Nick Denton, the founder of Gawker.com and a whole host of websites, covering everything from gossip to technology to sci-fi to porn, is a big deal in the media. Which is to say, he is kinda busy, running his cyber-media empire. So if he personally puts up a post on one of his sites, it must mean something to him.
So here's Denton's take, in Gawker.com this morning, on the picture above, in its entirety:
There are only two explanations for the sieg-heiling image of Sarah Palin that appeared briefly on CNN's website earlier this morning: a mischievous web producer thought to make a connection by photo selection between the Republican vice-presidential nominee and right-wing rabble-rousers of an earlier era; or he or she was so entirely clueless as to miss the allusion. Either way, the choice of image was clearly an embarrassment to a cable news channel which is already under attack from the McCain campaign for aggressive questioning and perceived bias. The front page of CNN.com was changed within minutes; but not before one of our tipsters grabbed a screenshot.
TCG has read in the past that Denton is Jewish, so that might explain his sensitivity to jokes about Hitler salutes. Although, of course, who knows--maybe CNN isn't joking.
But in fact, every fair-minded American should be similarly offended about flip references to Hitler, whether they are made for partisan purposes or simply for numbskull purposes.
