Gawker Is Revived with New Design, Familiar Irreverent Tone

Gawker — the former online site covering news related to celebrities, media figures and tech entrepreneurs — is live again, headed by Leah Finnegan who has held editing positions with The Outline, The New York Times and The Huffington Post. Started by journalist Nick Denton in 2002, Gawker became an irreverent digital destination and the base of Gawker Media, which also included Deadspin for sports, Gizmodo for technology and Kotaku for gaming. The company was brought down by a 2016 invasion-of-privacy lawsuit filed by Hulk Hogan (and bankrolled by Silicon Valley’s Peter Thiel). Continue reading Gawker Is Revived with New Design, Familiar Irreverent Tone

FTC Goes After Paid Endorsements Presented as Commentary

As smartphone users turn increasingly to ad blockers, marketers are getting their messages out by paying Internet influencers under the table to promote their products as personal reviews and commentary. For some time, the practice was beyond the reach of the Federal Trade Commission, which made sure paid endorsements were advertised as such in television, newspapers and magazines. With new guideline changes initiated in 2015, however, the FTC is now going after violators, just reaching a settlement with video network Machinima. Continue reading FTC Goes After Paid Endorsements Presented as Commentary