Aside from the underappreciated Gridskipper (and, okay, the occasional Gizmodo), I’ve long ago abandoned reading anything published by the Nick Denton House of Cards Media Empire. But this article at NYTimes.com (I know, I know, why am I still reading *them*?) caught my eye, and brought appreciation and satisfaction on a number of levels:

O.K., so people who follow this boring Manhattan media insider stuff know that the managing editor of Gawker, Choire Sicha, and his top writer-editor, Emily Gould, announced that they were quitting, in a blog post that was ostensibly about a five-year history of Gawker in n+1, the literary journal. [Gawker]

From the aforementioned five-year history by Carla Blumenkranz, now available in full: “The Gawker editors have always been forthright about the fact that what they wanted was to leave Gawker — its low pay and marginal status—and work for the people they maligned… Gawker retained the stance of a scrappy start-up and an attitude of populist resentment toward celebrities and insiders, even as it became the flagship publication of an online media empire.” [n+1]

[ . . . ]

Mr. Sicha told Women’s Wear Daily he wouldn’t mind a job “reporting on fires.” Ms. Gould’s quote: “Whatever Gawker originally set out to do, it kind of did, and now it just feels over. I would love it if it just fell off the face of the Earth… I don’t want to say the meanest thing or the most shocking thing possible anymore, because it gets so old and so soul-killing.” [WWD.com]

So, if you’ve read this far, you probably know and have an interest in the backstory and context. Tell me, doesn’t this feel good? To be clear, I’d still love to see an upstart overcome and conquer the likes of Fox and Condé Nast. But by these kids? Schadenfreude is the word, I think.

(Yes, I will probably regret this post tomorrow morning. It’s sort of like admitting that you’re following the Britney Spears custody saga.)