UPDATED: 2019-03-21 12:00 PM
Journalist Dan Peres has been named as the editor in chief of Gawker.com by it’s parent company, Bustle Digital Group.
This is the latest move in leadership’s attempt to revive the boundary-pushing news and commentary website, which went dormant during a high-profile legal battle.
Now, under Mr. Peres, who was the editor in chief of Condé Nast’s men’s fashion magazine, “Details” for 15 years, the site is expected to relaunch later this year.
The new leadership emphasizes that the new site will not be a “Gawker 2.0” — meaning relics of the old site’s reputation like a brash writing style and bold publishing standards, will not be the foundation for the relaunch.
“In the later years they probably took things too far,” Mr. Peres said. “There was a lot of gratuitous meanness and sort of misguided decision-making.”
Peres sees this relaunch as an opportunity to edit down some of the misguided salaciousness, and reinvigorate some of the “great things that they did” in the past. However, the reboot has not been without trouble. In January, its only two full-time writers, Anna Breslaw and Maya Kosoff, left the company within three weeks of joining because they objected to the newly appointed editorial director Carson Griffith’s inappropriate behavior when it came to staffing decisions. The two journalists reported remarks on race and gender identity from Griffith during the discussion of a potential new hire.
Despite the allegations, Peres plans to keep Griffith on in her current role.
“I am deeply saddened about the allegations that were brought forth by two former staff members,” Ms. Griffith said Thursday. “With the conclusion of a rigorous and in-depth third-party investigation, I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting down to work with our new editor in chief, Dan Peres, who I very much admire.”