A group of former Deadspin staffers have "unveiled plans for a new media company they will own and operate themselves" called Defector Media, according to Ben Strauss of the WASHINGTON POST. The company will include "nearly all of the 20 or so staffers who clashed with management last year over its mandate that Deadspin 'stick to sports,' and will launch with a podcast in August and a subscription-based website in September." A message on the Defector site states the venture is a "new sports blog and media company." Strauss notes the site will include "many of the recognizable names from Deadspin," including Drew Magary and Diana Moskovitz. The Editor-in-Chief "will be former features editor Tom Ley." This comes as journalists have "begun to seek new models for employment," and many have "launched paid newsletters through a company called Substack." (WASHINGTON POST, 7/29). In N.Y., Marc Tracy reported the business side "will be led by Jasper Wang." Defector’s founders said that the company had "no outside investors, and each employee has taken a stake" of roughly 5%. Tracy reported Defector will "offer subscriptions at $8 a month, with an annual subscription available at a discount" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/28). GQ's Alex Shultz noted Defector already has "amassed close to 3,500 subscribers" (GQ.com, 7/28).
