"From an editorial standpoint, it was compelling to hear it from his own words," Stern said, adding that "it's a good story and that's why we did it." She hadn't even gone to her apartment to check, she said. "If it was any politician whose private life diverged from his public life in such an interesting way, we'd be interested in that," Stern said. I am no fan of O'Donnell but what gawker has done is disgusting and vile and once again not showcasing the real issues in this election.
– Gawker has stirred up a furor by posting an anonymous guy's claim of a having a "one-night stand" (which involved the same bed, but no sex) with a drunk Christine O'Donnell a few years ago. On Twitter and all over blog land, the story about the story has now eclipsed the actual story (as evidenced by this summary). The Huffington Post's roundup of reaction includes Meghan McCain tweeting, "Wow gawker, just wow. This is the exact reason why women don't want to run for office in this country. Posting that is vile and disgusting." At Yahoo's Upshot blog, Michael Calderone talks to Gawker editor Remy Stern, who defends it as a "great story" and rejects the various charges of misogyny being leveled. "If it was any politician whose private life diverged from his public life in such an interesting way, we'd be interested in that. It had nothing to do with her being a woman." Calderone also quotes a tweet from Slate's Dave Weigel: "Hey Gawker, I hope a one-day SEO term victory is worth the sleaziest piece of s--- story in memory." Michelle Malkin, meanwhile, is calling out Gawker's advertisers over the "smear."