[Updated 7:14pm — Washington City Paper has announced the creation of a Legal Defense Fund]
As you’ve probably heard by now, Redskins owner Dan Snyder has filed suit against Washington City Paper and its parent company Atalaya Capital Management because he was displeased with a November cover story written by Dave McKenna.
Prior to filing suit, Snyder’s general counsel threatened Atalaya with a letter boasting that Snyder “has more than sufficient means to protect his reputation” and that “the cost of litigation would presumably quickly outstrip the asset value of the Washington City Paper.”
Rather than add to the existing commentary (see below) on this attempt to silence criticism with money, we’re standing in solidarity with City Paper by using the most valuable “asset” we have: our voice.
This is why we will be featuring a link to McKenna’s story, “The Cranky Redskin Fan’s Guide to Dan Snyder,” front and center on our homepage throughout Super Bowl weekend. After this weekend, the link will receive a permanent slot on our homepage and throughout our site until further notice.
As a defender of free speech and journalistic excellence, we condemn any attempt to silence commentary, or legitimate, factual criticism.
[Disclosure: Washington City Paper is a member of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, which runs this website, and its publisher, Amy Austin, sits on AAN’s Board of Directors. However, the editorial content of AltWeeklies.com is solely determined by the AAN staff.]
READ: “The Cranky Redskins Fan’s Guide to Dan Snyder,” by Dave McKenna
See also:
“To Our Readers,” by Amy Austin (Washington City Paper)
“On the Matter of Dan Snyder’s Horns,” by Mike Madden (Washington City Paper)
“Dan Snyder lawsuit: A complete analysis,” by Andrew Beaujon and Erik Wemple (TBD)
“Washington NFL Owner Daniel Snyder Finds Another Embarrassing, No-Win Project to Spend His Money On,” by Tom Scocca (Slate)
“Redskins Owner Says He’ll Sue Some Newspapers: How and Why?,” by Choire Sicha (The Awl)
“Washington Redskins Owner Dan Snyder Seeks Dismissal Of Reporter Who Documented How Terrible He Was At Everything,” by Jason Linkins (Huffington Post)
“Rich Idiot Thinks He Deserves $2 Million for This ‘Anti-Semitic’ Picture,” by Hamilton Nolan (Gawker)
“Who had the worst week in Washington? Dan Snyder.” by Chris Cillizza (Washington Post)
“Memo to Dan Snyder: Thank you for your stewardship of the Redskins,” by Gene Weingarten (Washington Post)
“Why Lawsuit Proves Redskins Owner Just Doesn’t Get It,” by Sam Westmoreland (Bleacher Report)
