Gawker Has a New Editor in Chief
A.J. Daulerio's tenure at Gawker lasted just over a year. Daulerio, who took over after editing Deadspin editor has quit, and senior writer John Cook is taking over as editor-in-chief. Daulerio took the helm of Nick Denton's flagship site in November of 2011, and at the time Daulerio was best known for publishing a photograph of NFL player Brett Favre's penis.
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Breaking tradition with his recent predecessors, Daulerio jumped rather than wait to get pushed out. According to people familiar with the situation, he gave notice on Wednesday evening and suggested Cook as his replacement. Cook accepted the job on Thursday.
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Cook has been responsibile for some of Gawker's biggest scoops in recent years, and has made Fox News and its chief Roger Ailes a perennial target of the site. Cook was the Gawker staffer who shepherded "Fox Mole" Joe Muto. This week, Fox News struck back at Gawker after Cook posted a list of New York City's registered handgun owners by posting the site's tip line.
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At the time Denton announced Daulerio's hire, he wrote, "It's not as if Gawker is in crisis [but] we need to release the full potential of the site's excellent roster of writers—and fill out the team with new hires. A.J. has proven himself as both developer and recruiter of editorial talent. That's what the site needs right now. Hence the switch."
