What was once the snarky playground of New York's media elite has graduated (well, partly) from riffing on celebrities and celeb editors to actual journalism. The mothership of a network that includes Gizmodo, Deadspin and Jezebel, Gawker broke some fascinating stories in the past year, including State Department hazing in Afghanistan and tax quirks from would-be Senator Harold Ford. But though the site can do the highbrow now too, the endlessly entertaining lowbrow snark keeps us coming back for more. If it continues replenishing its ever rotating staff, Gawker should remain one of the best reads on the Web.