NY Times Fires Back at Gawker’s Nick Denton for ‘Trying to Damage Others to Get Out of His Own Scandal’

“The New York Times does not make decisions about assignments or beats based on advertisers,” paper spokesperson says in response to Denton’s comments

The New York Times
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The New York Times hit back at Gawker founder Nick Denton Wednesday after he suggested that the paper of record deploys reporters based on advertiser needs.

During a contentious all-hands-on-deck editorial meeting Tuesday, during which Denton addressed the internal brushback against Gawker management for taking down a controversial post about a Conde Nast executive’s planned gay porn romp, he reportedly said:

“The New York Times moves people around from beat to beat in order — and you know this because you wrote the story — in order to satisfy advertisers sometimes.”

The Times says that’s rubbish.

“It’s too bad that Mr. Denton is trying to damage others to get out of his own scandal,” Times spokesperson Eileen Murphy told Politico. “The New York Times does not make decisions about assignments or beats based on advertisers.”

The Gawker meeting was contentious throughout, as editors and writers argued with Denton about his decision to unilaterally take down the post on Friday. Staffers also expressed concern that Gawker is turning into just another media site that’s trying to scratch its advertisers’ backs.

The controversial story outed a Conde Nast executive’s communication with a gay porn star ahead of a weekend romp that never ended up happening.

Editor-in-chief Max Read and Executive Editor Tommy Craggs both resigned on Monday in protest over the post’s removal.

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