Spineless

Univision Removes 6 Controversial Gawker Posts

To avoid liability for pending litigation.

Univision has removed six posts from Gawker Media sites that had earlier prompted legal action, a move which former and current Gawker employees say was "cowardly." Two of the posts in question were featured on Gizmodo, while one was featured on Jezebel and three others on Deadspin. The subjects of those posts had sued Gawker Media for defamation. The posts have now been replaced with a statement from Univision, which purchased the media sites last month: "This story is no longer available as it is the subject of pending litigation against the prior owners of this site." Gawker executive editor John Cook had reportedly voted to keep the posts up, though he was outnumbered by COO Felipe Holguin and general counsel Jay Grant, both of whom voted to take down the posts. Max Read, the former editor in chief of Gawker.com, slammed Univision for the "cowardly" move on Saturday, saying on Twitter that the deleted posts were "defensible." Deadspin staff writer Jordan Sargent echoed Read's sentiment, saying Univision had "caved" despite having promised "fearless journalism."