In the early 21 ^st century, the simultaneous surge of celebrities and nonstop demand for content from digital news websites created a new world in sports journalism. Stories that traditional sports reporters and editors often rejected—either for ethical reasons or for lack of interest or evidence—became fodder for sports blogs (many written by fans) and other websites, including those of mainstream newspapers, magazines and television networks. The Internet with its 24/7 news cycle ramped up the race to break news first. Increasingly, gossip and innuendo became accepted as news in its own right. Sports editors had to find ways to compete while trying to maintain editorial standards.

Enter Deadspin, a sports blog launched by Gawker Media in 2005. Like many sportswriters dating back to the 1960s, Deadspin shunned the accepted narrative of athletes as heroes. For Deadspin bloggers, however, digging into the off-the-field behavior of athletes was standard fare. Readers loved it. In 2009, the website attracted upwards of 2 million visitors a month.

In February 2010, Deadspin Editor A.J. Daulerio learned that celebrated football quarterback Brett Favre, while with the New York Jets, in 2008 had sent cellphone photos of his genitalia to Jenn Sterger, an in-house sideline reporter for the Jets. Favre had been named the National Football League’s Most Valuable Player three times. Throughout his legendary career, Favre had built his image and reputation on being a family man (he was married, with two daughters and a grandchild) and as a sponsor of many charities. He had retired in 2009 for the second time.

Sterger would not give Daulerio the photographs. But over the spring and summer, Daulerio discovered that she had forwarded the photos, along with Favre’s voicemails and text messages, to friends and colleagues. He also learned that members of the Jets front office were aware of the communications. A Jets staffer may have given Favre Sterger’s phone number without her permission, and the Jets organization clearly did not want the story made public.

To Daulerio, that sealed it. On August 4—without Sterger’s approval—he posted an unattributed item on the Deadspin website in which he named her. In it, he asked if anyone had the photos. Within weeks, he had a volunteer. But the source wanted to be paid—and handsomely. Moreover, Deadspin ’s legal director opposed running the photos. She worried that Deadspin might, in effect, be encouraging the source to break the law if the materials were stolen. Daulerio had to decide: did the photos add significantly to the story? Were they newsworthy? Should he pay for them?