The National Sports Journalism Center reported Nov. 3 that Gawker editor A.J. Daulerio has no “regrets” about publishing the Brett Favre sex photos story, which generated controversy last month because Daulerio published seemingly against his source’s wishes.
Daulerio explained that he paid an anonymous source named “Mr. X” for “materials connecting” Favre to TV personality Jenn Sterger, including voice mails and a photo. Oddly, the editor promises to protect “Mr. X’s” identity “because of an anonymity agreement” but still published Sterger’s identity and story. He defended his “inconsistent” choices because he never promised Sterger anonymity, the journalism center reports.
Daulerio also revealed that the Gawker-owned Deadspin has paid for sources three times. According to Daulerio, in order for a Gawker site to pay sources, the money “is essentially borrowed from the site’s budget.” To determine if it’s worth it for the site to pay a source, the site weighs if the story will drive traffic considerably, among other things, Daulerio noted.