The Daily Dot Explained

The Daily Dot
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Collapsetext:Screenshot
Commercial:Yes
Type:News
Language:English
Creator:Nicholas White
Editor:Whitney Jefferson[1]

The Daily Dot is a digital media company covering the culture of the Internet and the World Wide Web. It was founded by Nicholas White in 2011, and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.[2]

The site, conceived as the Internet's "hometown newspaper",[3] focuses on topics such as streaming entertainment, geek culture, memes, gadgets and social issues, such as LGBT, gender and race. In addition, an e-commerce arm produces branded video for advertisers and sells items from an online marketplace.[3] [4]

History

The Daily Dot was established in 2011 by Nicholas White, whose goal was to cover Internet communities such as Reddit and Tumblr in the same manner as hometown newspapers cover their own communities. White's family has been in the newspaper business since buying the Sandusky Register in Ohio in 1869, and White was a reporter and executive with the family's media company before establishing the site.[5]

White launched The Daily Dot with $600,000 and a handful of full-time reporters. Many of the site's early stories were filed to a Google Doc and reported on Facebook and Twitter. After establishing a headquarters in Austin, Texas, the company added other offices but many staff worked remotely from other locations. It raised a $10 million private investment to add staff, produce digital content and develop its internal creative agency in 2015, ramping up its output to 50–70 stories a day.[6] Its coverage has focused on "under-reported" areas while emphasizing progressive issues such as body positivity and feminism. White has also highlighted the need to diversify his staff. "Journalism has been dominated by a few select types of voices. We have an opportunity to break from that cycle" he has said.

The Daily Dot has pursued several content strategies while building its online presence. In 2012, it was one of the first major sites to launch dedicated esports coverage. In 2016, the company sold that section, Dot Esports, to Gamurs, an Australian esports multimedia operation.[7]

In 2014, it purchased The Kernel, a competing website, and turned it into a weekly Sunday edition featuring long-form editorial built around a single theme. The Kernel founder and editor-in-chief Milo Yiannopoulos stepped down following the acquisition.[8] The Kernel ceased regular publication in 2016.[9]

It also has collaborated on video projects with partners including HLN, on a co-branded series called Next Sex;[10] the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for which it produced a public service announcement encouraging vaccination featuring Sesame Street character Elmo and former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy;[11] and television cooking personality Alton Brown, whose review of kitchen gadgets garnered many millions of views on YouTube.[12] [13]

In January 2016, the site launched VIP Voices, a collection of op-eds from high-profile contributors on Internet issues in public discourse. Contributors include Mayor Bill de Blasio, Representative Ted Lieu, and Senator Mike Lee.[14] [15]

In 2018, The Daily Dot sued the New York Police Department to access handgun license applications filed by Donald Trump and two of his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.[16] The suit alleges that the NYPD declined a request made by The Daily Dot under New York's Freedom of Information Law to release the information, citing privacy and safety concerns; the site argues the information should be public.[17]

The company had a full-time staff of 76, in addition to 222 freelance contributors, in early 2016[2] before laying off 40% of its total staff in September 2016.[18] White, who called the layoff a "restructuring", said the move was necessary to refocus resources on growing areas such as video, e-commerce and sales.[19] The site's e-commerce videos, produced in conjunction with advertisers, are shared on Facebook and generate revenue by sharing a portion of sales. In addition, the site has built two online storefronts, the Bazaar and The Daily Dot Store, on which it sells items.

Awards

The site's coverage has been recognized by the following outlets:

