Gawker names Alex Pareene as new editor-in-chief

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/oct/28/gawker-names-alex-pareene-as-new-editor-in-chief

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Gawker has named staffer Alex Pareene as its new editor-in-chief to replace Max Read, who left after an editorial dispute with founder Nick Denton in July.

Pareene has been helping coordinate political coverage across Gawker’s sites. He worked at the website in the early 2000s, before stints at Salon and First Look Media, where he was part of the team setting up the abortive Racket project under Matt Taibbi.

In a memo to staff, Gawker executive editor John Cook said: “Alex is one of the most talented and joyously mischievous political observers of his generation, and as we enter a presidential campaign cycle that promises to be nothing short of a terrifying circus, there is no one more suited to take Gawker’s helm.

“Alex will soon have more to say about the direction he intends to take Gawker in over the coming years, but you can expect satire, wit, and reporting on the grievous state of our political class.”

Related: Gawker’s Nick Denton: ‘We are not part of your PR marketing machine’

Read resigned from Gawker along with Cook’s predecessor as executive editor, Tommy Craggs, after objecting to a decision by Denton to remove a post about a publishing executive contacting a gay escort. Read and Craggs said Denton’s actions were a betrayal of Gawker’s editorial independence, and the company’s editorial staff issued a statement condemning the takedown.

Following their departure, Denton said Gawker, which is known for its acerbic tone and aggressive approach to exposing what it sees as hypocrisy or wrongdoing, would be “20% nicer. The company has since moved into new offices in the same building as fellow digital media businesses Mashable and The Intercept, the first outlet started by First Look.

Last week, Cook, who also had a stint at First Look before returning to Gawker, was named as Craggs’ permanent replacement, while head of advertising Andrew Gorenstein, who supported Denton’s decision to remove the post, left the company.