Guild issues statement on Gawker bankruptcy filing

New York, New York — Following today’s announcement that online publisher Gawker Media Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the aftermath of a $140 million judgment against it, NewsGuild of New York President Peter Szekely issued the following statement:

"Gawker’s flight to bankruptcy protection is the culmination of an alarming new type of attack on the freedom of the press. When a billionaire finances an unrelated libel suit for sport as easily as placing a bet on a horse, we all lose. Using the power of money this way can only stifle the determined journalism that underpins our democracy. A truly free society requires journalists to be able to do their jobs, even when it offends the super-rich, without fear of triggering crippling lawsuits."

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About The NewsGuild of New York: 

The NewsGuild of New York, Local 31003 of the Communications Workers of America, represents nearly 3,000 journalists and other employees at New York area-based news organizations and other companies, including The New York Times, Reuters, The Daily Beast and The Nation. It was founded more than 80 years ago by a group of journalists that included crusading columnist Heywood Broun.