Filed under: Journalism, Scandals, Wonkette, David Lat, DC bloggers, Scoops, Alex Pareene, Gawker, Ken Layne, Nick Denton, BHDC, Radar, John Clarke Jr., Maer Roshan
With much fanfare, including a widely-circulated item in Page 6, John Clarke Jr. was poised only a few short weeks ago to become the next fabled editor of the snarky Wonkette blog. It was the same “dream” job that had led to a career at TIME for Ana Marie Cox, the first Wonkette (the one without a penis, we think) — and Clarke seemed quite ready to transform his past unsuccessful career in politics into a new political blogging career.
But, as we confirmed via a subtle change on the Gawker Media blog’s masthead this morning, Clarke has parted ways with owner Nick Denton in record time. Even David Lat stayed at the blog longer in 2006 when he exited after a few months of reportedly very little pay and even less prestige.
The change is not exactly shocking, as Big Head DC recently noted (twice) that Clarke had started freelancing for Radar, a chief competitor to Denton’s blogs. Within days of those revelations, Clarke was out at Wonkette. That a second editor has left Denton to work for Radar (the first was Alex Balk) surely must be a stinging slap in Denton’s face, especially considering the mass quitting of three of his top editors at Gawker in December. Each of those editors took jabs on the Gawker blog about Denton’s poor management style in the weeks prior to their departures.
Interestingly, Ken Layne, who had run the Wonkette blog with Alex Pareene for a majority of 2006 and 2007 - and who was asked to leave the blog by Denton when Clarke signed up - has temporarily filled the open position. Pareene left to join Gawker’s NYC-focused blog soon after Big Head DC revealed his involvement in a Washington sex scandal.
As for Clarke, problems started soon into his tenure. A source close to the situation says Clarke didn’t realize the amount of posting he’d be expected to do, nor did he understand the extent of Denton’s desire for fresh and original scoops to be broken via the blog. Denton’s demands for scoops similar to mainstream media outlets have become much more intense as of late as some of his blogs, including Wonkette, have lost audience share and ad revenue to competing outlets such as Big Head DC.
rob, i had hoped for the new year that you would let go of all this pointless jealousy toward wonkette
And I had hoped commenters like you Shannon would be here to give me the strength. And you are. Happy new year!
Seriously, did Nick Denton pee in your tent in 6th grade summer camp? And for the record, I genuinely prefer this site to Wonkette. Wonkette tries to somehow be an intellectual Onion (if that’s possible) and fails miserably on both counts. But posts like this (and the whole typo cover-up bullshit in the comments section of today’s WaPo writer’s crack addiction post) just scream insecurity.
Actually, he peed on my blanket.
Denton once peed on me as well. What a coincidence. I heard he pisses on everyone he knows and then wonders why they don’t want to be around him any more. Well, he wonders that part to his shrink. Outwardly, he pretends all is well. He’s got to conquer all media, you know.
I’ll admit it, I’m totes insecure. And I want to hear from John what he likes about me.
Ugh, I rest my case.
Is it my boobs? Just say it, if so. I’m not a feminist.
Waaah, poor ruthless John.
No, Mockette, it’s your sly, subtle wit, cleverly reflected in your screenname.
Rob, send in your resume, FAST! Wonkette is ripe for a BHDC take-over!!
Sassy! Could you imagine Denton trying to manage me?
2008 is turning out to be my favorite year yet. More scoops, pls. I’d like one chocolate and one vanilla.
John, are you attracted to me? Y or N?
[…] BigHeadDC reports: …Big Head DC recently noted (twice) that Clarke had started freelancing for Radar, a chief competitor to Denton’s blogs. Within days of those revelations, Clarke was out at Wonkette. That a second editor has left Denton to work for Radar (the first was Alex Balk) surely must be a stinging slap in Denton’s face, especially considering the mass quitting of three of his top editors at Gawker in December. Each of those editors took jabs on the Gawker blog about Denton’s poor management style in the weeks prior to their departures. […]
Why is nobody attracted to me?
Rob would be perfect as the editor of Wonkette. After toiling for years on an obscure Wonkette imitation, it’s time for him to move up to the real thing.
Rob, I spoke to Denton and told him I was your agent. He says the job is yours, but you’ll have to pay him to work there. I told him you accept. You start Monday. Congrats!!!
Masked Blogger, a year ago you initially said this site would disappear after a couple of months, then you insisted no one was reading, then you said we couldn’t possibly be making money. One by one your blathering rants have been proven wrong thanks to the unending dedication of the Big Head DC staff. Why I would want an agent like you who is always wrong is beyond me. Also, don’t tell Denton, but we’ve noticed he dramatically stepped up his Wonkette spending (what is it, like 10 writers now and 20 interns) as his numbers and ad revenue at the site have been in a dramatic free fall. At the same time, our staff grows leaner, yet meaner, every day. Happy 2008.
