Denton's Moves Damage Gawker Media: 5.19

Maybe you've noticed that I've dropped Manhattan media gossip blog Gawker from my blogrolodex. Yes, it was intentional. I only keep blogs there that I want to have easy access to when I need info. And at this time, I choose not use Gawker as a NY source.

The latest Gawker overhaul has made it look quite repulsively bare and with encroaching ads, it's just not usually a visually appealing way to keep abreast of NYC media gossip. Furthermore, it's just not as fun as it once was.

Thank goodness Defamer is still quite pretty to look at. And thanks to its equal opportunity pop culture saboteurs, Mark Lisanti and Seth Abramovitch, it's as strong as ever.

What's really gone declined the most, though, has been the once-quirkilicious Gridskipper. The new editor, Joshua Stein. . . frankly, he kinda sucks. Really sucks, in fact.

I mean, I can deal with some typos, but when that I have to pause, re-read, puzzle a bit, make a decision on the meaning, shake my head in annoyance, and grudgingly move on....that's bad. Bring back Chris Mohney, I say. Goodness knows in his new position, he hasn't done anything to make Gawker as shiningly snarky as it once was. Perhaps those days are gone for Gawker being the go-to Manhattan media blog.

I mourn these once-appropriately-placed writing talents, yet I always look to the future. And mine is a distinctly less Gawker-oriented future. I mean, hey, Perez Hilton's getting a reality show.

TECHNORATI TAGS: Gawker Media, Gawker, New Media, Writing, Editor, Talent, Labor Relations, Nick Denton, Joshua Stein