As the Gersh Kuntzman cited above, I can tell you that Gawker needs to do a little legwork before posting stories. No one called my office from Gawker to ask about the alleged "excuses" I made, so it's difficult for me to understand how this site can report, as fact, that I made "excuses."
In fact, I have made no excuses. I give all our writers a full understanding of the billing procedure here - a procedure, you would certainly know if you called me, that never involves the editor of a publication.
Billing is handled out of the front office at every single paper I have ever worked at - but, then, you'd know that if you had called me for a comment. Alas, you didn't care to bother.
Please feel free to call me in the future. I'm probably the most accessible editor in the business.
GERSH KUNTZMAN
Editor
The Brooklyn Paper