chuck-johnson

What Did Internet Troll Chuck Johnson Know About Peter Thiel’s Secret War on Gawker?

J.K. Trotter · 06/17/16 04:05PM

Earlier this week, Forbes revisited the tale of the notorious right-wing internet troll Charles C. Johnson and his $55 million defamation lawsuit against Gawker Media. The lawsuit, which concerns a series of stories Gawker and Deadspin published in late 2014, was dismissed in Missouri earlier this year; a similar complaint has languished in California with no action for several months (Gawker Media expects that it will be dismissed as well). What makes Johnson’s litigation particularly noteworthy, however, is the circumstantial evidence surrounding it. According to Forbes, some of this evidence suggests that Johnson had knowledge of Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel’s secret, decade-long legal attack on Gawker prior to its exposure last month.

Is Ratfucking Journalism Dead?

Adam Weinstein · 07/08/14 02:20PM

James O'Keefe's latest video exposé is another selectively edited pooch-screw. A conservative kids' blog gets blasted for paying political operatives and snowing sources. A bowtied bro and his protegé, who's trying to do the Tea Party a solid, get played by Cuban spies. The right-wing gotcha industry is in disarray!