Exclusive
In the hum-drum purr of industry hirings and firings, the rise and fall of beauty editors, research associates, and even senior editors can never compare to tingling we get when it's a media reporter finding a new home. Or, as it so happens in this story, when it's a media reporter in the guillotine.
Sometime Friday, Gawker co-editor Jesse Oxfeld was informed he was no longer welcome at Nick Denton's Movable Type login screen. That's right: Oxfeld's out. Finished. Kaput. His axing came as a complete surprise to the Brill's Content-Editor & Publisher-Mediabistro vet, who, we hear, showed up "completely hammered" at The Magician on Friday night, where the typical blogger suspects (Liz Spiers, Lindsay Robertson) were gathered, to drown his sorrows. Like Bonnie Fuller, Oxfeld's contract was up at the end of June — except his wasn't resigned with a fat bonus.
Jessica Coen, meanwhile, stays on and will be joined on Monday by the editor of Denton's travel title Gridskipper, Chris Mohney – who infamously got his job by fellating Denton with Gawker-obsessed blog Gawkerist – and former anon-a-blogger Alex Balk (aka TMFTML).
Meanwhile, Denton is also said to be closing two titles from his blog stable: College Humor wannabe Screenhead and Drudge Report imitator Sploid — though we're not sure if Screenhead editor "Dong Resin" or Sploid's Ken Layne are gone too, or they'll be absorbed into Gawker's many folds. These would be the second and third blogs Denton closed, following gambling site Oddjack's sale months ago.
And for those who don't believe anything till you read it in the Times, look for an item on Monday. The only mystery yet unsolved: How Andrew Krucoff's name didn't come up in any of this.
Update: The story continues here.
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Editorial Director
later, oxfeld!
"Drudge Report imitator Sploid" … jesus fuck, that is just cold.
I know it's not about the exciting world of people working in cubicles in Manhattan — and, as a result, has never been read by Gawker/Jossip types — but I can assure you Sploid is a "Drudge Report imitator" like Stephen Colbert is a "Bush supporter."
and on the day Coen had an article published in the Times, even.
Jesse Oxfield once misread something that I wrote, in a comment or letter, and thought that I was being anti-Semitic.
He spent two or more paragraphs tearing me down. This was before my blog. Could take it now, am used to it. Would have even responded
I am Jewish and while Jews can be the most vile anti-Semitics, Robert Moses comes easily to mind, the last thing I am is anti-Semitic.
Found his reaction to be totally out of proportion–and if he had just read one word "as" would have read it entirely differently.
Now I understand that he was looking for a fight, and to plug his friend's book, and perhaps didn't read my comment carefully on purpose.
Am much more experienced. And am very careful that my phrasing always reads so that it can't be misinterpreted. Usually
Found that to be so personally hurtful, that I couldn't read Gawker when he was a part of it.
No enough head to go around, I guess: I'm still available.
Yo MOnica, which head? DO you have a PhD or Master's degree from U of Illinois like I do?
this is nothing more then a story about a TURD that should have been flushed a long time ago. now maybe GAWKER can get refocused.
Oxfeld was boring as fuck , and he can't write to save his life. He had like 5 jokes that he rehashed endlessly.
What is the point of Gawker anyway? all the site does is compile news items from across the world wide web and give silly running commentaries on them. Their sarcasm on these items have gotten old. Why not just close the stupid site down, it is simply a celebrity blog, now.
jonny