Jonah Keri speaks freely with Deadspin Editor Tim Marchman about UFC’s long history of banning journalists, leading up to Ariel Helwani’s ban earlier this week (which has since been lifted); whether each league should have an association to advocate for journalists; the ethics of sitting on a story; controlling the message and UFC’s non-traditional arrangements with various media organizations; Hulk Hogan’s legal case against Gawker; what qualifies as newsworthy based on First Amendment case law; the utility of news sources like Gawker; getting stories wrong; Peter Thiel and the dangers of money interfering with journalism; the conflict inherent in media organizations holding rights to broadcast sports they also cover; the revelation that UFC has secretly been paying Helwani all along; and Tim’s Life Tip.
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