Gawker CEO writes open letter to the billionaire trying to put him out of business
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The letter comes one day after Thiel's admission in a New York Times interview that he had secretly financed Hulk Hogan's high-profile lawsuit against the media company, which awarded Hogan $140 million in damages.
"The best regulation for speech, in a free society, is more speech," Denton wrote. "We each claim to respect independent journalism and liberty. We each have criticisms of the other's methods and objectives. Now you have revealed yourself, let us have an open and public debate."
"At the very least, it will improve public understanding of the interplay of media and power."
In The Times' interview, Thiel said he had planned for years to back lawsuits against Gawker Media in an effort to shut it down, because it "ruined people's lives for no reason."
Thiel acknowledged that he provided millions of dollars to Hogan's suit and other cases.
Denton's open letter, however, argues that the reporting done by Gawker - including a 2007 piece titled "Peter Thiel is totally gay, people," - is newsworthy.
He said the website serves to challenge powerful Silicon Valley figures, who until recently were "accustomed to dealing with acquiescent trade journalists and a dazzled mainstream media."
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The news of Thiel's financial involvement in the Hogan suit has unsettled many in the media community who have called it an attack on press freedom. The concern is that the case could encourage other billionaires unhappy with specific news coverage to back lawsuits against media outlets.
"Peter, this is twisted. Even were you to succeed in bankrupting Gawker Media, the writers you dislike, and me, just think what it will mean," Denton wrote.
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