Quartz reached out to the Thiel Foundation, CPJ, and Gawker but did not receive an immediate response from them.

Gawker’s penchant for knives-out reporting has earned it many detractors, both inside and outside the media industry. In recent years the company has softened its editorial tone, especially after a piece outing a Conde Nast executive caused critics to argue it went too far.

But it is hard to see how completely destroying the company would be good for journalism.

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