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Ahmed . Mariam . Daily Dot hires Jefferson as executive editor . 9 July 2023 . Talking Biz News . 13 April 2023.
  2. News: Gallaga. Omar. Austin-based Daily Dot takes new approach to covering the Web. March 16, 2017. Austin American-Statesman. January 25, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161220104040/http://www.mystatesman.com/technology/austin-based-daily-dot-takes-new-approach-covering-the-web/cFOADb7fY3qvFbcm07mHON/. December 20, 2016. dead.
  3. News: Ha. Anthony. Can The Daily Dot Become Web's 'Hometown Newspaper'?. March 16, 2017. AdWeek. August 23, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20170317153221/http://www.adweek.com/digital/can-daily-dot-become-webs-hometown-newspaper-134336/. March 17, 2017. live.
  4. News: Willens. Max. How the Daily Dot uses Facebook video to sell aquariums and flux capacitors. June 27, 2018. Digiday. April 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20180628044052/https://digiday.com/media/daily-dot-uses-facebook-video-sell-aquariums-flux-capacitors/. June 28, 2018. live.
  5. News: Smith IV. Jack. The Daily Dot's Island of Misfit Reporters Raises over $10 Million. May 26, 2018. Observer. April 28, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20180616030227/http://observer.com/2015/04/the-daily-dots-island-of-misfit-reporters-raises-over-10-million/. June 16, 2018. live.
  6. News: Calnan. Christopher. Daily Dot restructures, lays off 40% of staff. May 27, 2018. Austin Business Journal. September 19, 2016. November 4, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211104214838/https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2016/09/19/daily-dot-restructures-lays-of-40-of-staff.html. live.
  7. News: Bräutigam . Theo . Daily Dot Esports section sold to media network Gamurs . May 27, 2018 . Esports Observer . October 31, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180616030240/https://esportsobserver.com/daily-dots-esports-section-sold-media-network-gamurs/ . June 16, 2018 . live .
  8. Web site: Robin . Wauters . The Kernel acquired by The Daily Dot publisher; founder and editor Milo Yiannopoulos to move on . Tech.eu . January 29, 2014 . January 29, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140203093948/http://tech.eu/features/375/the-kernel-daily-dot-media-acquisition/ . February 3, 2014 . live .
  9. Web site: About the Kernel . May 27, 2018 . The Daily Dot . https://web.archive.org/web/20180616030234/https://kernelmag.dailydot.com/about/ . June 16, 2018 . live .
  10. HLN and the Daily Dot partner to provide co-branded content across all screens . May 27, 2018 . November 18, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180616030223/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hln-and-the-daily-dot-partner-to-provide-co-branded-content-across-all-screens-283049251.html . June 16, 2018 . live .
  11. News: The Daily Dot clarifies: Elmo not an anti-vaxxer . June 14, 2018 . April 20, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180616002531/https://www.adweek.com/digital/the-daily-dot-clarifies-elmo-not-an-anti-vaxxer/ . June 16, 2018 . live .
  12. Web site: Alton Brown reviews Amazon's dumbest kitchen gadgets . . June 14, 2018 . December 10, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180612123044/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgFeVlw2Ywg . June 12, 2018 . live .
  13. Web site: Alton Brown reviews Amazon's dumbest kitchen gadgets . The Webby Awards . June 14, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180616030249/https://www.webbyawards.com/winners/2016/online-film-video/performance-craft/best-individual-performance/alton-brown-reviews-amazons-dumbest-kitchen-gadgets/ . June 16, 2018 . live .
  14. Web site: Lieu. Ted. April 6, 2016. State encryption laws only undermine our national security. live. September 20, 2021. The Daily Dot. en-US. October 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211023190234/https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/congress-encryption-act/.
  15. Web site: vip voices Archives. September 20, 2021. The Daily Dot. en-US. October 15, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211015213944/https://www.dailydot.com/tags/vip-voices/. live.
  16. Web site: Klasfeld . Adam . NYPD sued for Trump family handgun records . June 29, 2018 . Courthouse News . June 21, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180629160009/https://www.courthousenews.com/nypd-sued-for-trump-family-handgun-records/ . June 29, 2018 . live .
  17. News: Marsh . Julia . NYPD sued for not disclosing info on Trump family gun permits . June 29, 2018 . New York Post . June 22, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180629155534/https://nypost.com/2018/06/22/nypd-sued-for-not-disclosing-info-on-trump-family-gun-permits/ . June 29, 2018 . live .
  18. News: Sterne. Peter. Daily Dot lays off 30 employees across company. March 16, 2017. Politico. September 16, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20170317233358/http://www.politico.com/media/story/2016/09/daily-dot-lays-off-at-least-15-staffers-across-company-004773. March 17, 2017. live.
  19. News: Gallaga . Omar . Layoffs at Austin-based newspaper of the Web, The Daily Dot . June 27, 2018 . Austin American Statesman . September 16, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180627230857/https://www.512tech.com/technology/layoffs-austin-based-newspaper-the-web-the-daily-dot/54W8SngyNGvPeBF15fW89N/ . June 27, 2018 . live .
  20. Web site: The Webby Awards . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180627230832/https://www.webbyawards.com/winners/2015/websites/general-website/news/the-daily-dot/ . June 27, 2018 . May 27, 2018 . The Webby Awards.
  21. Web site: February 17, 2015 . The Atlantic leads Digiday Publisher of the Year finalists . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180627230736/https://digiday.com/awards/meet-the-digiday-publishing-awards-finalists/ . June 27, 2018 . June 27, 2018 . Digiday.
  22. Web site: Cameron . Dell . June 5, 2014 . How an FBI informant orchestrated the Stratfor hack . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180628015515/https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/hammond-sabu-fbi-stratfor-hack/ . June 28, 2018 . May 29, 2018 . The Daily Dot.
  23. Web site: Friedersdorf . conor . August 11, 2016 . Slightly more than 100 exceptional works of journalism . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180627230730/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/08/slightly-more-than-100-exceptional-works-of-journalism/490622/ . June 27, 2018 . June 27, 2018 . The Atlantic.
  24. Web site: February 2, 2016 . Vox Media and The Enthusiast Network are top nominees in the Digiday Publishing Awards . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180627230823/https://digiday.com/announcement/vox-media-the-enthusiast-network-digiday-publishing-awards-finalists/ . June 27, 2018 . June 27, 2018 . Digiday.
  25. Web site: CJ Affiliate Announces CJU17 "CJ You Awards" Finalists . June 27, 2018 . CJ Affiliate . https://web.archive.org/web/20180628015438/http://www.cj.com/press/cj-affiliate-announces-cju17-cj-you-awards-finalists . June 28, 2018 . live .

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