I don’t recall saying any of that, Rob. But since you brought it up, here’s what I have said over the past year:
1. You have a strange obsession with Denton, Parenne, and Wonkette. Clearly, you’re upset that Wonkette, and not BHDC, is considered the top gossip site in D.C. But rather than try and actually compete with it by cultivating your own sources and doing actual journalism, you report “scoops” from other media outlets, and sometimes just seem to make shit up, like that story that got you fired from Radar.
2. Your posts aimed at DCist and FishbowlDC are just as dumb. Excitedly pointing out typos is bad enough, but when you title them, “Should Sommer Mathis be fired?” or whatever, you look even worse.
3. The vast majority of your comments are you or the All Stars sock puppeting. Everyone knows this, so I don’t know who you think you’re fooling. It doesn’t make your blog look popular, it just makes you look foolish.
4. No one cares about your Alexa ratings. You don’t even report it on a consistant basis, only when you have a surge.
5. You occasionally decide to bully other local bloggers who didn’t do a thing to you, by mocking something they post or ask questions like “Who’s even heard of this blog?” This is a sign of insecurity, and probably why you’re no longer welcome on DC Blogs.
Hope that clears things up. Don’t forget, as your agent, I get 15% of everything you’ll be paying Denton to work at Wonkette. Kisses!
Masked Blogger, then you have a bad memory. Or someone else likes to use your moniker. Now, the answers you crave:
1) Big Head DC has no stranger obsession with Wonkette, Denton or Pareene than any of the sites or people that they choose to slaughter recklessly everyday. Of course, they don’t like receiving a taste of their own medicine, but readers like you, even if you’re loathe to admit it, do enjoy reading it. At least in some perverse manner.
Also, I was not fired from Radar, nor any other job that you and others like to gossip about. Rather, I decided to start my own sites, and build my own business base. As for Radar, I freelanced pieces for them. Then I left them before Big Head DC published a scoop that they couldn’t get without my help. I had no obligation to publish my information with them. I had no contract with Radar; I had no pieces in the can for them; I had no relationship with them at the time of the publication of Big Head DC’s Sam Donaldson / DC Madam scoop. And, again, the story is not made up. We stand by it 100 percent. People like you seem to enjoy clouding the waters with false ideas that somehow something was made up. So be it. Protecting ABC’s handling of the DC Madam affair must be very important to you.
2) I really don’t care how you think Big Head DC should be managed. DCist and Fishbowl publish ridiculous drivel everyday, so every time we write a post that you don’t like about them - that you consider drivel - consider it satirical mockery.
3) Big Head DC’s commenters are lovely and real. And I like them all. Even you. That you think “everyone knows” something doesn’t matter one lick to me, however.
4) Then don’t bring up Big Head DC’s rankings, if you don’t care. We’re surging, Wonkette is falling — plain and simple. And we keep doing what we’re doing, cultivating tipsters, sources and reporting new angles on stories — while Wonkette seems to be trying to be aim for that model even though they been around years longer than us. The free market system works in blogosphere, too. Meanwhile, Denton’s personality is alienating him from his staff, and it smells like disaster.
5) Local bloggers are not innocent just because they’re local. They deserve scrutiny when they are hypocritical, sexist and ridiculous as well. We aren’t welcomed by some in the local blog community, which means we must be doing something right. Playing favorites makes your news weaker. Have you read Fishbowl lately?
Smooches, I’m tired.
Finally Masked Bloger gets the ownage she’s long deserved.
Rob, you can defend your right to be a prick as much as you want. But if you really think anyone is impressed by it, you’re delusional.
You commentators aren’t real. And yes, EVERYONE knows this. When Commentator A posts at 3:45, there’s NO POSSIBLE WAY for Commentator B to post a follow-up at 3:46. Are you really claiming that people just sit around refreshing the site all day, so they can pounce on new comments?
As for the rumors about you being fired, try holding onto a job longer than two weeks, and maybe they’ll go away.
The problem with this post is that I’m pretty sure everyone who has even shitty connections knows that Clarke was fired because his sub-editors complained about him and because the site dove when he came on, and that Layne came back after being begged to do so for weeks by Denton.
Also, insisting that a single guy dating a divorcee is a sex scandal is kind of pathetic, unless you’re blogging live from 1933.
You should stop making up your sources if you’re going to just report on bloggers, because half of your audience has met these people in real life and it’s just sad.
Why does Masked Blogger care so much about BHDC if he/she hates it so much? Is this a part of the saga that’s ever been revealed?
Masked blogger, “everyone” thinks you should reveal yourself. Why are you afraid? Do you work for someone who might be embarrassed that you’ve ranted on here for a year?
[…] O’Reilly: No Love for Obama’s Staff » Why Does Chris ‘Rangoon’ Matthews Hate Hillary? Wonkette Can’t Spell Adolf Hitler… Monday January 7th, 2008 4:34 PM by BHDC Staff Filed under: Wonkette, Gawker …which iskind of ironic, no: […]
[…] Earlier: Wonkette Editor Exits Gracelessly After Only Few Weeks; Gawker Empire Again In Shambles ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. […]
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