I’m torn on Thiel’s involvement, because Gawker went above and beyond any rational standard of “don’t poke the hornet’s nest.” The Hogan lawsuit was entirely bright upon by Gawker chasing money and not for any sort of integrity, and his ability to get outside support from others came from the lawsuit having merit as well as Gawker gathering a massive roster of enemies. Thiel’s involvement isn’t out of Gawker bringing important social or political issues/injustices to light, but because Gawker routinely pushed the boundary of what is and isn’t fit to publish about people. I can’t say Thiel’s money and Hogan’s celebrity didn’t make the lawsuit end worse for Gawker, but at the same time Gawker clearly went against a reasonable and obvious legal standard flagrantly.
