NEW YORK — Tech billionaire Peter Thiel has been waiting a real long time to get back at Gawker.
Back in 2007, Gawker decided it would be a good idea to publicly out Thiel as gay. The article was published by Gawker’s now defunct Valleywag site and was titled, “Peter Thiel is totally gay, people.”
When Hulk Hogan filed a lawsuit against Gawker Media for publishing a tape of him having sex with his best friend’s wife, Thiel saw his chance and started secretly financing the lawsuit. His goal: to put Gawker out of business. Thiel has since spent about $10 million helping to finance Hogan’s suit.
Not everyone’s a fan of Gawker, but if you’re a fan of freedom of speech and press, it’s time to jump in Gawker’s corner. Thiel pretends to be fighting the noble fight, but in reality he’s just out of revenge, plain and simple.
If Gawker loses its appeal against Hogan, it could set a dangerous precedent and have a chilling effect on journalism.
