Univision won't continue running Gawker.com
Univision, which bought Gawker Media for $135 million in a government-ordered auction, will not operate Gawker.com, the company's flagship site, moving forward, sources tell Forbes, The New York Times, and The Street.
Univision will still maintain Gawker's other properties, like Gizmodo, Lifehacker, Jezebel, Deadspin, and so on. The possibility is open that someone else will attempt to buy Gawker.com. Nick Denton, Gawker Media's founder, will not run the site either because of his non-compete, according to Forbes' Ryan Mac.
Gawker.com began as a site mostly focused on New York media gossip, but has evolved over the years, and recently pivoted to politics around the upcoming election.
It was also the site that has been the focal point of Gawker Media's recent legal troubles, particularly the $140 million verdict won by Hulk Hogan.
After buying Gawker Media, it was initially unclear whether Univision would take over Gawker.com, but Gawker staffers were cautiously hopeful.
"We've heard a lot about [Univision's news chief] Isaac Lee's commitment to fearless journalism. He has a reputation for a guy who very much buys into the idea of fearless journalism," Gawker staffer Hamilton Nolan told CNN. "I hope he demonstrates that by keeping Gawker.com open."
The case
Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, was awarded $140 million in damages in March stemming from a Gawker news article published in 2012 that included a clip of him having sex.
It was revealed in late May that billionaire Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel had secretly financed the lawsuit and others against Gawker Media to try to put the website out of business.
"I saw Gawker pioneer a unique and incredibly damaging way of getting attention by bullying people even when there was no connection with the public interest," Thiel, whom Gawker publicly outed as gay in 2007, told The New York Times.
Gawker Media was handed a legal loss in May when a judge in Florida denied Gawker's motion for a new trial. That meant the damages would not be reduced. The judge also denied Gawker's request for a stay. This led to Gawker's decision to file for bankruptcy.