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"Our readers have changed" says Nick Denton as Gawker pulls story about Condé Nast executive after outcry

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By Noel Young, Correspondent

July 18, 2015 | 4 min read

Following widespread criticism, Gawker has removed from an article it posted on Thursday night alleging that Conde Nast CFO David Geithner had nearly met with an escort.

Denton: A decision I regret"

The article had been widely criticized, said AdAge, for, among other things, apparently revealing sexual secrets about someone who is not a public figure, despite a big job at the publisher of Vogue and former Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner for a brother.

In the past, the site has embarrassed many politicans, media figures and entertainers.

But after Gawker Media's managing partners voted five to one to unpublish the article, company founder Nick Denton wrote that even an accurate article about "extortion, illegality and reckless behavior" involving a senior executive at a major media company was not as worthy of publication as he might have once thought:

"The media environment has changed, our readers have changed, and I have changed." said Denton.

“Not only is criticism of yesterday's piece from readers intense, but much of what they've said has resonated. Some of our own writers, proud to work at one of the only independent media companies, are equally appalled.

“I believe this public mood reflects a growing recognition that we all have secrets, and they are not all equally worthy of exposure. I can't defend yesterday's story as I can our coverage of Bill O'Reilly, Hillary Clinton or Hulk Hogan.”

Gawker had never previously pulled a story unless there was a factual error or legal settlement, Denton claimed.

Advertising Age pointed out that he didn't address the fact that while the apparent victim of the extortion in this case was named, the escort's anonymity was protected in the post.

Said Advertising Age: “It remains to be seen whether the about-face restores good will among readers, many of whom denounced it in strong terms before and after the story's removal.”

The Huffington Post said that according to the Gawker story written by the site’s Jordan Sargent, Geithner, who is married, allegedly arranged a night with a male escort on a recent trip to Chicago. When the escort found out who Geithner was, he asked for help with an ongoing housing dispute. Huffpo quoted Gawker as saying Geithner allegedly got spooked and cancelled their meeting, though he paid in full nonetheless.

In a story on the Gawker decision to pull the story, Bloomberg quoted Denton saying the decision to publish the story “was an editorial call, a close call around which there were more internal disagreements than usual. And it is a decision I regret.”

Denton, in a blog post, said the story was “true and well-reported” and consistent with Gawker’s mission of putting “truths on the Internet.” Denton said he decided to take down the story after an Internet backlash, saying the “point of this story was not in my view sufficient to offset the embarrassment to the subject and his family.”

Though several of Gawker editors “strenuously protested removing the post,” the managing partnership of Gawker Media voted in the majority to remove it, Gawker writer J.K. Trotter wrote on the site Friday.

In the original Gawker story, Geithner said he denied knowing the escort and called the alleged requests a “shakedown.”

Conde Nast spokesman Joe Libonati and David Geithner have not responded to requests for comment.

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