Valleywag
Okay, this is a rumor about a rumor, and too juicy to be believable. So I'm only putting out part of it. Here's the word on the grapevine: that a reporter, with either Business Week or the Los Angeles Times, called up News Corporation, asking for comment on one of Chris DeWolfe's liaisons. The dapper Myspace founder was, so the improbable story goes, witnessed canoodling at a party with a married woman. The real shocker: not that the charming social network pioneer is popular with the ladies, but that he dared get so close to this particular lady. For the record, I think the story itself is malicious wishful thinking. The story about the story, on the other hand: one can totally believe that a newspaper such as the Los Angeles Times was desperate for News Corp scoop while the media conglomerate was, with its bid for Dow Jones, in the headlines. If a reporter did indeed make a run with that old rumor, News Corp's incandescent reaction must have been something to behold. If you've heard the tittle-tattle, send me an email.
Update: A News Corp spokesperson called to deny the underlying rumor. "It is categorically untrue, and it is offensive and irresponsible for you to be printing it," she says. A Los Angeles Times reporter did indeed broach the topic — as, says News Corp, a "throwaway question in the middle of a conversation about unrelated matters." So that's that.
Crazy, crazy story
Okay, this is a rumor about a rumor, and too juicy to be believable. So I'm only putting out part of it. Here's the word on the grapevine: that a reporter, with either Business Week or the Los Angeles Times, called up News Corporation, asking for comment on one of Chris DeWolfe's liaisons. The dapper Myspace founder was, so the improbable story goes, witnessed canoodling at a party with a married woman. The real shocker: not that the charming social network pioneer is popular with the ladies, but that he dared get so close to this particular lady. For the record, I think the story itself is malicious wishful thinking. The story about the story, on the other hand: one can totally believe that a newspaper such as the Los Angeles Times was desperate for News Corp scoop while the media conglomerate was, with its bid for Dow Jones, in the headlines. If a reporter did indeed make a run with that old rumor, News Corp's incandescent reaction must have been something to behold. If you've heard the tittle-tattle, send me an email.
Update: A News Corp spokesperson called to deny the underlying rumor. "It is categorically untrue, and it is offensive and irresponsible for you to be printing it," she says. A Los Angeles Times reporter did indeed broach the topic — as, says News Corp, a "throwaway question in the middle of a conversation about unrelated matters." So that's that.
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12:55 PM on Wed Jun 27 2007
By Nick Denton
7,752 views
13 comments
Comments
unless it's with wendy murdoch, mrs. chernin or - lord forbid - mrs ailes... is this all that of a big deal?
oh god, please say it wasn't with shari redstone!
Please God let it be Wendi. And, Nick, isn't this meant to be your devil-take-the-hindmost last week, where you'll print "anything"? I'm most disappointed in you, and shan't trust you ever again...
@Felix: Trust me: this is a story that nobody else will touch. One for your Portfolio blog? I think not.
Wendy Murdoch.
@Nick Denton: If your story is true, then surely by definition it's being touched, or at least fondled gently, by either the LAT or BusinessWeek, no? And who knows, maybe if it was my last week at Portfolio, I might print it. Although I must admit I'm not the proprietor of that august establishment.
that photo of him - was it shot in 1976?
Oh, Nick! Suddenly the backtrack! Now it's an "old rumor"? And the "crazy, crazy story" isn't who Chris DeW is schtupping, but rather that some reporter phoned up a News Corp flack and asked a question? And the story about a reporter asking a question of a flack is "too juicy to be believable"? I'm a bit confused now, but I think the upshot is we're back to zero, no?
@Felix: Felix -- I extended the post, but didn't change the meaning. The reason why this is a story now is because of the call -- not the original tittle-tattle, the kind of story that starts with an innocent peck on the cheek, and gets amplified by gossip into a full-blown affair. The underlying item, by the way, was run as a blind in the New York Daily News, some time ago.
Many know that Anderson & De Wolf have asian fetish... specifically anderson... back in the day when I was using myspace to score... I met with several cute asian hunnies that Tom attempted to take out... most just didnt think the guy was that attractive... I actually had one gf that this dude aggressively pursued... hilarious... another went for lunch with him (19 yr old thai) and she told me he reminded her of her uncle... CREEPY!! from my perspective it just represented the scummy nature of myspace and intermix... the whole company was nothing but bottom feeders that just gotlucky with myspace... if dewolf and anderson leave.. no one will care.... none of the users... if I was murdoch I would shitcan the 2 of them.
Just got a call back from News Corp. Their denial -- of the rumor, not the fact that the LA Times had been snooping around -- is posted as an update.
tabloid blogging in full effect!
is it jennifer aniston?
lets move on to other young web 2.0 execs who have made more money and may have more complicated family lives, please. denton, if you're going to firebomb your blog on your way out you can aim higher than this.
@transparency: Hey, any suggestions? Mail them to me. Helps if there's an angle more interesting than a simple indiscretion.
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