizen

[Riptide]

When you're the CFO of a big corporation, and your photo and bio appears for all to see as a shining member of the company's executive team, I guess that makes you a public figure.

About Us | Condé Nast

 

[User 4332]

Interesting that y'all are convinced he's a public figure. The law is not on your side.

There are some business executives who become public figures, e.g. Trump, because of their behavior or because they are the head of a major corporation. But the run-of-the-mill business executive is going to be like the attorney in Gertz v. Welch. They don't become public figures simply for doing their job.

It's a classic media law exam question to have students identify whether or not a CEO is a public figure - the overwhelming majority are not.

 

[The Big Ragu]

The CFO (mind you, not even the CEO, who most of you couldn't name off the top of your head either) of Conde Nast is not a public figure. ... even by the loosest standard someone could come up with. Public figures -- business people or otherwise -- are celebrities. David Geithner is not a celebrity or a well-known person -- someone you'd say should have no expectation of privacy. The suggestion that he is, would redefine what libel and slander law has always tried to accomplish. Because if he is a public figure, just about anyone is.

Gawker is pitiful. I get the clickbait model, but that just feels sleazy (and wrong) to me. Not that I really looked at Gawker much, so it won't be losing my clicks. But that makes me lose all respect for it.

 

[User 4332]

Also, reporting the truth may get you off the hook for libel, but it doesn't mean you're in the clear.

Revealing someone's sexuality can get you into a publication of private facts mess, even if the person is a public figure. The question becomes whether or not that person's sexuality is newsworthy. I'd suggest that for the CFO of a magazine publishing company, it is not. But prostitution is a crime, and so that might make it newsworthy.

Regardless, Gawker is shady as hell for giving the source anonymity in this story.

 

[93Devil]

The only way I would argue that this is news would be if Conde Nast was a publicly traded stock and this story would have some news value to it's share holders in some business magazine. But even that is a very loose way to expand that this person is a public figure.

I'm sure the CFO is getting the best lawyers a future large settlement can buy.

 

[Big Circus]

That's an escort who won't be escorting anymore.

 

[YankeeFan]

Not at all sure that this story is worth reporting, but media shenanigans is part of places like Gawker & Deadspin's beat.

While there's no reason to out someone for no reason, do you not run a story if it involves a married man and a male escort, if you would have run it about a married man and a female escort?

Reminds me of when Deadspin and the New York Post wrote about the affair between fellow ESPNers Katie Lacey and David Berson.

Too bad WaylonJennings doesn't post here anymore. He was very opinionated on that topic, would be interested to hear what he has to say about this.

Lacey and Berson ended up getting married. Maybe this story will have a similar happy ending.

 

[Ace]

Not at all sure that this story is worth reporting, but media shenanigans is part of places like Gawker & Deadspin's beat.

While there's no reason to out someone for no reason, do you not run a story if it involves a married man and a male escort, if you would have run it about a married man and a female escort?

Reminds me of when Deadspin and the New York Post wrote about the affair between fellow ESPNers Katie Lacey and David Berson.

Too bad WaylonJennings doesn't post here anymore. He was very opinionated on that topic, would be interested to hear what he has to say about this.

Lacey and Berson ended up getting married. Maybe this story will have a similar happy ending.

I don't think that "porn star" escort is good marrying material.

And why is everyone who has taken his or her clothes off on camera a "porn star?" Are there no porn character actors?

 

[YankeeFan]

I don't think that "porn star" escort is good marrying material.

And why is everyone who has taken his or her clothes off on camera a "porn star?" Are there no porn character actors?

Nope. Just porn stars an super models.

 

[Ace]

Nope. Just porn stars an super models.

Yeah. If you modeled Wranglers in the latest Walmart ad, you're a super model.

 

[JC]

Should we also be pissed that Jerry Remy's kid made the paper? Or Andy Reid's? Yes, those were public records but WTF is the difference? Is that a big enough distinction? I've never liked the families of famous folks being fair game but that ship has sailed

You don't see the difference between a murderer and this?

 

[YankeeFan]

You don't see the difference between a murderer and this?

I'm sure Gawker was thrilled that the escort was a dude, but don't they probably run the story if the escort was a female too?

Yeah, it was a dumb story, but I'm not convinced that they ran the story simply to out the guy.

 

[JayFarrar]

Quick survey of the twitterz this morning has revealed that a) most people seem disgusted by the Gawker article and b) the conservative media going to town on Gawker.

They've went as far as tracking the other guy down and attempting to interview him only to be derailed by his various conspiracy theories.

The GotNews guy has already declared a hoax and the porn star a con man

Don't get hypnotized by the text message exchange, that's a rabbit hole you don't want to fall in.

EXCLUSIVE: Is The Gawker Story An Elaborate Hoax? Sure Looks That Way - GotNews

 

[YankeeFan]

USA Today covers the outrage:

Gawker drew heavy criticism Friday from online readers after the news and gossip site ran a story about the CFO of Conde Nast allegedly soliciting sex from a gay porn star.

David Geithner, a married father of three and brother of former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, denied the allegations.

Gawker nevertheless reported that Geithner planned to go to Chicago to meet a gay porn star and escort and was prepared to pay $2,500 for the encounter. David Geithner cancelled the meet-up after the escort tried to get him to use his political connections to help with a housing dispute. Previously, the anonymous escort had asked Republican Sen. Ted Cruz for help with his housing dispute, the online article said.

Gawker's apparent outing of CFO meets with Internet backlash

To what degree does covering the outrage just amplify the story? Is it better to just ignore it? Gawker has to love all the coverage.

 

[JackReacher]

The GotNews guy?

 

[YankeeFan]

The GotNews guy?

You know...

The guy who was permanently banned from twitter.

 

[YankeeFan]

Correcting the Record | Dave Weigel

 

[BDC99]

You don't see the difference between a murderer and this?

in regards to being public figures? No. This guy is a prominent businessman and brother of another prominent public figure. I think there's a good argument that he's fair game. Still a lot of shady aspects to the story but I dont have a problem with it being reported

 

[LongTimeListener]

Quick survey of the twitterz this morning has revealed that a) most people seem disgusted by the Gawker article and b) the conservative media going to town on Gawker.

Is this the worst ever for Gawker? I have to think it is.

But there have been a lot of moments that I thought/hoped would lead to their downfall, and nothing has stuck yet. The lowest common denominator is an ever-expanding number on the Internet.

 

[poindexter]

Is this the worst ever for Gawker? I have to think it is.

But there have been a lot of moments that I thought/hoped would lead to their downfall, and nothing has stuck yet. The lowest common denominator is an ever-expanding number on the Internet.

Daulerio reading Stuart Scott's texts when he was getting the digits of some chick who wasn't his wife.