Death, Sex & Money | Betraying a Friendship to Get a Viral Story

When blogger AJ Daulerio broke the Brett Favre sexting scandal in
2010, it became one of the biggest stories of his career. But it
came at a cost: he had betrayed Jenn Sterger, the woman at the
center of the story, who had confided in him as a friend and
explicitly asked him not to name her. The fallout was immediate and
lasting. Jenn became the target of relentless online harassment and
scrutiny that has followed her for 15 years. AJ went on to face his
own reckoning when his aggressive tabloid journalism eventually led
to Gawker's bankruptcy, which upended his career.  In this
episode, both AJ and Jenn reflect on the toxic incentives of viral
journalism, the lasting trauma of unwanted internet fame, and how a
stray dog unexpectedly brought them back into contact after nearly
a decade of silence. AJ now writes a newsletter and hosts a podcast
about recovery called The Small Bow and writes an addiction advice
column for Slate called Ask A.J. You can hear more of Jenn on her
podcast, Not Today... with Eddie Pence and Jenn Sterger. Podcast
production by Andrew Dunn Death, Sex & Money is now produced by
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