Gawker, Rob Ford, and the rise of new media

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's stunning admission that he smoked crack cocaine is making headlines around the world. Along with the news value of the mayor of Canada's largest city admitting to using illegal drugs comes a lesson in the evolving values and conflicts of new and traditional media, says University of Toronto's Jeffrey Dvorkin. Most people now get their news from screens, especially blogs such as Gawker.com, which feature a mix of hard news and celebrity gossip delivered with the irreverence of a class clown. The popular New York-based website garnered international attention earlier this year when it sponsored a controversial 'Crackstarter' fundraising campaign. Gawker's goal was to raise money from the public to purchase a video depicting Ford smoking a substance believed to be crack. A few weeks ago, Gawker editor-in-chief John Cook appeared on stage to debate "Gawking, Gossip and Crowdfunding" with Dvorkin, a lecturer and program director of the University of Toronto Scarborough's journalism program. The debate, hosted by the Canadian Journalism Foundation, took place in front of a capacity audience in downtown Toronto.