Top Gawker editors resign after controversial post outing Condé Nast CFO

LOS ANGELES — Tommy Craggs, the executive editor of Gawker Media, and Max Read, the editor-in-chief of Gawker.com, are resigning amid controversy surrounding an article the site posted about Conde Nast‘s CFO soliciting a gay porn star.

"This was not an easy decision. I hope the partnership group recognizes the degree to which it has betrayed the trust of editorial, and takes steps to materially reinforce its independence," Read wrote in a memo posted on Gawker Monday.

The website published the story on Thursday evening then took it down the following day after coming under fire from all fronts.

The founder of Gawker, Nick Denton, said that the managing partners of the company voted 4 to 2 to remove the story.

"Gawker is no longer the insolent blog that began in 2003. It does important and interesting journalism about politicians, celebrities and other major public figures ... It is the first time we have removed a significant news story for any reason other than factual error or legal settlement," Denton wrote.

Read said his decision to resign was based on "the process by which this happened."

"If the partnership had not conducted some kind of utterly opaque backroom vote to delete it--if we had simply posted Nick‘s note, as much I disagreed with and disliked it--I think this Monday would be very different," he said.