NYT rhetorically asks if Gawker's jumped the shark

As if by fate, the New York Times posted a very topical piece today arguing that Gawker (the site, not the network, but the reasoning works for either) has finally jumped the shark, so to speak, pointing specifically to disgruntled writers, devolving discourse, and perhaps most damningly, revolting commenters. Interestingly, the exact same thing is happening over at Gizmodo, where the site's reader-selected 2007 commenter of the year has become one of their most vocal critics in the wake of Gizmodogate.

Denton laughs all this off of course, and in a post on Gawker that fittingly conforms almost exactly to the type of crap writing the Times is referring to, points out that the same predictions have been made by other pundits in years past. Yeah, Nicky, but those weren't New York Times journalists calling you "a cruel behemoth, eviscerating low-level editors and people’s children," and you weren't losing traffic along with your usual respect back then.

Can you hear the accelerating pounding of footsteps as readers begin fleeing in droves? Can you see the patient, gleeful, vengeful vultures starting to circle above you? Can you feel the proverbial noose tightening around your neck?